Eid’l Adha for all of us

Every year Muslims around the world celebrate Eid’l Adaha or the Feast of Sacrifice. We wake up early morning to pray the congregation prayer in the mosques or in an open field.

Eid al-Adha is marked by prayers in the morning and usually followed by a celebratory meal. While many families exchange gifts to mark the holiday, Muslims are also encouraged to donate to charities to help those in need.

For Muslims, Eid (feast or celebration) happens twice a year – once at the end of Ramadhan and once at the end of Hajj, which marks Eid’l Adha. Eid’l Adha is considered to be the holier of the two. But some of our Muslim brothers and sisters do not have the clear idea of what is the meaning and importance of this event in our Hijrah Calendar (Muslim calendar).

What is Eid’l Adaha?

Muslim scholars explain that, at end of the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca), Muslims throughout the world celebrate the holiday of Eid’l Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). For this year, in our country we celebrated the Eid’l Adaha last August 21, 2018. This feast usually last for three days.

What does Eid’l Adaha reminds the Muslims?

During the Hajj, Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham (AS). The Holy Qur’an describes Abraham as follows:

“Surely Abraham was an example, obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous.” (Qur’an 16:120-121)

The day of Eid’l Adaha honours Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael, on the command of Allah. But, according to Islamic tradition, Allah stopped him and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead of his son. This religious tradition has similar version of the story that can also be found in the Bible’s Old Testament and the Torah. Today, Muslim families often sacrifice an animal on Eid’l Adaha – usually a cow, goat, or sheep – to honour the tradition. The meat is then divided into three portions; the family keeps one third, gives a third away to friends and donates a third to those in need.

Why do we continue this tradition?

This tradition and the act to slaughter a goat or a sheep, or a cow, symbolizes our willingness to give up our wordly desires and the things that are of benefit to us or close to our hearts, in order to follow Allah’s commands. It also symbolizes our willingness to give up some of our own bounties, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. We recognize that all blessings come from Allah, and we should open our hearts and share with others.

Eid’l Adaha connects us - Muslims, to our Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters as Children of Abraham. I pray that may we all be reminded of this commonality of our faith and religious traditions and to continue our spirit and actions for dialogue.