What is Eid Ul-Adha?
- Eid ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) is one of the key festivals in the Islamic calendar. During this festival, Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a sermon at a mosque. In addition, they visit friends and family members, wear new clothes, and sometimes an animal is symbolically sacrificed in an act that’s known as qurbani. It represents the animal sacrificed by Ibrahim in the place of his son.
- The festival is in remembrance of the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice when called upon by God to do so. Eid ul-Adha is celebrated by Muslims in commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice Ishmael his son to God. It is also known as Sacrifice Feast, Greater Eid, Eid al-Adha, or simply just Eid.
When Do Muslims Celebrate Eid ul-Adha?
- In Muslim countries, Eid al-Adha is a public holiday. In 2020, Eid al-Adha will start on the evening of Thursday July 30th and end on the evening of Monday August 3rd.
Eid al-Adha: What Is It?
- It is a celebration of when Ibrahim dreamt of what he believed to be a message from God (Allah) asking that he sacrifice Ishmael his son as an act of obedience.
- The devil tempted Ibrahim by telling him to disobey Allah and not sacrifice his son. Just as Ibrahim was about to kill his son, he was stopped by Allah and given a lamb to sacrifice rather than his son.
How Do Muslims Celebrate Eid?
- Muslims in some countries sacrifice a goat or sheep (In the UK, the animal is killed at a slaughter house). The meat is then shared equally between friends, family, as well as the poor.
- Eid usually begins with Muslims going to the Mosque to pray. They dress in their best clothes and thank Allah for all his blessings to them. It is a time when they visit their family and friends. Muslims also donate to charity to allow the poor to celebrate too.
- The final day of the Hajj is when Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha. The Hajj refers to pilgrimage to Makkah, which is in Saudi Arabia. It is an annual event and Islam’s Fifth Pillar, which means that it is very important. All Muslims that are fit and able to travel are required to make the visit to Makkah at least one time during their lifetime.
- Pilgrims perform acts of worship and renew their faith as well as their sense of purpose in the world during the Hajj. They stand before the Ka’bah, which is a shrine that Ibrahim built, and praise Allah together. 2 million Muslims from throughout the world visit Makkah for Hajj each year.
- The Ka’bah is Islam’s most important monument. Pilgrims walk around the Ka’bah 7 times and many of them try to touch the Black Stone that can be found at the corner.
God (Allah) commanded Ibrahim, who’s known as Abraham in the Jewish and Christian traditions to sacrifice his son. He obeyed Allah’s command and took his son to Mount Moriah to do as Allah had asked. Just as he was about to sacrifice his son, he was stopped by an angel and given a ram to sacrifice rather than his son. Some people dispute that the son to be sacrificed was Isaac (Ishāq). Regardless, it is at Eid al-Adha when these events are remembered and celebrated.
The Islamic calendar is based on observations of the moon and the length of a month may vary from one year to the next. It is due to this reason that the predicted dates of Eid may be corrected at the beginning of Dhul Hijja, which is usually about 10 days prior to the start of the festival.