For the second time on February 1, 2017, the Institute of Islamic Studies, University of the Philippines, Diliman in cooperation with the National Commission of Muslim Filipinos, Manila Human Development Inc., Wahdatul Asabiyyah and Muslim Student Association joined commemoration of the World Hijab Day by holding an interfaith forum on Women’s Rights in the Light of Islam. The World Hijab Day (WHD) was founded by Nazma Khan who came to US from Bangladesh at the age of eleven. Having experienced discrimination of being a hijabi Muslim, she came up with the idea of a hijab day where non-Muslim women are invited to wear the hijab and experience hijab themselves to promote religious tolerance and understanding. In 2013, the first World Hijab Day was celebrated in the US. Since then until its recent commemoration on February 1, 2017, the increasing number of sympathizers and supporters from around the world joined the said event.

Similarly, the forum conducted by UP IIS was attended by more than 200 Muslims and non-Muslims from both government and non-government organizations. Non-Muslim participants have accepted the challenge of wearing the free hijab for the day. Free hijabs were donated by Engr. Sadoun Alowayesh and his wife Ms. Zainab Hainto. The forum was strongly supported by the University of the Philippines, some colleges and offices like Office of the University Registrar, College of Education, and College of Economics, College of Science, College of Mass Communication, and College of Social Work and Development participated the Hijab Challenge. Students of Islamic Institute went to their respectively colleges and taught them how to put on the hijab, while some students from these colleges went to attend the forum.

Indeed the University of the Philippines remains to be not only a community of intellectuals but also of religious tolerant where Filipino cultural diversity is celebrated, where people of different faiths find the sense of belongingness as family.

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Today, Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid’l Adha which corresponds to the 10^th day of Dhul al-Hijjah, the last month in the Hijrah Calendar (Islamic). The occassion of Eid’l Adha is very important to the Muslims. It commemorates the greatest act of obedience and faith  exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim (Alayhis Salaam) or Abraham in the Bible. This is the culmination of the Hajj rituals which is 5^th in  the  pillars of Islam. Muslims who can afford to perform the Hajj are required to do it at least once in their lifetime. However, those who cannot afford it God will not hold them accountable. Based on the Sunnah (Tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Eid’l Adha prayer commences earlier than the Eid’l Fitr  congregation. In the Philippines, majority of the Eid congregations start their prayer around 7:00  o’clock in the morning.

Just like the Eid’l Fitr, this day is looked forward to as an occasion of festivity and sharing. It goes beyond family affairs as Muslims see it as an opportunity to hold community get-together activities characterized by the ritual of Udhiya or Qurban. Udhiya or Qurban is the slaughtering of goat or cow in commemoration of the act of Prophet Ibrahim (AS). Affluent families are enjoined to slaughter goat or cow  and part of the meat will be distributed to the needy families.  In a typical Muslim communities, it is common to see families inviting guests to partake the Eid food during family festivity or “kanduri.” This occasion is best used to strengthen family ties and friendship as it entail to emulate the values of forgiveness, love and compassion. Among the younger ones, parlor games of various kinds are held  to entertain the children.

Reflecting upon the Quránic significance of Eid’l Adha, this occasion reminds us of the spiritual connection between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  The common reference of this connection is Prophet Ibrahim (AS). From Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and Sarah born Isaac from whom the lineage of Jacob and the 12 tribes down to Prophet David traced their descent. And from the lineage of David came Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, from Hajar the other wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) born Ismail considered as the Father of the Arab nations and to whom Prophet Muhammad’s family descent originated.

The Hajj and the Feast of Sacrifice

The Holy Qur’an narrates that Prophet Ibrahim (AS) saw in his dream, God commanding him to sacrifice his first-born child Ismail. This was God’s way to test Prophet Ibrahim’s faith and obedience.  Without hesitation, Abraham obeyed God’s command.   But God in His unfathomable love towards his faithful servant ransomed Ismail by sending a lamb for the great sacrifice (Qur’an 37:101-102).  Surely, this act of obedience elevated Prophet Ibrahim’s status as the “father of faith” a claim both affirmed in the Islamic and Christian narratives (Qur’an 2:124).

However, when Sara gave birth to Isaac she asked Abraham to send off Hajar and Ismail away from them. Hajar and Ismail’s journey brought them to a place known as Al-Hijaz, the present day Saudi Arabia specifically in Makkah.  Hajar was so desperate when she found out that all their water was gone and Ismail was tremendously suffering from severe thirst and hunger.  Hajar ran to and fro in between two hills, Safah and Marwah hoping to find any water. But to her dismay, no one was around to help them. Hajar returned to her son and prayed in desperation. The account said that she heard a voice commanding her to strike her foot on the ground. She obeyed the voice and to her amazement from the ground came out the gushing water which later called Zamzam well. God answered the prayer of a depressed mother, Hajar.

The Quránic account further added that when Prophet Ibrahim (AS) visited Ismail, they built the Kaábah as a symbol of monotheism and the worship of the One true God. The Ka’abah is the black cube located at the center of Masjidul Haram in Makkah. From then on many people visited the Kaábah through an annual pilgrimage.  However, the monotheistic nature of the Kaábah was eventually corrupted. In fact before Islam, the Kaábah housed more than 360 idols.   It was during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that the Kaábah was restored to its original purpose.

Looking beyond the Rituals

Today, millions of Muslims all over the world go to Makkah to perform the annual pilgrimage. This ocean of humanity shares common spiritual experience affirming equality and universal brotherhood among people of different races, colors, nationalities and cultures. Facing the Ka’abah one sets aside his nationality and personal status to be subsumed under the banner of Islam, one God, one people.  It is where Islam literally destroys the concept of racism.

Another important lesson that we can reflect upon from the Hajj ritual is the commemoration of the act of Hajar.  The running to and fro in between the hills of Safah and Marwah in the Hajj rituals today is actually a re-enactment of Hajar’s desperation in looking for water. God directly intervened by providing the Zamzam well which eventually shaped the landscape of the future growth of Islam. No world religions, like Islam commemorates a woman’s act in a religious ritual like that of Hajj. Hence, Islam reinforces woman’s value in the realm of spirituality. And in a society perceived to be largely patriarchal lies the influence of a woman. Islam upholds woman’s dignity which includes her ability to chart her own destiny in accordance to the will of God.

Finally another important ritual that I want to highlight as a source of reflection to all Muslims is the ritual of stoning Satan at Jamarat. Each Pilgrim symbolically throws stones to ward off Satan who tried to tempt Prophet Ibrahim (AS) from obeying God’s command. But to my opinion, this ritual assumes new meaning. Remembering my experience at Jamarat, each stone that I threw symbolizes the negative traits like jealousy, greediness, and love for worldly things which are the real Satan inside us. And one of the great benefits of the performance of Hajj is that one’s sins are cleansed and God promises forgiveness. It accords new life and new beginning. In Islam, struggling to be better Muslims is the greatest Jihad.  Eid’l Adha promises new beginning and enjoining each believer to shun away from sinfulness. Following the greatest example of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is the core essence of our celebration today.

We never forget our Muslim brothers and sisters all over the world especially those afflicted with wars, hunger and sufferings from all types of discrimination due to the rising Islamophobia in our midst. Despite all these sufferings, we can always find reasons to celebrate this great Eid. God loves us all.

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are two important occasions in Muslim lives that begin and end with the appearance of the new moon.

In the Hijrah lunar calendar which Muslims follow, Ramadan is the ninth and considered the most blessed month of the year. It precedes the month of Sha’ban.

To mark the start of fasting, some religious leaders go out of their way for a moon sighting. The appearance of the new moon signals the first day of Ramadan and after completing 29 days of fasting on that night, the religious leaders set out for another moon sighting.

The appearance of the new moon signals the first day of the succeeding month of Shawwal, or the Eid al-Fitr.

On Tuesday, the new moon was not seen from various parts of the country. Hence, the Darul Ifta (Fatwah Council) declared Eid al-Fitr today, which ends 30 days of fasting.

Fasting is an act of Ibadah (worship) and one of the five pillars of Islam. Its basis is found in the Koran which reads: “Oh you who believe fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you that you may attain Taqwa (God-Fearing).” This verse has two contexts to understand, first, that fasting is not exclusive to Muslims; it was already practiced by the Prophets before Muhammad.

The best example a Muslim can cite is the fasting followed by the Jewish tradition like that of Prophet Nabi Isa (Jesus Christ). Jesus fasted for 40 days and the significance of his act appeared to be a preparation for his ministry. In the same way, Muslims considered fasting as a spiritual training to attain Taqwah which is the second context of the verse.  Taqwah is an Arabic term which means “piety.”

Sincere intention

Muslims start fasting by sincere intention and abstaining from any kind of food or liquid  from dawn (in the Philippines, the cutoff time for dawn meal is around 4 a.m. up to sunset or around 6:30 p.m.). Married couples must avoid intimate relations.

It is also desirable for a fasting person to refrain from mundane activities like playing video games, engaging in gossips and idle talk to becoming angry and impatient. Practically, a fasting person strives to overcome his ego and personal desires, and replace it with activities that merit rewards “thawab” like praying Sunnah (supererogatory), aiming to finish reading the entire Koran during Ramadan, giving out charity and taking care the needs of other people, especially the needy.

To some fasting Muslims, sleeping three to four hours a night is a normal routine as one spent Tahajjud prayer (midnight prayer) in addition to the Taraweh prayed in congregation after the Eisha or evening prayer. Toward the last 10 days of Ramadan, they increase their devotion by staying awake and reading the Koran in anticipation of the Laylatul Qadar (Night of Power).

Joyful occasions

Ramadan is full of sacrifices but most loved by the Muslims. They experience two occasions of joy—first, during the time of Iftar (breaking of the fast) when one completes his day of sacrifice and putting in control his personal desire over Ibadah (worship) and second, when the fasting person meets his Creator and eternally enjoy the reward of his good deeds in Jannah (paradise).

Spiritual development

The observance of Ramadan is not all about abstaining from food and carnal desire during the day and lavish Iftar. It goes beyond the spiritual development of the person. The hunger he feels while fasting should enable him relate to the hunger felt by those who have less in life; hence, Muslims are reminded to increase their charity works during Ramadan.

Muslims are obliged to give “sadaqatul fitr,” a special charity for deserving recipients, which purifies one’s fasting from all imperfections. Ideally, the charity must be given out before the end of Eid al-Fitr prayer.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims must give attention to its long-term effect in their desire to move closer to God. It is also timely to gauge the success of their spiritual training in the practice of patience, love, compassion, mercy and tolerance.

Eid al-Fitr is an occasion where Muslims give thanks to Allah for all the blessings they enjoyed during the entire month of fasting.

Festive celebration

In the Philippines, there are many ways to celebrate the event. The shifting of mood from fasting to festivity is very evident even in ordinary Muslim households. Even the poorest Muslim family strives to prepare something which family members can share. Mothers cook special food and delicacies to offer to visitors and friends.

Some families prefer to go outing. They can be seen at Rizal Park, Mall of Asia and Quezon Memorial Circle.

Preparations also include a budget to buy new clothes for the children. Muslims love exchanging gifts. For the affluent families, the party is usually held with lavishness. Non-Muslim friends are invited as special guests.

Muslims are enjoined to visit friends and families. The Tausug people fondly call this visit “magjiyara,” in which one greets another with a tight hug and kisses on the checks three times. The younger kiss the hands of the elderly.

Sometimes, the magjiyara goes emotional, especially for those having differences, for the day is the best time to reconcile. Muslims are in the most forgiving mood.

For the children, there are different shades of fun. Some move from house to house waiting for coins to be tossed in the air. Others wrestle for their share; the more coins they get, the more fun.

Amid the festive mood today, Muslims should not close their eyes to the situations of others in various parts of the world. They can make a fervent dua (prayer) for peace so that the sufferings will soon cease. When this happens, Eid al-Fitr celebrations will truly be joyous.

(Source: Morados, Macrina A. (July 6, 2016) “Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr: From fasting to feasting.” Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved on July 19, 2016 from

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr: From fasting to feasting