Meaning of Eid Mubarak

Eid Mubarak is a traditional Muslim greeting reserved for use on the festivals of Eidul-Adha and Eidul-Fitr. Eid means "Feast" and refers to the occasion itself, and Mubarak means "Blessed." Muslims wish each other Eid Mubarak after performing the Eid prayer.

The celebration continues until the end of the day for Eidul-Fitr and continues a further three days for Eidul-Adha. However, in the social sense people usually celebrate Eidul-Fitr at the same time as Eidul-Adha, visiting family and exchanging greetings such as "Eid Mubarak".

This exchange of greetings is a cultural tradition and not part of any religious obligation. Whether it's Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, Muslims all around the world, rich or poor, can be seen celebrating these two significant occasions of the Islamic calendar.

Different cultures around the world have their own distinct Islamic traditions along with the must-do rituals that are followed by all Muslims during the two Eids which include the Eid prayer, giving charity, sacrificing an animal (in Eid al-Adha only), sharing meals with friends and families, exchanging gifts and goodwill, greeting each other with lots of love and the phrase 'Eid Mubarak' in most countries around the world.

All over social media and in emails, you will see messages with 'Eid Mubarak' when either of the two Eids are ongoing. The messages may be slightly different depending on which Eid is being celebrated. During Eid al-Fitr, you may see messages with 'EidFitr Mubarak' and during Eid al-Adha, they may be 'EidAdha Mubarak'. Essentially, the essence of both is the same; it's just a way to differentiate between the two Eids.

When 'Eid Mubarak' is broken up and translated literally, 'Eid' means 'celebration' and 'Mubarak' means 'blessed'. Put together, this would literally mean 'blessed celebration', but can also mean 'Happy Eid' when loosely interpreted or 'have a blessed holiday'. Although, 'Eid Mubarak' is the most common Eid greeting around the world, many in the Arab world also say 'Eid Saeed' as well, which when translated means 'Have a happy Eid'.And, how do you return the greeting?

Since there are Muslims spread all around the world who speak different languages, the response for 'Eid Mubarak' may be different in different countries, For many Muslims around the world and depending on which part of the world they belong to, the typical response to the Eid greeting would most likely be:'Khair Mubarak' which can be interpreted as 'same to you' or 'goodness to you'or'JazakAllah Khair' which, when translated literally, means 'May Allah reward you with goodness', and when loosely interpreted, it means 'thank you'.

'Taqabbal Allaahu Minna Wa Minkum Wa Ahaalahu Allaah 'Alayka' which when interpreted means 'May Allah accept (this worship) from us and from you and May you live to see another Eid' (this response was often used by The Holy Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him - and his Apostles)

The writer is a columnist.