(May Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be on all of you)
Eid al-Adha /'Id al-'Adha is known as Feast of Sacrifice or Greater Eid. The word Eid means "festivity" or "celebration" while the word "zuha" is derived from "uzhaiyya" which can be translated as "sacrifice". It is celebrated in the honor of a great Prophet / Messenger of Allah, Prophet Ibrahim/Abraham (Peace be Upon Him) on the 10th day of the last (12th) lunar month Zul-Hijjah (according to Islamic calendar) of every year. The base of this festival may be found in Surah Baqrah verse 196 and in several Ahadith (sayings of Prophet Mohammad Peace be upon him).
And
complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah . But if you are prevented, then
[offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And do
not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place
of slaughter.
(Surah Baqrah verse 196) The first thing we have to do on this day is to offer 2 rakat Salah of Eid and then sacrifice the animal on the name of Allah.
Narrated
by Al-Bara' (May Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Prophet (Peace
be Upon Him) delivering a Khutba (sermon) saying, "The first thing to
be done on this day (first day of 'Id ul Adha) is to pray; and after
returning from the prayer we slaughter our sacrifices (in the name of
Allah) and whoever does so, he acted according to our Sunnah
(traditions)."
(Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 15, Number 71)
The purpose of sacrificing is narrated in Quran in Surah Hajj
Their
meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him
is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may
glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good
tidings to the doers of good.
(Surah Hajj Verse 37)
It's the piety of the hearts which reaches to Allah and the purpose of Eid ul Adha is to prepare us for all kind of sacrifices in the time of need and to become righteous.
This festival is
having a great religious importance for the Muslims around the globe and
the origin of Eid ul Adha goes far beyond the Islamic history; it
begins when the Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) was ordered by Allah
to sacrifice his own son for His sake and not only this, whenever
Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) got into some trial by Allah, he
trusted Allah, didn't get afraid of the trials and fulfilled all them.
Now what sort of the TRIALS were those?
The
most difficult tasks /acts which are hard for us to fulfill as we (the
common human beings) get upset and loose our patience with a single
small trial but Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) was the person for
whom Allah told us in Quran, in Surah Baqrah verse 124
And
[mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands
and he fulfilled them. [ Allah ] said, "Indeed, I will make you a
leader for the people." [Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [ Allah
] said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers."
Let's
have a look on the trials as I think than we will be able to know why
did he get so much honor and respect that till now one of the major
nation of the world is celebrating a day in the honor and remembrance of
him.
Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him)'s father was a statue
maker and his whole nation was use to of worshiping idols but Prophet
Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) said to them in the words of Quran, Surah An'am verse 79
Indeed,
I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth,
inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with
Allah ."
As believing only on ONE LORD ALLAH
and not the idols, was an offense according to his father and the whole
nation, he has to leave his father and his house just for saying that
he believes in one Allah and no one else. His nation turned against him
and the King of the time Nimrod ordered to burn him alive in the fire
but no one was able to harm him as Allah gave an order to fire as
mentioned in Quran (Surah Anbiya verse 69)
"We said, "O Fire! be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Abraham!"
When
Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) got married and got a son (Prophet
Ismail / Ishmael Peace be Upon Him) he was ordered to leave his wife Hajra (May Allah be pleased with her) and his son in Mecca which
was in the form of a desert at that time. Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be
Upon Him) trusted on Allah fully and left both of them there and prayed
to Allah:-
Our
Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley
near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So
make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them
from the fruits that they might be grateful.
(Surah Ibraheem verse 37)As it was a desert and there was no water Hajra (May Allah be pleased with her) ran up and down between the two hills named Al-Safa and Al-Marwah
seven times, in her desperate quest for water. Exhausted, she finally
collapsed beside her baby Ismail (Peace be Upon Him) and prayed to Allah
for deliverance. Miraculously, a spring of water gushed forth from the
earth at the feet of baby Ismail (Peace be Upon Him). This water is called ZamZam.
When the son of Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him), Ismail (Peace be Upon Him) grown up; He was ordered to sacrifice his son for the sake of Allah.
And
when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, "O my son,
indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what
you think." He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will
find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast."
(Surah Saffat verse 102)
They both realized that this was an order from Allah and not JUST a DREAM. Ismail (Peace be Upon Him) said without hesitation: "Do what you are commanded, you shall find me very patient insha' Allah (if Allah wants)." They had both submitted to the will of Allah. Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) laid
his son prostrate, put his forehead on the ground and directed a sharp
knife towards his neck. But as that was a trial so Allah didn't let him
sacrifice son and Ismail (Peace be Upon Him) got replaced by a ram by the grace of Allah.
And
when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, We
called to him, "O Abraham, You have fulfilled the vision." Indeed, We
thus reward the doers of good.
(Surah Saffat verses 103-105)
Later,
Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) was ordered to construct Bait-Ullah
(House of Allah / Khana Kabah) as a honor because of being successful
in the ever biggest trial of sacrificing his son and when Bait-Ullah (House of Allah / Khana Kabah)'s construction got completed he was given an order to proclaim Hajj among the people.
"And
proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and
(mounted) on every kind of camel lean on account of journeys through
deep and distant mountain highways;
(Surah Hajj verse 27).
So what were the REWARDS after the ever biggest & toughest sacrifices?
Allah
gave him the rewards in this world and in the next world. He was given
two more sons and propehthood got fixed only with his descendants and
all Prophets came only from his descendants.
And
We gave to Him Isaac and Jacob and placed in his descendants
prophethood and scripture. And We gave him his reward in this world, and
indeed, he is in the Hereafter among the righteous.
(Surah Ankabut verse 27)
Prophet
Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) prayed to Allah for a Muslim Ummah / Nation
and a Prophet amongst them who shall rehearse Thy Signs to them and
instruct them in scripture and wisdom, and sanctify them.
"Our
Lord! make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a
people Muslim, bowing to Thy (will); and show us our place for the
celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art
the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. "Our Lord! send amongst them an
Apostle of their own, who shall rehearse Thy Signs to them and instruct
them in scripture and wisdom, and sanctify them: For Thou art the
Exalted in Might, the Wise."
(Surah Baqrah verses 128-129)Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him)'s prayers get answered as mention in Surah Baqra verse 151 with the same words as He prayed. Allah sent Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon Him) and His Ummah for fulfilling Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him)'s prayers.
Muslims do
Hajj as Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) proclaimed by Allah's order. When Muslims go for hajj they
run between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah (the
two mountains) where Hajrah (May Allah be pleased with her) ran for the
water as this is an important part of Hajj and Umrah. Muslims offer 2 rakat nafal (salah / prayer) on the place called Muqam e Ibrahimi
(the place of Ibrahim Peace be Upon Him) where He stood for
constructing Bait-Ullah (House of Allah / Khana Kabah) . Muslim Pilgrims
drink ZamZam water there and bring it back with them which is cure for many diseases as well.
We all Muslims offer our prayers 5 times a day and recite Darud (send blessings) on Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) and Prophet Mohammad (Peace be Upon Him). We celebrate Eid ul Adha in the remembrance of the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him). May Allah's blessings be upon Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) who proved to be a true Lover and obedient to Allah on each step no matter how harsh and how difficult it was for Him, He proved his LOVE for his LORD ALLAH.
Eid
Mubarak to all who are celebrating. May Allah help us and guide us
throughout the life without trials because we are not strong enough to
pass through such trials as Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon Him). May
Allah bless all of you with the special guidance and comforts. Remember
me and my family in ur prayers. Lots of best wishes and prayers.
Post writeup and research Hukshila
layout and graphic addition collaborated with
Crazy Creative Team
Edited by hukshila - 11 years ago