Eid al‑Fitr: The Festival of Giving

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Jul 28, 2025

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Righteousness is not merely turning your face towards the east or the west. Rather, true piety is to believe in Allah, the Day of Judgment, the angels, the prophets, and to spend wealth out of love for Him—for relatives, orphans, the poor, travelers, beggars, and for freeing slaves. (Surah Al-Baqarah 177)

Every practice in Islam strikes a balance between worldly and eternal welfare. Eid al-Fitr, likewise, aims to promote material well-being, ultimately enriching one’s afterlife. But before we discuss how, let’s understand the essence of Islam.

It is crucial to remember that Islam is not just a religion of rituals like many others. Most religions involve visiting places of worship, reading scriptures, performing rites, and worshipping the Creator to attain salvation.

Sadly, many Muslims today view Islam in the same limited way. However, Islam does not confine itself to rituals for pleasing God or securing the afterlife. Islam teaches that the path to divine pleasure and eternal salvation lies in establishing peace, justice, and order in human life here on Earth.

To establish peace in this world, a complete and flawless system is needed to guide all aspects of life—personal, moral, spiritual, familial, social, legal, economic, political, administrative, and international. Islam presents such a comprehensive system of life, leaving no aspect untouched.

Social harmony largely depends on interpersonal relationships. If people care about their neighbors and stand by each other in times of need, everyone feels secure.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Your neighbors include the forty houses around you. One who eats to his fill while his neighbor goes hungry is not a believer. When cooking, add extra broth and share it with your neighbor. One whose neighbor does not feel safe from his harm will not enter Paradise.”

Thus, Islam emphasizes building strong social bonds. In today’s materialistic world, individuals live like isolated islands, expecting the state to fulfill all basic needs. The more educated people become, the more self-centered and indifferent they grow.

In cities, most people don't even know who lives next door, let alone check if they have food to eat. In such an alienated society, no one can truly feel safe or happy.

To eradicate poverty, equitable distribution of wealth is essential. In a capitalist society, wealth accumulates in the hands of a few, while the majority live below the poverty line.

Recently, it was reported that 43% of Bangladesh’s population has fallen below the poverty line. Due to COVID-19, an additional 24.5 million people became poor.

Yet, the number of millionaires is also rising. According to the central bank, by the end of December, there were 153.5 million bank accounts in the country, with total deposits amounting to 17.49 trillion taka.

Among these, 116,908 accounts held over 10 million taka each. Within a year, the number of millionaire account holders increased by 6,962.

(Source: The Business Standard, March 14, 2024)

Economists note that income inequality is growing—rich people are becoming wealthier, and while some poor are improving, the rich are progressing much faster. This imbalance must be addressed.

However, capitalism inherently causes such inequality. To eliminate this, the divine economic system is necessary. Islam forbids usurious economics and capitalism, as it is based on exploitation. Instead, it promotes a donation-based economy.

Allah says, “In the wealth of the rich, there is a rightful share for the poor and the deprived.” (Surah Adh-Dhariyat 19)

To deliver this rightful share, Islam provides multiple avenues—Zakat, Ushr, Fai, Khums, Kharaj, Jizya, Qisas (mandatory state-collected dues), and individual efforts like Sadaqah, Kaffara, Qard-e-Hasan, Fitrana, Fidya, vows, endowments (Waqf), gifts, lost-and-found funds, family obligations, dowry, distribution of Qurbani meat, donation of fruits, well water, pasture grass, arranging iftar, and more.

Just as water poured from a high place fills every pit and spreads evenly, similarly, the wealth of the rich should first eliminate extreme poverty and eventually lead to collective prosperity.

The Qur’an lists the foremost expenditure as for the cause of establishing the religion. A believer is defined as one who strives in the path of Allah with both life and wealth (Surah Hujurat 15). Allah says: “Indeed, Allah has purchased the lives and wealth of the believers in exchange for Paradise.” (Surah At-Tawbah 111)

To attain Paradise, two major conditions are laid out in the Qur’an: firm belief in the Oneness of Allah (Tawhid) and striving with life and wealth in His cause. After Tawhid and Jihad, verses about charity appear most frequently.

Misers are warned of Hellfire (Surah Tawbah 34), and they are considered excluded from the faith (Surah Muhammad 38).

One of the core objectives of Ramadan is to cultivate moderation, not miserliness, but frugality. The goal is not to hoard, but to donate the saved expenses during fasting to those in need.

Experiencing hunger through fasting makes the affluent empathetic toward the poor, inspiring them to help. This contributes to solving national economic crises.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged his followers to be more charitable in Ramadan. Charity in this month is rewarded seventy times more—an unlimited divine bonus.

It is narrated: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was the most generous among people, and he would be even more generous in Ramadan when Jibreel (peace be upon him) met him.” (Muslim 2308)

Priority in charity should be given to relatives and neighbors. The Prophet encouraged feeding the poor during iftar and also urged sharing with neighbors, as this builds communal harmony, essential for a peaceful society. He said: “Whoever gives iftar to a fasting person will receive the same reward.” (Tirmidhi)

Buying new clothes, prayer rugs, caps, rosaries, or perfumes for Eid is not mandatory. Helping the unemployed and the poor is far more virtuous.

The word Fitr (from Eid al-Fitr) refers to the morning meal with which fasting ends. The message is: no one should remain hungry on Eid morning.

To ensure this, Islam instituted Fitrana (Zakat al-Fitr). A minimum amount equivalent to a meal’s cost should be determined, though people may donate more. Sadly, today even the wealthy often give only the bare minimum—about 150-200 taka—while spending extravagantly on Eid shopping.

Abdullah Ibn Umar (RA) reported that the Prophet made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory for every Muslim—slave or free, male or female, young or old—one sa' (approx. 3 liters) of dates or barley, and instructed it be paid before going to the Eid prayer. (Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad)

Thus, anyone with more food than needed for their family during the night and day of Eid must give Fitrana. The recipients can be Muslim or non-Muslim. The Prophet’s companions followed this strictly. Once, Abdullah Ibn Umar (RA) returned home to find a goat had been slaughtered. He immediately asked: “Did you send some to my Jewish neighbor?”

This is the essence of Islam—rising above communal divides to address human suffering. After a month of charity—Sadaqah, Zakat, Fitrana, Kaffara, Iftar, Fidya, Hadiya—Eid is about unity. It washes away the heart’s bitterness, strengthens brotherhood, and brings harmony.

Eid al-Fitr strengthens spiritual ties among believers and enriches national economic equality. In truth, it is the giver who benefits most through spiritual purification and blessings in wealth. Therefore, Ramadan is a month of spiritual cleansing, and Eid al-Fitr is the Festival of Giving.

Unfortunately, just like other aspects of Islam, the true purpose of Eid has been distorted. Ramadan returns each year, but spiritual refinement doesn’t. The crescent of Shawwal appears, but its smile fades in the cry of a struggling society.

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