
Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking Fast is the first of two canonical festivals of Islam. It marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Eid al-Fitr is the biggest holiday in the Muslim calendar. Time is spent praying at the mosque, visiting loved ones, and eating lots of delicious foods.
According to ALJAZEERA, it is common for the capitals of Muslim-majority countries to decorate their streets with festive lights and hold carnivals to commemorate the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Each country prepares traditional desserts and sweets before Eid or on the morning of the first day. On the first day of Eid al-Fitr after Ramadan, voluntary fasting is not allowed as Muslims are encouraged to feast and celebrate the completion of a month of worship and abstinence from food during the day.
The Night of Power
The Night of Power – also referred to as Laylat-al-Qadr – is considered to be the Holiest night in the Islamic calendar. This is the night which is believed to be when Muhammad received the first visions. This night falls within the last 10 days of Ramadan, before Eid-Al-Fitr. Many Muslims will stay awake for 24 hours, praying and fasting all through the night. Some believe that this night is crucial in their path to salvation.
Others also believe it is the night that God will reveal visions to those who are most holy. They have the expectation that rituals done this night for Allah’s sake will result in greater worth in his sight than good deeds performed any other time throughout the year. Because of this belief, this is the night when the most prayers are recited, the Qur’an is faithfully read, and the mosques are filled.
The Night of Power is a crucial time for Christians to be in earnest prayer for Muslims. On a night when their hearts are searching and minds are seeking to please God, we can ask the Lord to make Jesus known to them. Join us as we pray specifically for Muslims on the Night of Power, as Ramadan ends and Eid Al-Fitr begins:
- Pray that Muslims will be introduced to Jesus; that the Muslims would, in fact, receive dreams and visions during this season, but that it would be Jesus who reveals himself and His truth.
- Pray that Christian believers in the midst of Muslim populations will be strengthened with boldness to share the good news of salvation in a time when their friends are more mindful of their sin and shortcomings.
- Pray that Muslims will recognize the burden of their attempts to gain God’s favor through rituals or special prayers and qur’anic readings. Ask that this paradigm shift will give them a hunger to search for something better.
- Pray that God will lead you to Muslim individuals whom you can love in Jesus’ name.
- Praise God for the significant movements of Muslims to Christ in this century and pray that the pace of these movements would heighten and expand.