Eid_Al_Adha : refers to ‘The Great Eid’; is a famous and religious festival that is celebrated all over the Islamic world. It is celebrated on the tenth of Dhou Al-hijja each lunar year of the Islamic calendar.
Religiously speaking, the root of this festival goes back to Abramham (peace be upon him), who is deemed the father of all the Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abraham saw in a dream God reveling to him that he should sacrifice his son Ishmael. He took his son to the mountain far from his mother so as to achieve God’s promise. As soon as Abraham put the knife on his son’s neck to slaughter him, God called him loudly from the seventh sky to take back his command. Then, God substituted Ishmael with a sheep. In Christianity and Judaism, Abraham’s son who would have been slaughtered was Isaac. Anyhow, this was just short summary of the story behind the Great Eid that is to be celebrated soon.
Note: This story is also found in the Jewish Torah and the Christian Old Testament. ‘Here God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, his son with Sarah.’ (Genesis 22)
The sacrifice is Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). It was legitimated by God, through the Prophet, as an offer for forgiveness of sins and for getting closer to God’s mercy. The sacrifice is not circumscribed to just sheep, as the majority of people understand. However, the sacrifice is of Halal animals more broadly, that can be slaughtered on the Great Eid in order to approach Allah the Almighty. It must be done under certain conditions and at a specific time and place. Therefore, it should be kept in mind that the sheep is not the only animal that can be slaughtered in the Great Eid; other animals too, such as the camel, cow, and goat. Thus, there is no requirement to perform the Eid only with sheep; other choices are religiously and economically acceptable. All of them have one result: to bring closeness to God.
In the end I will like to wish very very happy Eid to all those who are celebrating it.
