District Judge (Magistrates’ Court) Hina Rai shares her reflections on Eid-Al-Fitr
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District Judge (Magistrates’ Court) Hina Rai began her legal career as a Crown Prosecution Service paralegal. She qualified as a solicitor in 2005, later became a barrister and was appointed to the First-tier Tribunal in 2018. She became a District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) in 2020. Here she shares her reflections on Eid-Al-Fitr and what the festival means to her.
After weeks of fasting, patience and prayer, Eid arrives in our home with pots gently bubbling on the stove as butter, sugar and cardamom blend in to halwa, while vermicelli cooks slowly in milk with nuts and warm spices, filling the air with sweetness. That smell travels down the hallway and through the bedroom doors, quietly announcing that Eid has arrived.
For many families, and especially mine, this moment is one of the most nostalgic parts of the day. As a child, waking up excitedly with my sisters meant wearing new clothes, warm greetings, shared meals and laughter among family and friends. The highlight was waiting patiently in line for my grandfather to hand out ‘Eidhi’ to all the children in the family (often £10 to spend in Woolworths). Today some of those traditions have remained with the next generation, some lost along the way, and some have evolved into new traditions as we celebrate with family members from different communities and cultures.
This year, the month of fasting has coincided with other traditions of reflection and restraint. Muslims observing Ramadan have been fasting alongside Christians observing Lent, and Jews marking the Fast of Esther. For my family, this overlap has felt particularly personal as some of us have been observing Ramadan, while others have been marking Lent. Around the same table, conversations about fasting, patience, charity, compassion and intention have taken on a shared language. Despite the differences in our practices, the spirit behind them has felt strikingly similar – an effort to become more mindful, more compassionate and more generous.
Those who know me well know my long-standing love of the poetry of Rumi. The 13th century Persian poet captured this sense of shared spiritual searching beautifully when he wrote:
“Beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field, I’ll meet you there.”
For me, these words speak to a place where traditions and differences become less important than the values we are striving toward. During times of fasting, whether Ramadan, Lent or the Fast of Esther, people across different communities are all, in their own ways, stepping into that same field of reflection.
Whether you are celebrating Eid, preparing for Easter or marking the story of Esther, may this time bring peace in our homes and communities and a renewed hope for peace across our world for all people.
District Judge (Magistrates’ Court) Hina Rai