On April 5, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) held its Eid al-Fitr celebration in the Great Hall. The celebration came six days after the actual date for Eid al-Fitr this year, which took place on March 30. Students, professors and community members gathered together in celebration of the Muslim holiday.
Eid al-Fitr comes after the month of Ramadan, which consists of 30 days of fasting. Ramadan commemorates the month in which the Quran was revealed. After sunrise, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink until sunset, at which point they are allowed to break their fast. The dates change every year, with the period of fasting beginning 30 days before the appearance of a new crescent moon. Eid-al-Fitr comes at the end of Ramadan to commemorate the hardships overcome during this time and is traditionally a holiday full of festivity and celebration. The MSA’s event celebrated this holiday at the first chance after spring break.
The event started at 5:30 p.m. The event began with a Takbeer—an Islamic declaration recited to give praise and thanks to Allah (the Arabic name for God) and bring Muslims together in their shared belief in Allah.
Following the Takbeer, Amadou Touré ’25 gave an opening prayer which served as a more formal way of giving thanks to Allah. After that opening, Youssef Haddad ’25 went into more detail about the purpose of Eid and some of the traditions involved with the celebration, such as the various recitations of the Quran—the holy book of Islam—and the prayers at the beginning of Eid.
During his speech, Haddad said, “Right after the Eid prayer is over, what ends up happening is that people get up and they start to meet one another and greet one another, they see the wonderful outfits that they have ready for in the morning, and congratulate one another for having done Ramadan and also get to know one another and reconnect with on another.”
To replicate this, Haddad asked everyone to stand up and meet people from other tables. Afterwards, Zainab Waheed ’28, came on stage to recite a part from a chapter of the Quran known as al-Tawbah. Al-Twbah is labeled as the ninth chapter in the Quran and translates to “the Repentance.” The chapter focuses on asking for forgiveness from Allah and acknowledging his care for Muslims. This chapter highlights the core traits emphasised during the period of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitir, making a fitting verse to recite.
Ailya Vajid, the associate chaplain for Muslim and interfaith life, spoke about an important element of Eid known as Fitrah. Fitrah describes an important charity necessary for all Muslims at the end of their fast, in which they must donate food to the needy. It is required for all Muslims who are in a stable financial position and who have excess food in their household. Vajid highlighted the element of charity as one of the most fundamental pillars of Islam and encouraged everyone to continue spreading that charity at and outside of Carleton College.
After Vajid’s speech, the time came for the food to be served. People went on to enjoy the meal while conversing with other people at their table. As everyone ate their food, two students gave speeches on their personal relationships with Eid.
Touré talked about the meaning of Eid for him, emphasizing the relief of struggle felt during Eid.
“It’s God’s promise that struggle and relief are woven together — and Eid is living proof of that.”
Touré related this to the celebration of Eid al-Adha and how it is not just tradition but a way to celebrate triumph over challenges with the entire community.
In Mehreen Shahid’s ’25 speech, she recalled how many of her memories of the holiday come from the time she spent with her family. Now that Shahid has had time to reflect on the holiday away from her family, Shahid has talked about the new meaning Eid has taken.
“The first part of it is forgiveness; it’s always said that this is the day where you reach out to people who you never thought you would speak to again, and there’s so much more blessing to that, and hopefully your relationship will grow after that,” Shahid said, using this core of relation as a guiding point for connecting with other people and connecting with our goals internally.
The celebration wrapped up with a friendly match of Kahoot, where everyone got into teams to answer questions related to Islam. The winner of this match was team “MoTable,” with “Mulla Gang” and “Good Muslim Kid” earning second and third place, respectively.
Overall, the MSA’s celebration of Eid al-Fitr brought a large number of people together to share what this holiday meant for them. It was an event that allowed many students to appreciate the gratitude and community this holiday brings.