Muslims Celebrate Eid Ul-Adha Today

Eid ul Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca, the birthplace of Islam whose origin dates back to the time of Prophet Abraham, is a key pillar of Islam.

Abraham and the Sacrifice

Islam celebrates two great festivals annually – Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. The first is the great festival that follows the month of Ramadan when the fast is broken. The second occurs about two months later during the month of Zil-Hajj when an animal is sacrificed in commemoration of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son. This festival is incorporated in the great pilgrimage to Mecca which should properly be made during this month but it is also observed all over the Muslim world at the same time. The underlying importance of this festival is the spirit of sacrifice (qurbani) in memory of Abraham’s great act of faith many centuries ago.

Eid-ul-Adha is, according to Islamic teaching, a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something living to God. It is stringently denied by most Muslim theologians that the sacrifice has any further significance and it is especially denied that religious sacrifice has any atoning or propitiatory value. Abraham’s great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God and is to be followed as such.