Muslims in Southall and most of the United Kingdom will be celebrating Eid-ul- Fitr on Saturday 13th October 2007.

A billion or more Muslims have been fasting for a month, going without food or water from dawn to sunset. The festivities start with prayers being offered at the mosque wearing their best clothes.

To accommodate the sheer number of people at the Eid prayers the Abu Bakr mosque, the Central Jamia mosque and the Jamia mosque needs to hold 4 separate prayers services each.

Lots of Muslims take fasting in their stride because they feel lucky that they can eat in the morning and in the evening. Billions in the world would consider themselves lucky to have that option.

Fasting in Ramadan is an exercise in self-control, for attaining greater spirituality by performing charitable deeds and spending time in prayer and contemplation.

Apart from the normal 5 times obligatory prayers, Muslim offer additional prayers every night. These additional prayers, if offered at the mosque, can easily take about 1.5 hours.

The mosque gathering is not only spiritual. The Abu Bakr mosque on Southall Broadway has raised at least a thousand pounds every Ramadhan night for some worthy cause. One worthy charity catered for children that are abandoned in mosques because the parents are so poor that they are unable to feed them.

The money in these cases is given specifically as the compulsory Zakat (due) or the optional Saddaqah (charity).

Even on such a festive occasion as Eid-ul-Fitr, Muslims are reminded of their obligations towards the poorer section of society. Before offering the Eid prayers it is neccessary have donated at least £3 (a meal) for every single member of your family. This needs to given specifically as "Fitrana", ideally well before Eid. All this money can only be spent on the poor and destitute and cannot be spent for instance on the mosque itself. Money for that purpose is specifically collected as Lillah.

Eid prayers at the Abu Bakr mosque, the Central Jamia mosque and the Jamia mosque will take place at 8 am, 9am, 10am and 11am.

Due to a lot of activity on Southall Broadway on such occasion, there will be Police restrictions on traffic going through Southall in the evenings for several days. Non-residents are advised to avoid the area. Residents are advised to carry proof of residence to avoid too much inconvenience.

Before the Eid prayers, the advice of the mosque Imams and the Police has always been to spend the day at home with your family and friends. The Imam of the Jamia mosque also stated the night of Eid-ul-Fitr is also a very special night for additional prayers, whether performed at home or in the mosque.