This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Muhammad Farooq's book Issues of the Two Eids.
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلٰوة والسلام على سيد المرسلين محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم و آله و أصحابه أجمعين. أما بعد !
The religion of Islam is a complete code of life, which provides perfect guidance for the beliefs and worship, happiness and sorrow, and private and social life of the Muslims. Therefore, it was necessary to seek guidance from Shariah in every matter, but happiness and sorrow are especially two things in which the limits and restrictions of Islamic Shariah and the exemplary conduct of the Prophet ﷺ are not observed, and people tend to go to extremes in these two matters. Moments of happiness and joy are called culture and private matters, and shameless, indecent, and Shariah-contradictory acts are performed, which cannot be expected from any Muslim. Even in the state of happiness and sorrow, the condition of a Muslim is entirely different from that of disbelievers, polytheists, and irreligious people; he is bound by Shariah and is the trustee of Islamic traditions. He is urged and advised to take guidance from the Book and Sunnah at every step and to adopt the exemplary conduct of the Prophet ﷺ in every religious and social matter. Therefore, it is obligatory upon every Muslim and every follower of Tawheed and Sunnah that if moments of happiness and joy are granted, they should benefit from them while remaining within the limits and restrictions of Shariah and the scope of religion. It is precisely because of adherence to Shariah in moments of happiness, joy, sorrow, and grief that the Noble Prophet ﷺ has declared it a characteristic of the believer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
عجبا لأمر المؤمن، إن أمره كله له خير، و ليس ذلك لأحد إلا للمؤمن، إن أصابته سراء شكر، فكان خيرا له، و إن أصابته ضراء صبر ، فكان خيرا له
“The affair of the believer is amazing; indeed, every affair of his is good, and this is only for the believer. When something good happens to him, he is thankful, and that is good for him; and when something bad happens to him, he is patient, and that is good for him.”
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Book of Zuhd, Chapter: The affair of the believer is all good: 2999)
Since Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are religious festivals and days of happiness for the Muslims, adherence to Shariah should be observed during these joyful moments, and during these days, while enjoying the moments of happiness, the Shariah rulings and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ should be kept in mind along with seeking the pleasure of Allah. Keeping these things in view, we have arranged the issues of the two Eids and have covered as many issues related to the two Eids as possible in this book, so that seekers of the true religion, thirsting for knowledge, and lovers of knowledge and research can benefit properly from the issues of the two Eids.
About the Book:.
Each issue has been categorized under a separate heading, and the authenticity of each issue has been explained with evidence from the Book and Sunnah, as well as from the sayings and actions of the Companions, the Successors, the Successors of the Successors, and the Imams and Muhaddithin. After presenting the differing opinions, the most correct issue has been identified, and weak and fabricated narrations related to any issue have been explained along with the reasons for their weakness, thereby blocking the path of objections and doubts arising from them.
The complete verification and research of the ahadith and the selection and arrangement of the issues are the personal efforts of the author of the book, and great care and responsibility have been taken regarding the authenticity and weakness of the ahadith. Therefore, seekers of knowledge and truth can benefit from it without hesitation. Also, scholars and experts are requested to inform us if there is any error or deficiency in the book. Such valuable suggestions will definitely be accepted.
Dear readers! The beauty and excellence in this book are especially due to the grace and mercy of Allah Almighty, and if there is any error or defect, please inform us so that it can be corrected in the next edition. We pray to Allah Almighty to accept this effort of the author in His presence, to make it a means of guidance and growth for Muslims, and a cause of salvation for all of us. آمين
