Eid Al-Adha

 

The festival of Eid Al-Adha is celebrated in remembrance of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice to God. My friend who lives in Pakistan e-mailed me the photo of a cow (above) that her family was going to slaughter for the holiday meal. She said that the meat would be shared with those who could not afford their own, with friends, and of course with family – three equal parts. Eid simply means festival. You might hear someone say Eid Mubarak, which means happy Eid or happy festival. (Eid Mubarak can also be said on Eid Al-Fitr, which takes places at the end of Ramadan.) Eid Al-Adha occurs at the end of Hajj, during the month of Dhu al-Hijja, the last month in the Islamic lunar calendar. 

According to the Qur’an and Islamic tradition, Ibrahim (called Abraham in the Christian Bible and the Torah) was commanded by God/Allah to sacrifice his son. “We gave him news of a gentle son. And when he reached the age when he could work with him, his father said to him: ‘my son, I dreamt I was sacrificing you. Tell me what you think.’ He replied: ‘Father, do as you are bidden. God willing, you shall find me steadfast.’ And when they had both submitted to God, and Ibrahim had laid his son prostrate upon his face, We called out to him, saying : ‘Abraham, you have fulfilled your vision.’ Thus do We reward the righteous. That was indeed a bitter test. We ransomed his son with a noble sacrifice and bestowed on him the praise of later generation. ‘Peace be on Ibrahim!’ (Holy Qur'an 37:99) The only minor difference between what Muslims believe and what Jews and Christians believe is if the son was Isaac or Ishmael. (Muslims say it was Ishmael.) But this is only a minor fact – the purpose of the story remains the same. If we are willing to give up what we most love in the name of God, then we will be rewarded. God is most merciful, and also God will provide. In this case, God sent a ram to Ibrahim to be sacrificed instead.

Follow this link to a little clip from Al Jazeera about this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RffkrgI-Fdw