Placidway Celebrates Eid al-Adha

Placidway Celebrates Eid al-Adha!

PlacidWay Medical Tourism Middle East

Eid al-Adha, also called The Festival of the Sacrifice, the Feast of The Sacrifice, The Major Festival, the Greater Eid, Eid-e-Qurban is a very important religious celebration for worldwide Muslims.

Through this celebration they honour the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (called Abraham in the Christian Church) to sacrifice his first born son called Ismail (or Ishmael) as an act of total submission to the will of God. His son’s acceptance to being sacrificed for the will of God is also celebrated.

In accordance to the Islamic Lunar Calendar, Eid al-Adha usually falls on the 10th day of Dhu Al-Hijjah and lasts for approximately four days while according to the international Gregorian calendar the dates vary slightly from year to year, shifting the celebration approximately eleven days earlier as each year passes.

The first Eid holiday is the Eid al-Fitr and the second is Eid al-Adha. The 196th verse of the second sura of the Quran mentions the Eid al-Adha and it also appears in the fifth sura of the Quran with the meaning of a „solemn festival”.

Quite similar to Eid al-Fitr, the Eid al-Adha begins with a short Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon called khutbah. The Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the descent of the Hajj from Mount Arafat, a hill which lies east of Mecca. The Eid sacrifice itself may take place until sunset on the thirteenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Women, children and men are expected to wear their finest clothing when performing the Eid prayer in large congregations, most often in open waqfs fields (also called Eidgahs).

It is not unusual for affluent Muslims to sacrifice one of their best domestic animals as a symbol of Abraham’s devotion and willingness to sacrifice his only son for the will of God. Cows, camels, goats, sheep or rams are usually sacrificed on Eid, depending on the region and customs of the worshipers.

The sacrificed animals have to meet certain quality standards and as well to be of certain age for the sacrifice to be deemed acceptable. Once the sacrifice is done, the meat is then split into three equal parts. The family retains one third of it, another third is given to neighbours, friends or relatives and one third is given to the needy, ill or the poor.

Muslim communities go through great lengths to ensure that no impoverished person is left without a sacrificial meal within the days of Eid.

Within urban settings, families that do not own livestock themselves usually make a contribution to a charity or mosque that will provide meat to those in need.

May this Eid bring lots of happiness and prosperity for all of us.

Eid-ul-Adha  Mubarak!