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What is Eid Al-Adha?
Eid al-Adha meaning "Festival of the sacrifice" also called the Feast of the Sacrifice, the "Major Festival", the "Greater Eid", Baqr'Eid (Urdu: بقر عید), In the religion of Islam, Eid al-Adha is a major festival that takes place at the end of the Hajj. It is also known as 'Id al-Qurban or al-'Id al-Kabir (Major Festival). Eid al-Adha marks the completion of the hajj (pilgrimage) rites at Mina, Saudi Arabia, but is also observed by Muslims throughout the world to commemorate the faith of Ibrahim (Abraham)(Peace be upon him).
Eid Al-Adha begins on the 10th of Dhu'l-Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar, and lasts for fours days. It begins the day after Muslims on the Hajj descend from Mount Arafat.
Meaning of the Festival
The festival commemorates Allah's gift of a ram in place of Isma'il (Ishmael)(Peace be upon him), whom Allah had commanded Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) to sacrifice. (In Judaism and Christianity, the child in this story is Ishmael's brother Isaac.)
The devil tried to persuade Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) to disobey Allah and not to sacrifice his beloved son, but Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) stayed absolutely obedient to Allah and drove the devil away. Eid al-Adha is a celebration of this supreme example of submission to God, which is the cornerstone of the Islamic faith (islam means "submission").
Origin
According to Islamic tradition, approximately four thousand years ago, the valley of Mecca (in present-day Saudi Arabia) was a dry, rocky and uninhabited place. Allah instructed Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) to bring Hajar, his Arabian (Adnan) wife, and Ishmael, his only child at the time, to Arabia from the land of Canaan.
As Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) was preparing for his return journey back to Canaan, Hajar asked him, "Did Allah order you to leave us here? Or are you leaving us here to die." Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) didn't even look back. He just nodded, afraid that he would be too sad and that he would disobey Allah. Hajar said, "Then Allah will not waste us; you can go". Though Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) had left a large quantity of food and water with Hajar and Ishmael(Peace be upon him), the supplies quickly ran out, and within a few days the two began to feel the pangs of hunger and dehydration.
Al - Safa and Al- Marwa
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Years later, Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) was instructed by Allah to return from Canaan to build a place of worship adjacent to Hajar's well (the Zamzam Well). Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) and Ismaill(Peace be upon him) constructed a stone and mortar structure – known as the Kaa'ba – which was to be the gathering place for all who wished to strengthen their faith in Allah. As the years passed, Ishmael was blessed with prophethood (Nubuwwah) and gave the nomads of the desert his message of submission to God. After many centuries, Mecca became a thriving desert city and a major center for trade, thanks to its reliable water source, the well of Zamzam.
One of the main trials of Ibrahim's life was to face the command of Allah to sacrifice his dearest possession, his only son. Upon hearing this command, he prepared to submit to Allah's will. During this preparation, Satan (Shaitan) tempted Ibrahim and his family by trying to dissuade them from carrying out Allah's commandment, and Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) drove Satan away by throwing pebbles at him. In commemoration of their rejection of Satan, stones are thrown at symbolic pillars signifying Satan during the Hajj rites.
When Ismail(Peace be upon him) was about 13 (Ibrahim being 99), Allah decided to test their faith in public. Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) had a recurring dream, in which Allah was commanding him to offer up for sacrifice – an unimaginable act – his son, whom Allah had granted him after many years of deep prayer. Ibrahim knew that the dreams of the prophets were divinely inspired, and one of the ways in which Allah communicated with his prophets. When the intent of the dreams became clear to him, Ibrahim decided to fulfill Allah's command and offer Ismail for sacrifice.
Although Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) was ready to sacrifice his dearest for Allah's sake, he could not just bring his son to the place of sacrifice without his consent. Ismai(Peace be upon him) had to be consulted as to whether he was willing to give up his life in fulfillment of Allah's command. This consultation would be a major test of Ismail's maturity in faith; love and commitment for Allah; willingness to obey his father; and readiness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of Allah.
Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) presented the matter to his son and asked for his opinion about the dreams of slaughtering him. Ismail(Peace be upon him) did not show any hesitation or reservation even for a moment. He said, "Father, do what you have been commanded. You will find me, Insha'Allah (God willing), to be very patient." His mature response, his deep insight into the nature of his father’s dreams, his commitment to God, and ultimately his willingness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of Allah were all unprecedented.
When Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) attempted to cut Ismail's throat, he was astonished to see that Ismail was unharmed and instead, he found a dead ram which was slaughtered. Ibrahim had passed the test by his willingness to carry out Allah's command.
This is mentioned in the Quran as follows:
Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) had shown that his love for Allah superseded all others: that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dearest to him in submission to Allah's command. Muslims commemorate this ultimate act of sacrifice every year during Eid al-Adha.
Reference: www.wikipedia.com
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