Eid Mubarak!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Salmunalaykum wa ramatullhi wa baraktuh!
May Allah bless you and your families.
As we are exiting this great month of Raman, tomorrow will be the last day of this great month and InshAllah Wednesday, April 10th, 2024 will be auspicious day of Eid ul Fir.
I would like to extend my taiyt, tabrkt, and best wishes to you all on this auspicious occasion. I sincerely congratulate the Imm of our time (aj), the scholars, the Bay Area Muslim community, and the Muslim Ummah on this auspicious day of Eid ul Fir. I pray to Allah (swt) that He grants us all the best blessings, increases our faith, and includes us amongst those who have reached the rank of the muttaqn, the God-conscious.
As we gather to celebrate the joyous occasion of Eidul Fir, let us take a moment to reflect on the blessings of the month of Raman and the profound lessons it has bestowed upon us.
During this blessed month, we embarked on a journey of self-reflection, devotion, and spiritual growth. We endeavored to deepen our connection with Allah (swt) through fasting, prayers, supplications, and acts of kindness toward others. We strived to embody the values of mercy, compassion, and generosity that define the essence of the month of Raman.
As we bid farewell to this blessed month and welcome the festive day of Eidul Fir, let us carry forward the spirit of gratitude, humility, and unity that the month of Raman has instilled in our hearts. Let us extend our hands in friendship and reconciliation, mend broken relationships, and spread love and harmony within our communities. I would like to sincerely thank our dedicated boards, volunteers, donors, and the entire community. Indeed it is with all of you that we were able to benefit from this great month.
As we exchange greetings of Eid Mubrak, let us remember the importance of justice, both in our personal lives and in society at large. Let us uphold the principles of fairness, equity, and righteousness in all our actions, guided by the teachings of Islam.
Today we are witnessing unprecedented global injustice. Our hearts and minds are with our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Gaza. May Allah bring justice to those oppressed by the Zionist regime. Those hypocritically claiming to advocate for justice and human rights have miserably failed, revealing their true faces and losing credibility. Even in Western countries, many are disillusioned and taking to the streets in protest. We condemn this genocide and the tens of thousands of lives that have been lost especially the innocent children and women.
Indeed Divine Justice of Allah (swt) will come through hisDivine Representative Imm al-ujjah (aj)using the words in Du an-Nudbah:
When will you see us and we see you spreading the pennon of victory?
Can it be that we surround you while you are leading the groups,
after you will have filled in the earth with justice,
tasted your enemies humiliation and punishment,
annihilated the insolent defiant and the deniers of the truth,
cut off the roots of the arrogant,
eradicated the sources of the wrongdoers,
and we keep on saying, All praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds?
Let us pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters around the world, especially those whoare suffering may Allah grant them relief and His divine help.
May Allah accept our zakh this blessed month of Raman, our fasting, our pursuit of justice, and our dus inshAllh.
Eid Mubrak to you all.
With Duas,
NabiRaza Abidi
Please note: Zakt al-Firah Zakt al-Fir is a religious obligation for those who are financially able and is to be paid on behalf of ones self and all dependents whom one supports financially. According to the fatw of the marji, one who is carrying out the obligation of Zakt al-FirahZakt al-Fir must give to those who meet the requirements locally. Only after searching and not finding needy locals may it be transferred out-of-town.
The amount is approximately 3 kilograms of a single local food staple or its cash equivalent per person. The suggested amount for this year (per person) is $16 (approximate cash equivalent of 6.61 lb of high quality rice).
Zaktal-FirahZakt al-Fir becomes wjib (obligatory) after sunset on the eve of Ed al-Fir. The Zakt al-Firah Zakt al-Fir should be paid or set aside at the latest before Eid prayers for those who will perform the prayers, or before midday (the time of uhr prayers) for those who will not perform Eid prayers. It can be submitted prior to before the night of Eid by giving it as a loan and then changing your intention from it being a loan to Zakt al-Firah Zaktal-Fir when the time has arrived to give the Zakt al-Firah Zakt al-Fir.
You can deposit your Zakt al-Firah Zakt al-Fir in the designated boxes on the night of Eid at SABA, or on the day of Eid before the Eid prayers. You can also pay online through our website: https://www.saba-igc.org/. If you pay online, please include a comment specifying that the money is for Zaktal-Firah Zakt al-Fir and whether you are Sayyid or non-Sayyid.
If you need to pay Fidyah because
a) you are an expecting mother and you could not fast due to being in the late term of pregnancy and fear of harm on the child, or
b) you are a nursing mother and you could not fast due to fear of a low milk supply, or
c) you have a prolonged medical reason for not being able to fast that prevented you from fasting in the last years month of Raman (20232) and also prevented you from making up the missed fasts throughout the year, or
d) you had Qad fasts to make up from the last years month of Ramadan but you did not make them prior to this month due to negligence (this is also known as Kaffrah of Takhr),
The suggested fidyah amount is $6 for each missed day of fasting. This amount will be used to purchase the equivalent of 750 grams of food for the needy. There will be designated boxes for Fidyah as well. It can also be donated online.
Note: If you have a long-term medical condition that prevents you from fasting during this month, you must wait til the next years month of Raman (2025) to give the fidyah for each day of missed fasting of this year.