Eid al Fitr is the feast of the breaking of fast. After a tough month of Ramadan where devout Muslims endure hot weather without any food or drink in the daytime there is ample cause for celebration
The discipline required to succeed in this fast is formidable and I admire those who can meet the rigours of Ramadan, especially in this kind of heat. An earlier post received by one of my readers lamented the wide scale hypocrisy by those who say they are observing the fast when in fact they are not. Surely though God sees and knows the intents of our hearts and there is no deceiving Him with our actions.
This raises for me the challenge of prescribing a religious practice and imposing it on all society. Kuwait is in fact one of the few countries in the world where ramadan has such an overwhelming impact on public life. Expatriates and visitors are quite startled by the realisation that literally all the restuarants and hotels are closed in the daytime. The result is a split society. The obvious split is between those who have to eat and drink in secret because they are not of the Islamic faith and those who are fasting out of conviction. Yet, there are those Muslims who are not fasting simply because they do not want to - and they resent having to be hypocritical, ie; pretending to fast in order to keep face with family and society.
Is there a law in Kuwait that punishes non-fasting Muslims? Surely God would prefer a straight forward honest "I am not fasting this year" posture rather than a deceitful pretence. Is hypocrisy rewarded? No religion is exempt from hypocrisy and the Church has its fair share too.
Jesus said that when you fast you should not let anyone see and that those who show off that they are fasting will get their reward in full! In other words they will get the admiration and respect from their fellow humans but God is not fooled.
Whatever you think and whoever you are, I send you greetings in the name of God almighty, the merciful and compassionate and I pray that Eid will be a time of blessing.
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The law in Kuwait is about eating and drinking in public during the Ramadan fast; no one goes into people's homes to make sure Muslims are fasting. In fact, there are several categories of Muslims who are not required to fast, including the sick, travelers, pregnant or breastfeeding women who fear that fasting would harm them or their baby, menstruating women, children, the insane, etc.
I don't think the phenomenom of Muslims who pretend to fast is as widespread as this post and other comments suggest. You might be surprised to find that even many children fast before they actually have to, and that it's easier than you think, when you're doing it for the right reasons.
Islam tells us that every action is by its intentions. Fasting, like any other good deed, may bring punishment rather than rewards if done only to show off. The fast of Ramadan is done together, as a community, but we know that only Allah knows whether someone actually breaks their fast secretly. This is why fasting is the one deed that is said to be for Allah alone, and He alone will decide the reward.
I think that a non-Muslim typically comes into contact with more of the "secular" Muslims, though... and not as many of the "religious" Muslims, who spend the month fasting, staying up at night in prayer, giving charity, and trying to recharge themselves spiritually. The Muslims you come in contact with may not be representative.
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