a tiring day.

I spend almost one whole day celebrating Raya today. The Eid prayer at Malaysia Hall began at around 9 am. The temperature is a bit cold in the beginning but gradually becoming hot later in the day. Then, my housemates and I visited 2 places in the city and later in the late evening went to Monash. At Monash, we visited several rooms and by the time I reached the last room to visit, my stomach has reached its limit. I could not even finish drinking one whole cup of orange juice. Too much eating and drinking, I suppose :).

The khutbah given this year is enlightening. He started with the definition and purpose of Eid'ul Fitr. This day is supposed to be given to the winners who are able to defeat their own desire. At this point, he asked us to contemplate whether we are among this group of winners...

Next, he discussed the role of this ummah as the best nation among mankind and stated that at the current state, the ummah have not able to portray that kind of image to the whole world. There are simply too many negatives associated with Islam and the attitude among Muslims hardly improved the situation. Then, he concisely mentioned the role that we can play to help our ummah. He also asked us to forget the differences of opinions and thought and become one united front.

At this point, it is clear that if there are not that many 'winners' on the Day of Eid, how are we able to become the best nation among mankind. It is all back to the definition of Eid itself.