Joy in Eid Is Worship... Be Creative in It
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Joy in Eid is Worship
May Allah accept your worship, dear guests, and may every year find you in good health. Celebrating the Muslims' holidays, our holidays, is an act of worship. Seek reward in it and excel in this celebration.
The Legal Basis for Joy
Allah the Almighty says: {Say, "In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy - in that let them rejoice. It is better than what they amass."} Allah commands us to rejoice in His bounty and mercy. Therefore, notice how the holidays in Islam come after acts of worship so that we may show our joy in these acts of worship, that Allah has granted us the ability to perform them. We celebrate Eid al-Fitr for our worship in Ramadan, and we celebrate Eid al-Adha for our worship in the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.
Glorifying the Rituals of Allah
And Allah the Almighty says: {And whoever honors the symbols of Allah - indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.} Showing happiness, joy, and cheerfulness on Eid and excelling in making our children happy is a way of glorifying the rituals of Allah, and this indicates the piety of the heart. It should not always be worried, but there should be seasons in which it is eased and made joyful. Of course, the Muslim's happiness is daily through his worship and obedience to Allah the Almighty, but he also needs seasons.
Educational and Psychological Importance
This is a psychological need, an educational need. Because if our children see our indifference to our religious holidays, and then see the celebrations of others with their holidays, Christmas trees, and music in the streets, and Muslim countries also help with these non-Islamic celebrations, the child will become attached to the holidays of others and indifferent to the holidays of Muslims. Especially if, unfortunately, some practices have associated sadness or grief with the rituals of Islam in the minds of our children. We must excel in making our children happy so that they may honor this religion and its holidays.
A Message to the World
So that the Jews and Christians know that there is spaciousness in our religion. We send a message to the Jews and Christians and to all nations that Islam is a religion of joy and happiness, otherwise, people will not want to embrace a religion whose followers are sad and depressed.
Showing Joy is a Means of Combating the Devils
A military need to show joy. We fight by showing our happiness, we fight the devils, both jinn and humans. The devil's goal is to make us sad: {Indeed, whispering is only by Satan that he may grieve those who have believed.} So we say to the devil, we will not be sad, O devil, but we will show our happiness and joy.
And as for the devils among humans: {They love that you should be in extreme misery} as Allah the Almighty says. They wish and love for you, O Muslims, to be afflicted with hardship and difficulty, and their happiness at what befalls your nation spoils your joy in your holidays.
Balancing the Nation's Concerns and Joy in Eid
Just as we obey Allah the Almighty by being concerned with the affairs of our nation, so too we obey Him by rejoicing in our holidays. We are concerned with the affairs of our nation with a concern that is not negative, discouraging, or destructive, but rather we turn it into a positive driving force to work for the honor of our nation and to rise above the trivial. At the same time, we also draw near to Allah and obey Him by showing joy and happiness in our holidays.
A Call to Joy and Generosity
Therefore, be generous to your loved ones and children, and show joy and happiness. Think about how you can turn this Eid into a season of true joy, and seek reward from Allah the Almighty in all of that.
So we say again: May Allah bless us and you in this Eid and every year you are in good health, and we ask Allah the Almighty to make the next Eid of the Muslims an Eid of honor, victory, empowerment, and unity for the word of the Muslims.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.