Sunday 9 October 2011

The Festivals Eid al Fith’r and Eid al Ad’haa

The Festivals: Eid al Fith’r and Eid al Ad'haa

These are the two Festivals that bring immense joy and fulfillment to every Muslim.

Eidul Fith’r: After 29 to 30 days of rigorous fasting in the month of Ramadan we celebrate our great accomplishment.  We rejoice that the approval of Allah has been gained.  We decorate and beautify our homes, don new clothes, put on fragrances, give away Fith’r charity to the indigent and hasten to the Eidgah for Salaah. We also have a sumptuous feast and invite guests to it.

The Eid-al-Adh'haa: The 12th and last month of our calendar is Zul Hajj, the month of Haj.  On the 9th of this month, over two million Hajis assemble in the plain of Arafaath for the crowning glory of Haj-- the prayers, the Wukhoof of Arafaath. 

The Rahmath of Allah is nearest to them this day and every Haji prays directly to his/her Maker and secures the fulfillment of his/her highest aspirations.

The next day, Muslims all over the world, take part in the Salaah Eid al Adh'haa and hasten home to perform the holy rite of sacrifice.

In this way we celebrate and commemorate the sacrifice Prophet Syedina Ibrahim Alaihis Salaam performed five thousand years ago for Allah.

The Patriarch Prophet was ready to sacrifice one most beloved to him, his own son Ismail, to please Allah.  Blindfolding himself, he actually passed the knife across the throat of what he believed was his son.

But Allah ordained His Archangel Gibrayeel to substitute a sheep for the boy. It was the sheep that was indeed slaugtered.  And Ismail was safe.


The commemorative sacrifice is obligatory on all Muslims who can afford the cost of one or more animals, according to their economic status. 
They:
retain a third of the meat for themselves,
distribute a third to relatives and
give away the remainder to the poor. 

By this, every family, rich or poor, enjoys on the Eid day a square meal, enriched by the incomparable taste of qurbani meat.

The Eid Salaahs are generally held in one or more open grounds and in major Masaajid.

It is better to hold this organized Salaah as early in the day as possible.  In the Harmain Sharifain this glorious Salaah is performed an hour and a half after Salaahul Faj'r.

The early performance of Salaah, especially in the Eid al Ad'haa will enable the assembly to return home sooner and attend to the sacrifice rites and to the speedy distribution of meat. As this auspicious meat is to be cooked and savoured for lunch, the quicker the rites are performed, the better for all. 

v  May Allah kindly accept this offering of His devoted slaves.  A’meen!

v  Except for the Waajib Salaahs on the Eid mornings which are held in congregation, no Naf’l Salaahs are to be performed before or immediately after the Eid Salaahs.