White House wishes Muslims Eid Mubarak

Nice statement from the Obama administration on the celebration of Eid. Some nice pictures of Eid celebrations posted by the BBC. NY Times article on Eid celebrations around the world. Detroit Free Press, Southtown Star also have coverage...

Eid Mubarak!

I hope you have all had a blessed Eid and pray for a safe return of all those who made the pilgrimmage to Mecca. I am recovering from the happy mayhem of visiting relatives and nursing both my ego back to health (after Taha beat me in an ESPN NBA basketball video game) and my knee, after carrying Taha upside-down down the stairs, picking up Taseen (no easy feat) and sustaining multiple random tackles from Taseen, often without warning, in some Punjabi alpha-male attempt to prove that he's stronger than me (we came to the conclusion that I'm stronger than him...for now...)

I even went for a walk today in the abnormally warm weather, the snow has all melted, it's been raining with temperatures in the 40s and the grass looking as green as it does in the spring. Really quite a gift, this many days into December. Guess global warming isn't such a bad deal for the Midwest...

...well, it'll be back to work on Monday, until next time...

Eid all Over

It's funny how, after a month of fasting, it's so easy to go back to snacking all day long. I've been raiding my Mom's pantry and fridge with an audacity that would humble most Norsemen...

For some, um, meatier fare than what you may have received at the average Eid khutbah (i.e. sermon), I present to you, dear reader, some Eid sermons well worth the read.

1. Pickthall khutbah (June 29th, 1919) - Pickthall, in my mind, wrote the greatest English rendition of the Qur'an ever, and was an amazing thinker. In this sermon, he reminds us that Islam is not, "a state of ecstatic lethargy, but a state of ecstatic energy."

2. Imam Ebrahim khutbah (November 14th, 2004) - Given in Cape Town, with reminders of some beautiful hadith (sayings of the Prophet, peace be upon him).

3. Imam Humaid khutbah (October 2006) - one of the Imams of Makkah, a summary of his khutbah reported in the news. Couldn't find a transcript of it.

Lastly, came across some news stories on Eid in other places, including Ghana, Iraq, Phillipines, Kenya and even Hawaii.

Aloha!

Eid Mubarak!