Muslims all over the world are gathered today to celebrate the Eid al-Adha (Id ul-Adha), popularly known as Eid-el Kabir. Here is all you need to know about it.
Oh, by the way, Barka De Sallah to our Muslim folks! Ok, let’s dive right into it:
1. Meaning of the Name
Eid-el-Kabir is an Arabic phrase for “Feast of the Sacrifice”. Another way of calling it is Bakr-Eid (Sacrifice Feast). Little wonder why rams and goats go under the blade every Salah.
2. The Origin
Eid-el-Kabir originated from the Quranic story of Ibrahim who was asked by Allah to sacrifice Ishmael, the promised son. Ibrahim showed enough faith, compiling up to the point of giving up his son. However, the angel Jibril stopped him in his tracks and told him that due to his submissiveness, his sacrifice had been accepted already. Hence, Eid-el Kabir was born.
3. The Sacrifice
The sacrifice is the highpoint of the Eid-El-Kabir celebration. Rams and cows are primarily used to perform this. After the prayers at the mosques, these animals are slaughtered in the head to represent Ibrahim’s own willingness to sacrifice his own son.
The representative sacrifice might not necessarily be a cow or ram, it can be a camel or goat, depending on the prevalent culture in a given place. However, the domestic animal used must meet certain requirements to be accepted.
4. Costume
For the slaughtering of the animal, a blue coat clothing must be worn. Also, very festive clothes are worn on the other days. This is the time when Muslims wear their very best. The women wear new, stylish lace, Ankara, and colorful hijabs. Most times, the men are seen putting on guinea or damask clothing, with fanciful caps.
5. Sharing
During the Eid-El-Kabir, a lot of love is spread in style. The meat of the occasion is meant to be divided into three-part. One part is for the family who slaughtered it. While the other two are for relatives and friends and the indigent ones respectively. Also, families visit one another and share meals together even after the celebration. Even these meats are taken across borders to be shared with truly indigent people.
So go ahead and celebrate with joy, it’s only worth it. Happy Eid-el-Kabir from all of us at SMSexperience.