Two Important Festivals in Islam

There are two important festivals in the religion Islam known as Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. All Muslims around the world celebrate two Eids. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, it is a reward from Allah after the completion of the month of fasting, and Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of Zil-Hajj, it is the day of great sacrifice and it is celebrated in the remembrance of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) Sunnah.

Following Hadith also mentions both festivals, as Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) said:

“Allah has given you better than those feasts (festivals of non-believers): the ‘Eid-ul-Adha’ and ‘Eid-ul-Fitr.”[An-Nasai: 1556]

Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) has strictly forbidden fasting on Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr. As it is mentioned in the following Hadiths:

"No fasting is permissible on the two days of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.” [Sahih Bukhari: 1995]

History of Eid-ul-Adha

Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) had a dream that he sacrifices his son Hazrat Ismail (A.S) for the sake of Allah’s will and in the path of Allah. One day he told his son Hazrat Ismail (A.S) about that dream, so his son has said to his father “you should obey the command of Allah”. When Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) was about to sacrifice his son and when he was about to run the knife over his son’s neck, Allah gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead of his son, so he slaughters lamb. Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) knew that Allah loves him and He tests the faith of His loved ones. As Allah said in the Holy Quran:

“And whosoever fears God and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine” [Sura At-Talaq: 65:2-3]

This act of slaughtering an animal is called “Qurbani” in Islam. Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha on this day in remembrances of Hazrat Ibrahim’s (A.S) sacrifice.

What Allah says regarding the Sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim?

Allah says about Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) in the following words of Quran:

“Surely Ibrahim was an example, obedient to God, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous.” [Sura Al Nahl 16; 120-121]

What Muslims do on Eid-ul-Adha

On this great day, all Muslims first take shower in the morning and then get dressed up well to get Allah’s blessings. Muslims then go to the Mosque to perform “Namaz-e-Eidain”. After that, they slaughter (Qurban) an animal to obey the command of Allah. The meat these sacrificed animals get divided into three equal portions: one-third is for the owner's family, one-third is for friends and the remaining is for needy people.

“Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you” [Sura Al-Hajj: 22:37].

Many people misunderstand the act of sacrifice (Qurbani), Allah does not need meat and blood, Allah has no need for any type of worship, Allah only looks for our kindness, piety, charity, and love for others.

Selection of an animal for Sacrifice (Qurbani)

The animal for sacrifice (Qurbani) should be bought with halal money. Money should be earned in an Islamic way and only then Muslims can buy the animal from this halal money. Animals could be a cow, goat, camel, bull, or sheep. The heath of the animal must be good, free from any type of wound and diseases and Muslims should prefer an animal that apparently looks perfect. In order to slaughter an animal, Muslims should be aware of the certain age of animal because overage or underage animals cannot be taken for the sacrifice.