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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Zahid Hussain

Good Morning.

Even though Ramadan’s just begun I’m already thinking about Eid. It’s a well-trodden tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he offered Eid prayer outdoors, it was the rare occasion when large congregational prayers were offered outside a mosque. In Britain, we normally offer the Eid prayers in local parks. Last year, over a hundred thousand people offered the Prayers in Small Heath Park in Birmingham.

This Eid is going to be completely different to any pervious Eid I’ve experienced. No one will be performing the Eid prayers in any British park, not in Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester, London or anywhere else. I’m not sad about this, because if we really care about others, we need to shield them from a disease which has swept the globe and we can’t do that if we’re meeting in large gatherings. It’s an act of mercy.

And the message of Eid – Eid-ul-Fitr, to give its full name – is to think about those who don’t have as much, who have little to eat or drink, little to wear or to hope for. This year, I’ll be thinking about those who’ve lost loved ones to a disease we barely understand, a disease which has reminded us all of the frailty of our human family.

Let us pray. Lord, your reach is infinite, your love depthless and without boundary. We are grateful for the spirit of sharing, the spirit of being one with others, the spirt of being a tiny part of your great purpose. Grant us the gift of being able to touch the essence of the divine in the day-to-day and enrich us so that every day is Eid.

Amen.