“It’s Eid al-Fitr, it’s a celebration of the end of Ramadan, and we’re having our prayer here in Naperville Yard. The Muslim community has grown so much in the last few years that we have to have multiple prayers to accommodate the Muslim community. So we have two prayers at our Ogden facility, two prayers at our 75th facility, and we had two prayers here today at Naperville Yard as well,” said Leader of Prayer, Shaykh Rizwan Ali.
An estimated 10,000 people participated in Eid al-Fitr celebrations across Naperville. Eid al-Fitr means “Holiday of Breaking the Fast.” It marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. Traditionally, the holiday begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon.
The meaning behind Eid al-Fitr
“So it happens sometimes coming into Ramadan, we have a lot of distractions. Sometimes we lose focus, sense of priority, and determination. So Ramadan is an opportunity to recalibrate things and recalibrate our relationship with God, recalibrate our relationship with ourselves, our community, and really come closer to God and come closer to each other,” said Shaykh Rizwan Ali.
Eid al-Fitr does not just mean the end of the holy month, but the beginning of living life through a refreshed perspective.
Celebrations conclude the month of Ramadan
“Today is a day of celebration because we believe that if we fasted, we prayed, and we did it with sincerity, God will forgive all of our sins. So now the whole goal is to prioritize the pleasure of God and to celebrate our forgiveness, and living a God-centric lifestyle the rest of the year,” said Shaykh Rizwan Ali.
People come together for Eid al-Fitr to celebrate the end of the holy month through gift-giving, festive meals, and prayer.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!