By For my family and I, Eid is about family gathering, good food, and memories that will last a lifetime.
So this year, when my sister and her husband booked my immediate family (mum, dad, two sisters, their husbands, and children) a holiday in Marbella for Eid, we were all unsure about what to expect of our first Eid away from our entire extended family.
The UK’s vote to leave the EU had me feeling unsteady about my place in Britain, and how openly and freely I can practice my religion at home, let alone celebrating Eid in a country I was unfamiliar with.
The UK’s vote to leave the EU had me feeling unsteady about my place in Britain, and how openly and freely I can practice my religion at home, let alone celebrating Eid in a country I was unfamiliar with.
Traveling abroad to see how other Muslims celebrate seems like the perfect way to bring a little light back in to a life that sometimes seems a little edgy. It’s easy to forget that there are so many others celebrating Eid around the world in an act of solidarity and collective belief in a faith that is all the more difficult to practice in a world that makes it easy to forget it sometimes.
We arrived in Marbella to the hustle and bustle of the busy streets, Spanish music, and tapas. We roamed around Puerto Banús, Torremolinos and Marbella city centre. It was beautiful and full of life, but I was yet to experience a real Muslim community. We found a few halal restaurants and some halal meat shops, but I was beginning to think that the expectation that Marbella would have a community like home was a distant reality.
As we waited to find out what day we would be celebrating Eid, we sat in our house in Marbella, and awaited news from our friends in Morocco. We found out late on Tuesday that Eid was confirmed for Wednesday and the children got excited and we prepared where we might go for Eid breakfast and namaz.
My nieces awoke on Eid morning full of excitement as the sun gleamed through the windows and the humidity fed through the window in to the bedrooms. My mum and sisters had prepared presents ahead of leaving the UK, and the girls sat in the living room opening up their toys and clothes, as my dad handed everyone their obligatory Eid gift of money.
We had heard of a mosque in the local town of Fuengirola, and rushed off to read Eid prayer for 10am. We arrived early and there were few people, around 15 women and around 30 odd men. I thought there must only be a small community of Muslims here, but that was not in opposition to my expectation. The mosque in itself kept me occupied with the Arabic scripture on the walls in gold paint, and the ceiling as high as the sky, with beautiful brown and cream janamaz around the masjid. Nonetheless as time went by, the women’s section got busier, to the point where we could barely move around.
The mosque in itself kept me occupied with the Arabic scripture on the walls in gold paint, and the ceiling as high as the sky, with beautiful brown and cream janamaz around the masjid.
It filled with people from all over. I heard Spanish, Arabic, English and Urdu, being spoken throughout. We talked to many people there who were so welcoming. A few women went around saying salaam to us, welcoming us and wishing us Eid Mubarak, whilst everyone sat and chatted.
It filled with people from all over. I heard Spanish, Arabic, English and Urdu, being spoken throughout.
As it hit 9:30, the male section erupted in a symphony, reciting darood sharif in sync with one another. It echoed across the entire mosque and outside. I had never heard anything so beautiful. I felt a true sense of community, togetherness, and a reminder of why Islam and our faith is so unique. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and awe at just how lucky I was to experience this feeling in a place far from home on the biggest day of our year.
It echoed across the entire mosque and outside. I had never heard anything so beautiful.
After reading Eid, the crowds gathered outside the mosque and we met people from all walks of life who talked of their lives in Spain and where they went for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Eid. Our family was made to feel welcome and at home, which is what Ramadan and Eid means to us.
Our family was made to feel welcome and at home, which is what Ramadan and Eid means to us.
Ramadan in my house is about coming together to share in an experience so powerful that you can see the benefits emanating from people in their spirituality, and being.
My mother walks around with a glow and peacefulness about her that is difficult to ignore.
For me, it is also about learning and teaching. It’s always difficult explaining to people who might not always understand why we fast, and what the benefits are. However, I found it easier and simpler to explain how this time of year is not just about the not eating or drinking; it is about being thankful and grateful for all that we have. No matter how badly we think our lives are difficult or how we yearn for “things,” it is always important to remember we have been given a gift in our being, and we should ensure our gifts are shared with those less fortunate than us. Even if that means just buying a Tesco meal deal for the homeless man that sits outside your local Tesco, every day for the entire month. Every act of goodness counts, and more so at the time we are rewarded plentifully for it.
The rest of the day was spent making our way around Marbella, watching dolphins at the Dolphin Park, lots of food and ice cream, and quality time. Overall, after the initial phase of doubt, Eid away from home turned out to be exactly how I had hoped. It was different, but the kind of different that is always good, and for that, I am so thankful.
Overall, after the initial phase of doubt, Eid away from home turned out to be exactly how I had hoped. It was different, but the kind of different that is always good, and for that, I am so thankful.
Eid is the time to come together, and join with your family and other Muslims at the end of our most holy month, and to remind ourselves that despite the world around us changing and seemingly getting worse, we should be thankful to Allah, and those around you who support you and understand your religion and beliefs, which at the moment in the UK at least, can indeed be a tedious task.
There truly is no better place to be than with family, no matter where it is. Eid Mubarak!
And the added warmth and sunshine wasn’t a bad thing, either!
Written by Hajra Rahim.