LONDON – `Eid Al-Fitr or the “Festival of the Breaking the Fast” 2017 will go down in my family history as the Muslim celebration where English sausages finally made it onto the menu alongside a large portion of fun.
Since converting to Islam back in 2010, I have never connected with the joy of the religious celebrations.
This is not a sob story, just a fact. My daughters and I have always attended the early morning communal prayers at a variety of mosques in different communities. After that, the rest of our more than ten ‘celebration’ days (bar one other) is best described as, ‘meh.’
This year, we changed that bad run.
For some years, I’d heard rumors of `Eid gatherings in London, hosted by TV Presenter and prolific charitable fundraiser, Rahim Jung and his wife, Amy. Living near Manchester, it would take a full trip to get there. But I knew that this time, for the sake of my Asian, Ugandan, convert, English, family unit, we had to make the effort. We simply couldn’t bear the thought of another awkward, rather joyless, day.
On `Eid morning, we dressed to the nines making the days recommended praise all the way to `Eid prayer at the Islamic Association of North London (IANL) from an apartment nearby.
Then it was down to the suburban streets of South London. On arrival, the first person I saw was, the couples’ eldest son, the Justin Bieber of the nasheed world, Haris J. My kids had dared me to pinch his cheeks (like an old aunty) whilst singing ‘Assalamu Alaykhum, alaykhum yeah…’ from his hit song.
I have to say Al Harith (Haris J) took it very well.
‘Yeah good one aunty’ He smiled.
We could barely get in through the front door at 1.30pm. The house was filled to the rafters with a United Nations of mums, dads, teens, toddler princesses, aunties and uncles.
Then came the smell. Sizzling sausages and baked beans. This `Eid gathering has at its heart fusion: British, Algerian, Afro Caribbean, halal sausages, hash browns and spicy Asian scrambled egg.
Embracing Community
The Jung family have always lived in the same area. With their five children and his relatives in nearby streets and houses, it has been possible to build something precious and all too rare: a community connected to a love for Islam and way of life, which embraces local culture.
Amy Jung told AboutIslam: “I come from a Roman Catholic background, not used to a noisy, chaotic atmosphere with loads of people. But Rahim encouraged us to have an ‘open house’ at `Eid and it’s kept growing and now it’s ‘us’.’ The extended family provided a sixty-egg `Eid breakfast.
“Anyone is welcome. My parents just always said our house is open, so most of the time we have people who come in and are family for that day. People just like the feeling of togetherness, the good vibes, everyone’s just happy. It’s just the love – like it says on my top. If you come here you’d just understand,” Al Harith, Haris J, told AboutIslam.net.
My teenagers met up with friends old and new, some helped cook and tidy up, the boys played FIFA on the playstation.
Late in the afternoon in glorious sunshine, the party headed to the park for a Muslim game of rounders that surely deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the team sizes (20 a side).
This was followed by games of football. Girls versus young boys and a men’s game which of course got very competitive.
“It’s not just for `Eid it’s all year round and it’s been happening since my uncle was alive since Rahim and I were children. This has continued and got bigger and bigger and has been taken over by Rahim now. Some of the young men here have taken shehada with us and they are part of our family so they are with us all of the time,” Adil, Rahim’s cousin, told AboutIslam.net.
Lovely Unity
I laughed heaps. I laughed until tears touched my cheeks. My small family smiled. Free from alcohol, swearing, loud music, Brits of all nations, united by Islam, had a brilliant celebration to remember.
Where does this blessing of creating a community filled with such easy going light come from? It’s not from leaving Islamic values behind, but living them.
`Eid Al-Fitr marks the conclusion of Ramadan. As believers we have submitted to the will of Allah for 30 days and nights.
Those who know the faith of Islam in their hearts also live it with their actions. Such believers knew at the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, the true secret of `Eid was not eating, but the determination to continue this obedience.
The sun eased its ruddy contours onto the green landscape. White tables were laid out, kebabs and chips arrived.
Amy and Rahim served the hungry hordes of neighbors and friends.
`Eid is not an occasion to take a vacation from Islamic responsibilities, but a chance to direct rejoicing towards our community.
This `Eid, my family learnt how to have fun at this faith-based celebration; to laugh, eat foods we like, play games. Above all we were given a beautiful reminder that reverts, like all believers, will have a fundamental place in nurturing or being nurtured by a community.
But, we should be ready to serve all those who arrive at our door for the sake of Allah.
‘O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted’. (49:13)