(May Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be on all of you)
What is Eid ul Adha?
Eid means "festivity" or "celebration" and "zuha" is derived from "uzhaiyya" which means "sacrifice" so the meanings of Eid al-Adha /'Id al-'Adha is the Feast of Sacrifice.
Eid ul Adha is the second biggest Muslim festival which is celebrated
after completion of Hajj on 10th Zul Hijjah (the last month of Islamic
Calendar). Hajj is the 5th Pillar of Islam and is obligatory for every
Muslim who has enough money to afford it (in case of woman a mehram i.e.
father, brother, husband son or other relative mentioned in Quran).
Base of Eid ul Adha
It may be found in Quran 2:196 and many Ahadith (sayings of our Beloved Prophet Mohammad peace be upon Him).
It is mentioned in Quran as follows:-
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. (Quran 2:196)
*Sunnahs of Eid-ul-Adha
1. Offering 2 rakat Salah of Eid
2. 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)
* Sunnah is act of our beloved Prophet Mohammad Peace be upon Him)
Reason of Celebrating Eid ul Adha
The
celebration of Eid ul Adha commemorates the willingness of Prophet
Ibrahim Peace be upon Him to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of
obedience to Allah - and Allah's mercy in putting a lamb in Ismael
(Peace be upon Him)'s place at the last moment. The purpose of
sacrificing is narrated as follows in Quran in Surah Hajj verse 37
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.
The purpose of sacrifice and
celebration of this festival is again to become righteous, the same
purpose as Ramadan's fasts. This eid prepare us to sacrifice everything
for the sake of Allah we have at the time of need if required as Prophet
Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) did.
The most difficult tasks which
are hard for any other human being to fulfill were performed by Prophet
Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him). Allah informs us in Quran 9:124
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."
What tasks of obedience Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) fulfilled?
Standing against Father and His whole Nation and Leaving them
Prophet
Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him)'s father was a statue maker and his nation
was idol worshipper but Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him stood against
them, in the words of Quran, Surah An'am verse 79 he said
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."
Believing only on ONE ALLAH and not hundreds and thousands of
idols was a sin at that time. Prophet Ibrahim Peace be Upon Him had to
leave his father, his house, his nation and everything just for saying
that he believes in one Allah and no one else.
Trial of Fire
His
nation turned against him and the King of that time Nimrod ordered to
burn him alive in the fire but no one was able to harm Him. Allah has
protected Him by giving 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!"
Leaving Son and Wife in Desert of Makkah
When
Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) got a son (Prophet Ismail / Ishmael
Peace be Upon Him) after marriage; 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 fully on Allah 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)
The
desert was with 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.
Sacrificing His Son - The Major Trial
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 in a
dream. 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
wills)."
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)
When
Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) was about to sacrifice His son
Ismail (Peace be Upon Him), He 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)
Blessings and Rewards of Fulfilling Trial
Allah made Him blessed in both worlds, here are detail of some rewards
Construction of Bait Ullah (Khana Kaba / House of Allah)
Allah
has granted the Honor to Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) of
constructing Bait-Ullah (House of Allah / Khana Kabah) for 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 amongst 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).
Prophethood and 2 More Sons
He
was granted with two more sons and prophethood got fixed only with his
descendants and after that 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 Mohammad Peace be Upon Him and Muslim Ummah (Nation)
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 were answered as mention in Quran
2:151 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 remember Prophet
Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him) while recite Darud (send blessings) on
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 without bothering difficulties. He proved his LOVE for his
LORD ALLAH and is knows as Kahlil Ullah (Allah's Friend) in Muslims.
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 in this life and life after death. Remember me and
my family in ur prayers. Lots of best wishes and prayers.
Edited by hukshila - 9 years ago
