The celebration of Eid-ul-Adha is to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s devotion to Allah SWT and his readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail. At the very point of sacrifice, Allah SWT replaced Ismail with a ram, which was to be slaughtered in place of his son. This command from Allah SWT was a test of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness and commitment to obey his Lord’s command, without question. Therefore, Eid-ul-Adha means the festival of sacrifice. Although Eid-ul-Adha has no direct relation to the Hajj Pilgrimage, it is but a day after the completion of Hajj and therefore has significance in time. The day of Eid-ul-Adha falls on the tenth day in the twelfth month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar; Dhu-al-Hijjah. The day that celebrations fall on is dependent on a legitimate sighting of the moon. In a dream, the Prophet Ibrahim was instructed to sacrifice his son Ismail to Allah. Ibrahim told Ismail about the dream, and both agreed to submit to the will of God. Ismail lay prostrate with his forehead touching the ground, while his father laid a sharp knife upon his neck. At this moment, Allah called down: “O Ibrahim! You have done my bidding and now you will be rewarded!” A large ram appeared as an alternative sacrifice, and instead of killing his son, Ibrahim slaughtered the sheep to the glory of God. The sacrificial animal must be a sheep, lamb, goat, cow, bull or a camel; the sheep, lamb or goat consist of one Qurbani share, whereas a bull, cow or camel consist of seven shares per animal. The animal must be in good health and over a certain age in order to be slaughtered, in a “halal” friendly, Islamic way. The Qurbani meat can then divided into three equal portions per share; one-third is for the family, one-third is for friends, and the final third is to be donated to those in need. Eid-ul-Adha manifests the true spirit of obedience and loyalty to Allah and it exhibits that those who obey His Commands are always being rewarded virtuously. Eid –ul-Adha’s moral significance is to enhance compassion, generosity as to reach the divinity. Muslims all around the world celebrate Eid-ul-Adha enthusiastically to portray its deity and to reappraise ‘Labaik Allahuma Labaik’. Muslims entertain their palate with yummiest Bar B.Q parties with their families and friends after the fair distribution of sacrificial meat. ‘Happy Eid-ul-Adha Everyone!’ By Huma Kirmani
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