Why is Eid Al Adha Celebrated?
Muslims globally celebrate Eid AI Adha by the end of the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijja. In those ten days, the Muslims perform Hajj, a pilgrimage to two cities in Saudi Arabia- Makkah and Madinah. Eid Al Adha is known by the name Bakrid in many parts of the world. It is also called the Festival of Sacrifice since it commemorates the sacrifice performed by Prophet Ibrahim (a.k.a Abraham in the Bible) to prove his selflessness and obedience towards Almighty Allah. This festival has been celebrated for over 1400 years following the lunar calendar.
How is Eid Al Adha celebrated?
Muslims celebrate this day by sacrificing sheep, cows and camels that are chopped into pieces and divided into three equal parts. One part is for the sacrificed animal’s owner, and the second is for his relatives and friends. The third part is distributed amongst the poor and needy. Furthermore, the Muslims wear new clothes, pray the Eid prayer in mosques, prepare mouth-watering sweets & dishes, as well as meet friends & relatives. The children enjoy the day of Eid as they are offered gifts in the name of Eidi. Other than meat, some of the poor and needy people are also given new clothes, groceries and charities.
Story Behind Why Eid Al Adha is Celebrated
One night, Prophet Ibrahim dreamt about Allah commanding him to sacrifice his son, Ismail. Thinking that the devil was playing tricks with his mind, he ignored the command. He had this recurring dream the other night, and he realized that it indeed was a command from the Lord. Though he loved his son dearly, he was ready to accept the command, and he took his son along with him the next morning. He packed a rope and knife with him, and together they went to the mountain of Arafat. Upon reaching there, Ibrahim told his son about his dream and the command from Allah. Ismailwas an obedient son, so after listening to his father’s words, he immediately obliged to the wishes of the Lord and let his father tie his hands and feet to avoid struggling. After tying his son, Ibrahim blindfolded himself to avoid seeing him suffer.
While Ibrahim was sacrificing his beloved son blindfolded, Allah showered mercy on him and commanded his Angel Jibraeel to immediately replace Ismailwith a ram. When Prophet Ibrahim removed the blindfold, he witnessed the Lord’s mercy upon him. His son was standing right next to him and in place of the sacrifice laid a beheaded ram. As he stood there surprised, the angel spoke in his ears telling him that Almighty Allah takes care of all his followers and that he shouldn’t worry anymore as he has passed a difficulty from the Lord.
That selfless act of sacrificing his son and showing obedience to Allah became a significant event in Islamic history. Hence, as mentioned earlier, it is celebrated to commemorate the sacrifice performed by Prophet Ibrahim.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed reading our blog on why Eid Al Adha is celebrated. GKMIT is a multicultural workplace where we love to celebrate different festivals and events with our employees.
Eid Mubarak!
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