Eid el Adha (pt. 1)

I promised to share some of my experiences from the recent Eid-el-Adha...so I will try and do so in the brief time I have to type this up...

Eid el Adha is a three day feast that takes place at the end of the holy month of Hajj in Ramadan. The weeks leading up to it are saturated with anticipation--families search tirelessly for the best dra'as and mehlfas to wear, prepare a choice goat (or goats) to slaughter, welcome home visiting relatives, and scour the meager markets for the best dates, cakes, and produce to serve in celebration.

I was given two very nice mehlfas to wear, one by my family and one by a concerned student, who handed it to me and sternly asked, "Now teacher, you're going to wear make up and jewelry too, right?" The night before Eid everyone was grinning and giddy, reminding me repeatedly, "It's Eid tomorrow!"

I awoke early to a cold, pomegranate sunrise. (It is in the 40s in the morning here, with no heat apart from the small cluster of coals we use to make tea). Shivering a bit, I put on my nicest mehfla and joined my sister, Shebab, on her way to elsalat--the community prayer.

It was beautiful. We gathered outdoors in the crisp morning, bright-eyed, all dressed in our "gay apparel". We greeted each other with "Have a blessed Eid" and "Please forgive me for anything I've done against you." I joined hundreds of Saharawi in prostrating in the sand at the call of "God is the Greatest!". There is something deeply meaningful in the act--it is so right to bow my face into the sand while murmuring of God's greatness.

Reverence--that is something that is alive and well here, and something I've found sadly lacking in much of the American-Christian psyche. After all, it's the fear of the Lord that is the begininng of wisdom, and this is just one of many things that we ought to learn from our Muslim brothers and sisters. Undeniably, in Christ we have inexhaustible grace and forgiveness--but I've seen so many people miss the real picture. Jesus Christ is not only the Good Shepherd, but the Alpha and the Omega. Our view of God is often so stunted and skewed. Truly, any soul that catches even a glimpse of God's majesty would never trample on the holy cross in the name of 'grace'. Instead, in humility and awe, we would fall silent in gratitude at the cosmic paradox of an infinite God showing us infinite mercy. That is grace, and it should split our very souls...we ought to all throw our faces to the ground every now and then.

(Well that was a rabbit trail...I will have to continue with my story tomorrow. :) )