Eid al-Adha
the Feast of the Sacrifice
by Harsha Siripurapu and Ellen Liu
The Next Eid al-Adha
Wednesday, Sep 23, 2015, 06:45 PM
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Religious Connections
Ibrahim, a prophet of Islam, was very old when God told him have a son. Ibrahim and his wife, Sarah, were very old, so Sarah could not bear children. Instead, Ibrahim had a son to the maid, Hagar. After Hagar bore his child, Ibrahim was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Ishmael (Isma'il or Ismael). Ibrahim obeyed Him and took Ishmael to Mount Moriah, but before Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, the Angel Gabriel stopped him, and gave him a ram to sacrifice instead. Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to follow God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
Rituals and Customs
During Eid al-Adha, all members of a Muslim family must perform Salah (Eid al-Adha prayers) in larger groups on all days of the holiday. During prayers, Muslims must face the direction of the kaaba. They must have breakfast only after their prayers. After breakfast, Muslims sacrifice goats, cows, and sheep, and rams, because Ibrahim sacrificed a ram, and to represent Ibrahim's willingness to kill his son for god. The meat of these animals is given to family, friends, and the less fortunate in three equal parts.
Did You Know?
Works Cited
"Eid Al-Adha 2014: Two Million Muslims Gather at Grand Mosque in Mecca, Marks End of Hajj [PHOTOS]." International Business Times RSS. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ibtimes.co.in/eid-al-adha-2014-two-million-muslims-gather-grand-mosque-mecca-marks-end-hajj-photos-610566>.
"Eid-Ul-Adha Traditions And Rituals." Eid-Ul-Adha Traditions And Rituals. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theeid.com/eiduladha-traditions-and-rituals/>.
"Eid-al-Adha." Eid-al-Adha. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/muslim/eid-al-adha>.
"Eid-ul-Adha: Abraham and the Sacrifice." Eid-ul-Adha: Abraham and the Sacrifice. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://www.answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/eid.html>.
"The Haj, A Pilgrimage To Mecca." TotallyCoolPix. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://totallycoolpix.com/2010/11/the-haj-a-pilgrimage-to-mecca/>.
"Imam Ilyas Sidyot." The Spirit behind Eid Ul Adha. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://www.imamilyas.com/archives/spritbehindeiduladha.html>.
"Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Adha, Feast of Sacrifice." VOA. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://www.voanews.com/content/eid-al-adha-/2472810.html>.
"RAMADAN, EID-AL-FITR, AND EID-AL-ADHA." RAMADAN, EID-AL-FITR, AND EID-AL-ADHA. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://www.moonsighting.com/ramadan-eid.html>.