Belated Eid Mubarak post
My first Eid in the United States. A lot of things so different from how Ramadan I have spent in the Philippines. Eid here is quite memorable. Spending it with family is always best. Eid prayers start pretty late here on account that people come from all over North Carolina to attend. Another amazing thing is that it is held in one area. More than 10,000 people were in attendance. The largest crowd I have ever been in and for me is quite historical. We arrived pretty early too. 8:15AM. We got to meet familiar faces from Masjid Ash-Shaheed. So many people from different races and cultures were in attendance.
The takbir made me miss how things were done in Zamboanga City. It was rhythmic and lively and very pleasing to the ears. The system was unbroken and consistent. My peeve with the one in Charlotte was that it was not and sounded forced and tired and inconsistent. I am not exactly sure for how long have they been making the takbir which might contribute to its inconsistent tone but the our masjid in Zamboanga would make the takbir as soon as the hilal moon is sighted. That should give you a picture as to how long the men would make the takbir.
Another surprising thing that I have never experienced during Ramadan in the Philippines was interrupting the takbir for some guest speaker. What's worse is that the guest speaker was not even Muslim. And so much, much worse he used the time to do a CAMPAIGN SPEECH! WHUT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? It was actually annoying to hear one of the men exclaim TAKBIR after the campaign speech. WHAT WAS THERE TO TAKBIR ABOUT??!
I did not reply to that. It felt really foolish and manipulative.
I was told that last year, the area would be filled to the hilt but it didn't turn out that way at all. Although there are so many people, there was still a lot of areas that were not occupied. I thought we would spill to the parking lot but that did not happen at all. Still it was incredible that there was more than 10,000 in attendance at that time.
As we began to stand in prayer, an overwhelming feeling of longingness and realization just hit me and I cried so hard. My first Ramadan I was not praying beside my mother. All those years, I have always prayed beside her. Even if we missed the Eid prayers, at least we still were together but this day was not like that at all. The feeling was incredibly sad. I almost felt weakness in the knees. Even now as I write about it, it makes me want to cry. I can't help but think of my aunties. My paternal grandmother Inah who smelled so good and dressed up so especially for the occasion. After prayer, she would embrace me so tight and kiss my forehead. She would hold my hand through the crowd so I would not get lost. I am forever grateful for such memories. I missed making that salaam to my mother and kissing her forehead.
Shamsa was quite behaved the whole time. She was aware of what was going on. She did not behave like the other kids who whined and ran around the place. By prayer time, she already fell asleep on my prayer rug. This too is her first Eid away from her Ummih.
After the prayer, several people made Shahadah (Declaration of Faith). Now THAT was worth making takbir for. I wished they had done all that at the beginning of the prayer instead of that stupid campaign speech. If someone is willing to embrace Islam, we should NOT delay it. Whoever organized that Eid prayer COMPLETELY FORGOT the importance and urgency of entering the Islamic faith. Someone had their priorities mixed up. Someone's intentions need to be re-examined. Anything could have happened from the start of prayer and the end of it. A campaign speech can wait. A shahadah must NOT be delayed.
All in all, I admit I do have some mixed feelings of my first Eid prayer here in the US.
After Eid, Masjid Ash-Shaheed invited everyone for a FREE special Eid Continental brunch. That was quite interesting since I have never experienced a Continental brunch after salah. But then again in the Philippines, a continental meal is only for hotels. An average Filipino family do not prepare continental meals for a crowd. We managed to maneuver our way out of the parking lot jungle. I was even approached by an Indonesian lady and she made salaams to me. It was quite sweet. Ever since I arrived here, people have mistaken me for being either Malaysian or Indonesian but never Filipino.
The brunch consisted of fresh fruit slices (apples, melons, watermelon, orange), danish pastries, cookies, corn grits, battered and fried fish, bread and some other stuff I forgot. Since I don't really care for grits, I got apple, orange, a cookie, danish pastry and fried fish. We had different choices to drink like coffee, milk, tea, juice, cool water. I opted for a cup of juice. I also had cup of yogurt.
After brunch, we drove back home for our Eid celebration. Mama baked a coconut cake. We had a pot roast and veggies for dinner. We gathered together in the TV room where the Eid tree was. We exchanged our Eid gifts. I am really overwhelmed about all these. I got everything from the Eid gift suggestions I posted on the fridge and more. Instead of one large bag of M&M almonds, I got 3! I only needed one bottle of lotion, Duston got me body butter, shower gel and even cologne! I asked for just one pair of simple clip-on earrings, Mama gave me 3 plus a jewelry box. I wanted a shirt with North Carolina printed on it but Daddy got me that also said I LOVE MAIDEN. I feel so spoiled. The only person who didn't make an Eid gift suggestion list was Shamsa but she got really awesome gifts too, dresses, pants, toys, shoulder bag. It was truly a happy day for all of us in the family. How I wish my mom and Auntie Elna could be part of this too.
I pray this won't be the last Ramadan I will ever experience. I pray that there will be more. I want to be there when Shamsa starts fasting to the fullest and praying with us. I look forward to learning more halal rituals that I did not know before. I pray my mother and Auntie Elna will be here to experience Ramadan here in the US insha Allah. Nothing is impossible with Allah. I have to strive for it to become a reality. Ameen.