Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is a huge celebration for the entire Islamic world, as Muslims celebrate it with distinctive rituals and traditions that they adhered to after the great event that took place between Abraham and his son, Ishmael, peace be upon them, which was based on a dream that Abraham saw.

The story of Abraham and Ishmael, peace be upon them

• Abraham, peace be upon him, saw in a dream that he was sacrificing his son Ishmael, what a difficult dream for a father who prayed to God to give him a son for many years, but it was not the first miracle of Ishmael, from the moment he was born, God Almighty made his story a lesson that teaches us that trusting God is the best choice, and that God does not abandon those who trust in Him and carry out His commands, no matter how hard His judgment is.
• Abraham was married to Sarah, who was infertile, she wanted to make the Prophet Abraham happy, so she offered him to marry another woman so that he could have a child who would be a source of joy for him and her, she gifted him Hagar, who was her maid, to marry her and have children with her, and indeed God blessed him with a child named “Ishmael”, as stated in the Holy Qur’an, “He later said, “I am leaving ˹in obedience˺ to my Lord. He will guide me. My Lord! Bless me with righteous offspring. So We gave him good news of a forbearing son”, but God commanded Abraham to leave Hagar in the desert, which is the current location of the sacred House of God, so he left her and his son and prayed for them to be able to get food and water and find other people as stated in the Holy Qur’an, “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy Sacred House; in order, O our Lord, that they may establish regular Prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: so that they may give thanks”.
• Hagar ran between two mountains whenever she heard her baby crying until she was exhausted after she went between Safa and Marwah seven times, which God made it one of the Hajj rituals later, and when she sat down, she found water flowing from under the feet of her infant, God created the “well of Zamzam” under him, then travelers in the desert flocked to her and asked her for permission to stay next to the well, Ishmael grew up in this desert among these people, and God Almighty wanted to perpetuate the memory of Hagar with this great event.
• Then Abraham dreamed of sacrificing his son Ishmael many times, so he knew that it was God’s command and that he must carry it out, he told Ishmael, my son, God commands me to sacrifice you, and Ishmael replied, father, do as you are commanded, “Then when the boy reached the age to work with him, Abraham said, “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. So tell me what you think.” He replied, “O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.” (Surah As-Saffat)
• Abraham tried to carry out the command of his Lord, and when he moved the knife on his son’s neck, it did not cut, and he saw Gabriel holding a great ram that God Almighty made it a ransom for Abraham, “Then when the boy reached the age to work with him, Abraham said, “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. So tell me what you think.” He replied, “O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast. Then when they submitted to Allah’s Will, and Abraham laid him on the side of his forehead for sacrifice, We called out to him, “O Abraham! You have already fulfilled the vision.” Indeed, this is how We reward the good-doers. That was truly a revealing test. And We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice.”
• God Almighty wanted the day of salvation of Ishmael to become an Eid for Muslims to celebrate and sacrifice cattle, following the Sunnah of the Prophet of God, and glorifying this great event.

The date of Eid al-Adha

Eid Al-Adha comes every year at a specific date that does not change, which is the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah, immediately after the last day of completing the rituals of Hajj, and Muslims celebrate it by sacrificing cattle.

Celebration Scenes of Eid al-Adha

• Takbir: which starts from the dawn of the day of Arafah to the afternoon of the last days of al-Tashreeq and the formula of the Takbir is (Allah is Great, Allah is Great, Allah is Great, there is no God, but Allah, Allah is Great, Allah is Great, to Him belongs all Praisem, Allah is the Greatest, And all Praise is due to Him, And Glory to Allah, eventide and in the morning, there is no God, but Allah the Unique, He has fulfilled His Promise, and made Victorious His servant, and made Mighty His soldiers, and defeated the confederates, there is no God, But Allah), it is possible to recite Takbir in different formulas, as it is a way to express the joy of Eid
• Wearing new clothes, putting on perfume, perform Eid prayer, cleaning and decorating houses, offering sweets to guests, congratulating and visiting family and relatives, and giving Eid gifts to the youngest.
• Sacrificing cattle and distributing its meat to relatives, the poor and the needy

Another article about Eid al-Adha.

An article about Eid al-Fitr.