WHAT IS EID AL-ADHA?

This long weekend has been about nothing but sleeping in, binge watching shows, out of town trips, and what not. But are people totally aware of what we're celebrating today? To everyone who's on a holiday break today and doesn't have the tiniest bit of idea on why school and office work were called off, this post is for you.

Well, to answer my own question and for everyone's knowledge, today is the "Feast of the Sacrifice"or Eid al-Adha as it is commonly known . A religious celebration for our Muslim brothers and sisters, Eid al-Adha is one of the two Eid holidays in the Islamic calendar. Also called as Eid al-Kabir in Yemen, Syria and North Africa, Eid al-Adha commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son, Ishmael, as an act of submission to Allah. Allah, pleased upon seeing Abraham's obedience, intervened and asked the prophet to sacrifice a lamb instead. The meat of the lamb is, then, divided into three parts. One is given away to Abraham's relatives and friends, the other one is shared to the poor and needy while the last one is retained by Abraham's family.

Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of the last month in the Islamic Calendar, also known as the Dhu al-Hijjah. On this day, our Muslim brothers and sisters commemorate Abraham's trials by slaughtering an animal such as a lamb, a camel or a goat. After slaughtering, the meat will be divided into three sections, the first two parts will be shared with the relatives and friends as well as, the needy and the poor. The last portion will, then, be retained by the family. As a religious tradition, families are expected to give out gifts and greetings after saying their prayers at their local mosques early in the morning.

The story of the Prophet Abraham is a symbolism of what Allah wanted to impart to the people. Allah blesses those who obey His commands even if that means having to sacrifice things and people that are close to one's heart. Abraham's act symbolizes our willingness to give up whatever we have in order to strengthen one's ties between his family and friends as well as, sharing whatever Allah has blessed us with to the poor and needy. After all, all blessings came from Allah and there's no better way to acknowledge and appreciate everything than to share and let others experience His goodness.

To all our Muslim brothers and sisters, have a happy and blessed Eid Al-Adha Mubarak!