Muslim faithful across the world are celebrating Eid Al Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, a month of piety which is dedicated to fasting, good deeds, repentance, prayers and family gatherings. In Islam, there are only two major celebrations or the so-called festivals, such as Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha or the festival of sacrifice to mark Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) answering the call of Allah to sacrifice his only son Ismail.
This Eid is specially important, because this is the first time after two years, people could gather at prayer grounds and mosques for prayers as Qatar could come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which no gatherings were allowed and social distancing was the norm. Eid celebration is all about meeting people, sharing whatever one has, whether it is just a gesture of love or a very costly gift, with his fellow beings, a tight embrace after the Eid prayer or sharing a meal with family and friends. In a nutshell, the celebration becomes meaningful only when it is a celebration of bonding, caring and love.
While some other countries are still following health restrictions to keep the pandemic at bay, Qatar has relaxed most of the curbs as people are allowed to move freely, meet and greet others. This is the fruit of a dedicated service, coupled with high professionalism and excellent management skills extended by different agencies and departments in the country, especially the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Interior and others who were tasked with the management and containment of COVID-19.
With timely intervention, isolation, quarantine facilities and round-the-clock medical care by world-class professionals and later with the early start of vaccination, Qatar has been able to come out of the pandemic early and almost unscathed with one of the lowest death rates.
The whole country is thankful to the wise leadership for their vision which resulted in such a situation, where at least this year, we can celebrate Eid with traditional fervour and spirit, without any restrictions and out of the shadow of the pandemic. The first three-day Eid Festival began on the Doha Corniche yesterday, which attracted tens of thousands of people. The festival, organised by Qatar Tourism succeeded in attracting huge numbers of visitors from inside and outside the country as well, proving to the world yet again that Qatar is capable of managing and overcoming any crisis that comes its way.
Let us also join the leaders of the country in thanking Allah for giving us the spirit of Eid back and praying for more welfare, progress and peace that our country wish to enjoy.
