General definition of Eid al - Adha تعريف عام بعيد الأضحى

عيد الأضحى هو عيد يوم النحر الذي يعتبر أكبر العيدين وأفضلهما، وقد صار هذا اليوم عيداً لجميع المسلمين في جميع الأقطار لأنه مترتب على إكمال شعيرة الحج، وإكمال الحج يكون بعد يوم عرفة الذي تغفر فيه الذنوب، وتعتق فيه الرقاب من النار، وقد نهى النبي عليه الصلاةوالسلام عن صيام هذا اليوم، ففي الحديث عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال: (نَهَىَ عَنْ صِيَامِ يَوْمَيْنِ: يَوْمِ الأَضْحَىَ وَيَوْمِ الْفِطْرِ)

Eid al-Adha is the day of sacrifice, which is considered the greatest and best of Eid, and this day has become a festival for all Muslims in all countries because it is due to complete the pilgrimage ritual, and completing the pilgrimage will be after the day of Arafah in which sins are forgiven, The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade fasting this day. In the hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, he said: It is forbidden to fast two days: eid al-adha and eid al-fitr

Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) also called the "Festival of the Sacrifice", is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year (the other being Eid al-Fitr), and considered the holier of the two. Muslims celebrate with special prayers, greetings and gifts. It is a gazetted holiday in India and is also referred to as the festival of sacrifice.

 It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God's command. But, before Abraham could sacrifice his son, Allah provided a lamb to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: one part of the share is given to the poor and needy; second part is for the home, third is given to relatives.

إن عيد الأضحى هو أحتفال للمسلمين في جميع أنحاء العالم تخليداً لذكرى تضحية سيدنا أبراهيم (عليهالسلام) النابعة من قوة إيمانه بالله (سبحانه وتعالى). سيدنا أبراهيم (عليه السلام) قد أظهر أستعداده ليضحي بأبنه سيدنا أسماعيل ولكن أبدله الله (سبحانه وتعالى) بكبش عظيم يذبحه. فرح الله (سبحانه وتعالى) بإستسلام سيدنا أبراهيم (عليه السلام) لأوامره، وأنه قد جعل ذلك مثالاً على الجزء الدائم للتضحية والإيمان في حياة المسلم.

-History-

One of the main trials of Abraham's life was to face the command of God to sacrifice his dearest possession, his son.The son is not named in the Quran, but the earliest Islamic traditions identify Ishmael as the son who was sacrificed. Upon hearing this command, Abraham prepared to submit to the will of God.[20] During this preparation, Shaitan (the Devil) tempted Abraham and his family by trying to dissuade them from carrying out God's commandment, and Abraham drove Satan away by throwing pebbles at him. In commemoration of their rejection of Satan, stones are thrown at symbolic pillars during the Stoning of the Devil during Hajj rites.

When Abraham attempted to cut his son's throat on mount Arafat, he was astonished to see that his son was unharmed and instead, he found an animal which was slaughtered. Abraham had passed the test by his willingness to carry out God's command.

Muslims around the world believe that Allah (God) commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Ibrahim followed God's orders, but his son was replaced by a sheep at the last moment. Muslims celebrate this at Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat or "bakri" in Urdu. The word "id" derived from the Arabic "عيد" means "festival" and "ضحى" comes from "اضحية" which translates to "sacrifice".

In the period around Eid al-Adha, many Muslims travel to Mecca and the surrounding area in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Package holidays are organized from many countries. Muslims may plan and save for many years to enable them to take part in this event, which is one of the five pillars of Islam Once a year, Muslims of every ethnic group, colour, social status, and culture gather together in Mecca and stand before the Kaaba praising Allah together. It is a ritual that is designed to promote the bonds of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood by showing that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah. The Hajj makes Muslims feel real importance of life here on earth, and the afterlife, by stripping away all markers of social status, wealth, and pride. In the Hajj all are truly equal.

Public Life

Eid al-Adha is a public holiday in places such as the Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. It is not a nationwide public holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States. However, some Islamic organizations may be closed or offer a reduced level of service and there may be some local congestion around mosques in countries where Eid al-Adha is not a public holiday.

Traditions and practices

During Eid al-Adha, distributing meat amongst the people, chanting the takbir out loud before the Eid prayers on the first day and after prayers throughout the three days of Eid, are considered essential parts of this important Islamic festival.

The takbir consists of

الله أكبر الله أكبر

لا إله إلا الله

الله أكبر الله أكبر

ولله الحمد

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

lā ilāha illā-Allāh

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar

walillāhi l-hamd

Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an open field called Eidgah or mosque. Affluent Muslims who can afford it sacrifice their best halal domestic animals (usually a cow, but can also be a camel, goat, sheep, or ram depending on the region) as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son. The sacrificed animals, called aḍḥiya (أضحية), known also by the Perso-Arabic term qurbāni, have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice.

Hence, every year on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid ul Azha. On this day, Muslims slaughter a lamb, sheep, goat or a camel to honor the sacrifice of Ibrahim (AS). A sense of generosity and gratitude colors this festival.

This festival is meant to make a Muslim more virtuous in his or her deeds. It should not be meant only to offer sacrifices; rather it is meant to learn hidden lessons of freedom from selfish desires and to elevate a Muslim from anything that hinders his ability to fulfill his responsibilities as a Muslim. Allah says in the Quran:

إن الغاية من هذا العيد هي جعل المسلم إيجابياً في أفعاله. لا يجب أن تكون العبرة في التضحية فقط، ولكن بالأحرى أن يتعلم المُسلم الدروس الخفية للتحرر من الرغبات الأنانية وللأرتقاء من أي عوائق تمنعه من تحقيق مسؤولياته كشخص مسلم. يقول الله (سبحانه وتعالى) في كتابه:

) لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ)

''It is neither their flesh nor their blood that reaches Allah, but what does reach Him is the taqwā (the sense of obedience) on your part. Thus He has made them (the animals) subjugated to you, so that you proclaim Allah’s glory for the guidance He gave you. And give good news to those who are good in their deeds. (SurahHajj: 37). 

By MR

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