| Eid-ul-Adhia
is a festival that is celebrated on the 10th of Dhul Hijja
and marks the close of the Hajj ceremony or Pilgrimage to
the Ka'aba. |
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| A Muslim is
required to perform the pilgrimage at least once in his
lifetime, provided that he can afford the cost of the
journey, is not indebted to anyone and is not otherwise
prevented from performing the Haj. Those who unable to
perform the pilgrimage join in the Eid-ul-Adhia ceremony
at their own places. |
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| The Eid is
celebrated with great solemnity and reverence everywhere.
Like Eid-ul-Fitr, Muslims make preparations several days
before the festival. The animals to be sacrificed are
bought well before the Eid day by those who can afford to
do so. These animal should be free from all physical
defects and should be fully grown. In case of sheep, goat
or lamb, one animal suffices for one household, while a
cow or a camel can be shared by upto seven families.
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| On the day of
the Eid, Muslims assemble in the Eid-gah or in the large
mosques of the town for Eid Prayer Service. The Eid Prayer
is comprised of two Raka'as and offered in the same manner
as Eid-ul-Fitr. Generally no breakfast is served on this
Eid, and those who offer sacrifice do not eat anything
until after they have sacrificed the animal. After the
prayer the Imam delivers a sermon in which he explains the
significance of the festival, giving the details of the
sacrifices offered by Abraham, his wife Hager and their
son Ishmael. Returning by a different route and singing
the praise of Almighty Allah, Muslim worshippers return
home and slaughter their animals. On Eid day, Muslims
recite the praise of Allah in the following words:
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| Allah ho
Akbar, Allah ho Akbar |
| La illaha
illa Allah, wa Allah ho Akbar, Allah ho Akbar
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| wa Lillah
hil Hamd |
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Translation:
|
| Allah is the
Greatest, Allah is the Greatest |
| There is none
worthy of worship except Allah and |
| Alah is the
Greatest, Allah is the Greatest and |
| All praise
belongs to Allah |
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| The person
who offers the sacrifice is allowed to use a portion of
the meat, the remainder is distributed among the
relatives, friends, neighbors and the poor. The animals my
be sacrificed on the day of the Eid or the two days that
follow. Millions of animals are slaughtered all over the
world on this occasion. The skins of the slaughtered
animals are sold and the proceeds given to different
charities. |
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Philosophy of the
Sacrifice: |
| According to
the teachings of Islam, the sacrifice of animals is not
offered to appease offended deities nor to win their favor
as an atonement of sins as was the case of many other
nations. The Holy Quran made it quite clear by stating:
|
| "Neither
the flesh nor the blood of your sacrifices reaches God,
but it is the righteous motive underlying them that
reaches Him." (22:37) |
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| In other
words, the slaughtering of animals is a symbolic
expression whereby a Muslim declares his readiness to lay
down his own life and everything he owes for the sake of
God Almighty. The animal that is sacrificed really stands
for the animal in man himself. |
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