Eid al-Fitr Celebrated in Sacramento with Religious Fervor
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Eid al-Fitr was celebrated by thousands of Muslims (and their friends) in the Greater Sacramento, California area on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 with a great deal of enthusiasm. The five mosques or Islamic Centers that this writer has been associated with for many years all had record numbers attending prayers on this day.
The Downtown Sacramento “V” Street Mosque, Islamic Society of Placer County (ISPC), Muslim Community of Folsom (MCF), SALAM and the Tarbiya Institute all held prayers separately. There are many more mosques in the Sacramento region now, but some of us can recall when there was only one (Downtown “V” Street was established in 1947). This year we elected to attend the Eid prayers at Tarbiya where the largest number of people participated at a venue located at McClellan Park.
The Tarbiya Institute prayers were led by Imam Azeez. It is difficult to estimate the numbers present but possibly over 3,000 people were here, in an old aircraft hangar now converted into the Jackson Sports Academy. Part of the Tarbiya Vision is “#Tarbiya is a linguistic derivative of the word Rabb, or Lord, and it denotes a comprehensive process of personal progress, whereby an individual grows spiritually, intellectually and socially to achieve a godly life. In the context of Islamic work, it’s about helping individuals acquire the needed skills and knowledge base through a structured educational process to achieve harmony between their divine obligations and worldly responsibilities.”
Too much has been reported and examined on the political front by the media focusing on Islam in America, but what is often overlooked is its deeply spiritual side. To explain all aspects of our religion in the US has created a need for our spiritual leaders to be well versed and connected to both Deen (faith) and Dunya (world). The Sacramento area has been blessed with Imams who can explain both and one of the best exponents of the beauty of our religion in the region is Imam Azeez. On this Eid he touched upon a number of topics during his after-prayer Khutbah (sermon). He covered a lot of spiritual ground on how the Eid al-Fitr celebration is a befitting reward for the sacrifices made and the devotion shown during the month of Ramadan. He also touched on the state of parts of the Muslim world, including Palestine and Kashmir amongst others, which need world attention (and hopefully a just solution).
The Eid festivities in Sacramento actually began early South Asian style on June 2nd. On that Sunday night a pretty large and ambitious Chand Raat was organized by Catering & Events (Farrukh Hashmi) assisted by local cultural icons Beela Shaikh, Rabina Khan and Naeem and Durriya Syed at the Hilton Arden West. It was a packed house where Mehndi (henna) artwork was actively pursued by many young ladies. This is a very popular activity during the Eid season in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Shopping is another big Eid attraction. The latest ethnic clothing was sold by a number of vendors here. And the after-Iftar (breaking of the fast) Pakistani food was also selling briskly.
Additionally, it was great to see a fashion show by the community kids (fine job) and some vocal performances by community youth like Zaki Bhai’s Rap. But in the end it was the (Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi) community that made this event a success by their participation. The ladies and kids here all made it feel like Eid as it happens in South Asia. All one can add is that this tradition needs to be kept going. Eid Mubarak from California’s capital city!
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