Eed in the House of the Prophet
On a joyful day in Al-Madeenah An-Nabawiyyah, and on the morning of a happy ‘Eed, the house of the Prophet, , witnessed the scenes of the celebration of ‘Eed under the supervision of the best of human beings: Muhammad, . Everyone joined in to celebrate the occasion of ‘Eed and all were keen to let the noble Prophet, , witness their celebrations because they loved him the most and held him the utmost esteem.
Concerning the house of the Prophet, , it was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah, the Mother of the Believers said,
“The Messenger of Allaah came to my house while two girls weresinging beside me the songs of Bu‘aath. He lay down and turned his face to the other side. Then Abu Bakr came and spoke to me harshly saying, ‘Musical instruments of the devil (referring to the tambourine) in the house of the Prophet ?’ The Messenger of Allaah turned his face towards him and said: ‘Leave them.’ When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I signaled to those girls to go out and they left.”
Moreover, there is another example of celebration of the ‘Eed near the honorable room, let our Mother, ‘Aa’ishah tell us about it to complete the context of her previous speech. She narrated,
“It was the Day of ‘Eed, and the Abyssinians were playing with shields and spears; so either I requested the Prophet or he asked me saying:‘Would you like to see the display?’ I replied in the affirmative. Then the Prophet let me stand behind him and my cheek was on his cheek and he was saying: ‘Carry on! O Banu Arfidah (title given to Abyssinians),until I got tired. The Prophet asked me: ‘Are you satisfied (Is that sufficient for you)?’ ‘So leave.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim in the Chapter of Al-’Eedayn and the wording is that of Al-Bukhaari]
In another place next to the room of the Prophet, , there was another joyful celebration of ‘Eed performed by some children singing melodious Nasheeds(verses) praising the Prophet, .
‘Aa’ishah said,
"Once the Messenger of Allaah was sitting. Then we heard confused sounds and boys' voices, so he got up (to investigate the matter). He saw an Abyssinian woman dancing with the boys around her. He said: ‘O ‘Aa’ishah! Come and look,’ So I went and placed my chin on the shoulder of the Messenger of Allaah and began to watch her over his shoulder. He then said to me: ‘Have you not had enough? Have you not had enough?’ I began to say, ‘No,’ in order that I might look where I was with him. ‘Umar then came along, and when the people ran away from her, the Messenger of Allaah said:‘I am looking at the devils of the jinn and humans fleeing from ‘Umar.’Then she said, “I went back.” (At-Tirmithi)
If we would like to know some such Nasheeds and their words, they are in their language and even the Prophet, , used to ask about their meanings. It was narrated in Al-Musnad and Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan that Anas ibn Maalik said,“The Abyssinians used to come before the Messenger of Allaah dance and speak words that he did not understand. Then the Messenger of Allaah said:‘What are they saying?’ They said that they are saying, ‘Muhammad is a righteous slave (of Allaah).”
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Lessons scholars deduced from the Hadeeths mentioned above:
· It is permissible to be generous to your dependants during the days of‘Eeds in a manner that pleases them and give them rest. In case a person does not like to have rest or amusement due to his old age, his status and prestige – although that may really befit him – others, especially his family and children and those who are still young love amusement, so he should give them the chance to satisfy these natural desires in accordance with the rules and limits of Sharee’ah (Islamic legislation). [Fat-h Al-Baari]
· It also indicates that showing happiness during the days of ‘Eeds is among the main principles and rituals of our religion. That is because when the Prophet, , witnessed the singing of the two little girls, he did not stop them; rather, he approved of that. Moreover, when the Prophet, , heard Abu Bakr wanting to stop them, he said to him: “Leave them," and in another narration he said: “O Abu Bakr! There is a festival for every nation and this is our festival", and in the narration reported in Al-Musnad, the Prophet, , said: “Let the Jews know that our religion is full of ease and that I was sent with a tolerant religion of true monotheism."
· It also indicates that one should treat women gently and seek closeness to them because women have a natural love for kind feelings and gentle emotions. Such intimacy can be attained by satisfying her natural desires and fulfilling her usual needs as long as they are lawful. In fact, the Prophet, , gave us the best example in this regard. His houses were full of kindness and gentleness with the Mothers of the Believers. The affectionate scene, in which the Mother of the Believers said, “My cheek was on his cheek” and the harmonious emotions and spiritual contact that it includes, clearly proves that‘Eed is a chance to heal any rift that may afflict the beautiful picture of marital life.
· In fact, what the Prophet, , did with ‘Aa’ishah, in spite of his noble status and great burdens, is a precious lesson for parents, brothers, and husbands. Hence, ‘Aa’ishah used to say, “You should understand the fact that young girls like to have fun.”That is to say, we should understand our desires for such things until we have had enough of it. After investigating the matter, it was concluded that denying children and wives their share of amusement and entertainment has adverse effects on their psychological and social lives.
Engaging in play and entertainment on 'Eed should not make one forget the religious and moral teachings to which he has to adhere strictly. Entertainment and amusement do not justify doing forbidden actions, neglecting duties, and causing harm to people. ‘Aa’ishah pointed this out when she said,“Some Abyssinians were playing with spears and the Messenger of Allaah screened me (with his cloak) so that I could watch them,” and her description of the two girls that they were still very young and that they were not singers and that they were singing a Nasheed that is religiously permissible and suits the occasion of ‘Eed.
‘Eed in Islam is not an individual celebration; rather, it is collective. Thus, all individuals of the Islamic nation shall share the happiness of this occasion. Islam came to ensure happiness for all Muslims – from our little children to our relatives and neighbors. This can be clearly manifested by the Sunnah(tradition) of the Prophet, , when he ensured food, which is considered one of the essential elements of happiness, for all members of the Islamic society on the morning of ‘Eed Al-Fitr and sacrificed on the day of ‘Eed Al-Adh-ha. As a matter of fact, no other system in the world as a whole can ensure this amount of food for all people and and the integration of the poor as the IslamicSharee’ah has done.
Noble and kind Muslims realize that satisfying the needs or people and alleviating poverty are things that accompany every joyful occasion. Thus, ‘Eedincludes the meanings of happiness, mercy, and kind and sincere affection. Moreover, history continues to record the attitudes of noble Muslims whose happiness could be complete except by satisfying the needs of the poor and the needy around them. They give them food, clothing and a great deal of money.
‘Eed – with its great scenes and signs – is a golden opportunity to call non-Muslims to Islam and present to them the true nature of Islam through compliments and the Islamic courteous behavior which Allaah The Almighty ordered us to adopt in His saying (which means): {Allaah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allaah loves those who act justly.} [Quran 60:8]
‘Eed in Islam is a great integrated ritual. It satisfies both the spiritual and physical needs. ‘Eed crowns the great and significant rituals of worship that Allaah The Almighty has enjoined in the month of Ramadan and the months ofHajj. These are the needs of the soul: Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):{Say, "In the Bounty of Allaah and in His Mercy - in that let them rejoice.} [Quran 10:58]
Physical needs and psychological desires that seek entertainment, amusement and play are also satisfied on the occasion of ‘Eed in Islam. Therefore, Islam forbade observing fast on the days of ‘Eed as the happiness of the one who witnesses ‘Eed will not be complete unless he could eat or drink. What can refer to achieving such aims is what Anas narrated saying, "The people during Jaahiliyyah used to have two days in every year when they would amuse themselves. When the Messenger of Allaah came to Madeenah, he said:‘Allaah has given you instead of them two days that are better than them: the Day of Al-Adh-ha and the Day of Al-Fitr.’"[Abu Daawood and An-Nasaa’i]
Ibn Jareer, in relating the events of the 2nd year A.H, said, “In it, the Prophet performed the ‘Eed prayer. He went out along with people to the place of prayer. It was the first ‘Eed Prayer that he performed.”
In this way, the Islamic nation became self-sufficient because of its integratedSharee‘ah (Islamic legislation) and its complete blessings. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. } [Quran 5:48]
Actually, all the days of the life of the Prophet, , were like the days of ‘Eed – full of happiness and joy for all those who dealt and talked with the Prophet, , and followed the light of his religion. Therefore, the meetings of the Prophet, , were full of people of different origins and ages, delegations, groups, leaders, women who came to seek knowledge, the old, the young, and children. All those people came to share the blessing of the Prophet, .
This gift will be available for all people until the Day of Resurrection. Those who will benefit greatly from that are only those who adhere very strictly to the footsteps and the way of the Prophet, . Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Certainly did Allaah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.}[Quran 3:164]
Source : http://www.islamweb.net/