Eid-El-Adha,
which is one of the most important Islamic holidays, commemorates Abraham’s complete faith
and obedience towards Allah in his willingness to sacrifice his own son, Ismail. Rather than running away (which is what I
would’ve done!), Ismail kneeled and waited for his father to kill him. At
this moment, Allah sent the angel Gabriel with a sheep for Abraham to slaughter
instead.
Eid
is a beautiful time of complete bliss in all Muslim countries. Starting on the
night of Eid, Muslims begin to thank Allah until the next
morning, when Muslims gather to perform the Eid prayer together. After this
prayer, the entire community is united in one place and smiles fill the air as
everyone talks and begins to celebrate together. In Mecca, Eid is the
last day of the pilgrimage (hajj).
After
the prayer, families who have enough money must slaughter a sheep in a halal
manner. One third of the sheep is donated to the poor, one third is for the family
and the extended family, and the final third is for friends. Throughout the
next four days of Eid, it is custom for families to visit each other and
exchange gifts for the children.
Eid-el-Adha
allows me to realize the importance of community, generosity, obedience, and
the spread of happiness.
This
year, Eid-el-Adha begins on the night of Friday, October 26th! Happy
Eid, everyone!!!
-- Diana Abbas
No comments:
Post a Comment