Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:
"The heart of a person who stays awake during the nights of Eid will not die on the Day when hearts will be dead."
The Day when hearts will be dead refers to the Day of Qiyaamah when the mightiest upheavals will be taking place. This Hadith mentions the holiness and significance of the nights of Eid. The night of Eid is the night which precedes the day of Eid. In a narration it also appears that the nights of Eid are like the night of Qadr. These nights are nights of ibaadat. Ibaadat on these nights fortifies the hearts - the roohaani or spiritual heart. Besides the great rewards for the ibaadat rendered on these nights, the hearts of those who correctly spent these nights will be fortified and strengthened on the Day of Qiyaamah - on that Day of fear and terror - so that it will not fear nor grieve. Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'aan Shareef:
"There shall be neither fear on them nor will they grieve."
Fear and terror will demoralize and paralyze the hearts of people on the Day of Qiyaamah. only those on whom will be the special rahmat of Allah, will have their intelligence intact and functioning. When people and jinn will observe the terrors and horrors of Qiyaamah, they will become mentally deranged with fear and their hearts will become paralyzed as if they are dead. But, those who had constructively spent the nights of Eid - in ibaadat - their hearts will be strengthened. They will not panic.
From this Hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) we can understand just how auspicious these two nights are. It does not behove us, therefore, to waste the sacred moments of these nights in futility and unnecessary worldly occupations. Allah Ta'ala has despatched us to earth, to live for a short while, and to make our preparations for Maut and for the everlasting life of the Aakhirah. Since we have been sent here to prepare ourselves for the Aakhirah - for the Meeting with Allah Ta'ala - it becomes necessary and is of utmost importance that we utilize the holy occasions and sacred moments for acquiring such provisions which we shall be needing for our journey into the Aakhirah.
In His mercy and because of His kindness, Allah Ta'ala has provided us with several occasions in which we can gain the maximum thawaab for a little worship or ibaadat. But, instead of heeding the exhortation of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to apply ourselves to ibaadat on the nights of Eid, most of us engage in activities considered incumbent for worldly preparations. Instead of applying the night and our time on these sacred nights in preparations of the Aakhirah, most people waste away the night in making preparations for food and dress. They are more concerned about the next day's feasting and dressing in gaudy garments. While it is also a teaching of the Shariah to don one's best clothes on the days of Eid and to be a bit lavish in feasting for the occasions of Eid, this never means that the Eid nights should be squandered in such mundane pursuits. Whatever food and dress preparations have to be made, should be completed during the day time. The night time - the nights of Eid - should be retained exclusively for ibaadat. It is highly improper, ruinous and childish to waste away these auspicious nights in food and dress preparations - in worldly activities which will be of no avail in the Aakhirah.
The Hadith exhorts us to spend these two nights in ibaadat, not in preparing food for the next day nor in polishing the house nor in dress preparation. It is most unintelligent to say the least - to abandon the holy and the prime occupation ordered by Allah Ta'ala for these nights, i.e. ibaadat, and to spend the auspicious moments in futile worldly activities which will be of no benefit in the Aakhirah.
On account of ghaflat - obviousness - of the Aakhirah, people have no concern for the purpose for which Allah Ta'ala has created them. They are prepared to barter away their perpetual life of happiness and pleasure of the Aakhirah for the extremely defective and temporary worldly pleasures. This indicates that the intelligence of such people is not functioning correctly. Zulmat (Darkness) has settled over their intelligence. They are bereft of Noor-e-Aql or the Noor of Intelligence - a Noor with which Allah Ta'ala imbues the Aql of those who are concerned with their Aakhirah and the Pleasure of Allah Ta'ala.
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that the most ignorant person is one who is not concerned with preparations for the Aakhirah, and the most intelligent person is he who is always engaged in making preparations for the life beyond the grave. It is, therefore, necessary that we do not waste away these great and auspicious nights of Eid in futile activities - in cooking, cleaning the house, etc. The sanctity which Allah Ta'ala has instilled in these nights is not for such worldly activities which should be done at some other time. It is not intelligent to squander the best time, the most valuable time - the time which Allah Ta'ala has specially bestowed to us to utilize in preparation for the Aakhirah - in mundane or worldly activities of unimportance and which will not benefit us in either the grave or the Aakhirah.
The nights of Eid begin with sunset. After Maghrib Salaat, Awwaabeen should be performed. After Ishaa, it is essential to sit up and engage in any kind of ibaadat, whether Nafl Salaat, Thikr of any kind, Durood Shareef, Tasbeeh, Tilaawat, Istighfaar, etc. If Tahajjud Salaat is missed on these nights, it will indeed be a great misfortune. While everyone may not be able to stay awake the whole night, no one should deprive himself or herself from the tremendous rewards of spending at least some time in ibaadat. But, Tahajjud should not be missed. From Tahajjud sit until Fajr in ibaadat. This is the minimum required of a Muslim who truly believes in the Aakhirah.

IFTAAR
Another mubaarak or blessed time, is the time of iftaar - the time when the fast is ended. It is a time when dua is readily accepted. It is not a time to spend in the kitchen preparing food. Many women deprive themselves of the great and wonderful thawaab of these precious moments. Instead of being involved in ibaadat for a few minutes before iftaar, they are busy in the kitchen. Fasting is not meant for feasting. Iftaar does not require heavy preparations as has become the common practice. A few minutes before sunset, sit on your musalla and engage in thikr and dua. Be involved in thikrullah as the sun sets and the fast ends. Fasting is for roohaani development, not for spiritual retrogression which is a consequence of sumptuous feasting. The excessive eating during the fasting month, especially at the time of iftaar is spiritually and morally ruinous.
In some Musjids elaborate preparations are made for actual feasting at the time of Iftaar before Maghrib Salaat. Precious and holy moments which should be devoted to ibaadat are wasted in feasting. This system of feasting practised in many Musjids is in conflict with the Sunnah. Shaitaan has, indeed, invented many tricks and traps to deprive the Saa-im of the roohaani benefits of the fast. one of these tricks is feasting at the time of Iftaar