Omkar Dattatray
Muslims like other religious communities celebrate many religious festivals but the festival of Eidl –ul Adha is most important festivals of Muslim community .It is celebrated every year with great fanfare and enthusiasm throughout the country and in the world and Jammu and Kashmir is no exception .People of the Islamic faith particularly the children anxiously and eagerly wait for arrival of this festival .This year Eid-ul –Adha falls on 29th of June Thursday and it will be celebrated through the length and breadth of the country .It is also known as the grand Eid and the Eid of providing sacrifices as on this auspicious occasion animal sacrifices are given to propitiate Allah and this Eid is celebrated for three days and the parts of mutton are distributed among the relatives ,neighbors and friends and in Kashmir in the good olden days the meat of the sacrifices of sheep or goat was also given to Pandit neighbors .On this festival Muslims wear new and clean clothes and children jostle with joy and they also wear new clothes. .Muslims on this auspicious occasion offer joint Nemaz in Eid Gahas and Masjids and greet and embrace each other and after this religious obligation give some money to children called in Kashmiri parlance as Eidyana .Hindus also greet and embrace their Muslim brethren in the Eid Gahas .People take various kinds of sweets ,custard and relish cherished mutton cuisines .There are two key Eid’s –celebration Festivals in Islam .Eid –ul –Fitr which signifies the completion of the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid –ul –Adha the greater Eid which follows the completion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage at the time of Qurbani –sacrifice .Although Eid-ul-Adha has no direct relation to the Hajj pilgrimage ,it is but a day after the completion of Hajj and therefore has significance in time .The day of Eid-ul-Adha falls on the tenth day in the final( twelfth ) month of the Islamic lunar calendar ,Dhu –al-Hijjah .The day the celebrations fall on is dependent on a legitimate sighting of moon ,following the completion of annual holy Hajj pilgrimage which is an obligation for all Muslims who fit specific criteria ,one of the important pillars of Islam .The celebration of Eid-ul-Adha is to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s devotion to Allah SWT and his readiness to sacrifice his son ,Ismail .At the very point of sacrifice ,Allah SWT replaced Ismail with a ram ,which was to be slaughtered in place of his son .This command of Allah SWT was a test of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness and commitment to obey his Lord’s command without question .Therefore Eid-ul-Adha means the festival of sacrifice .Depending on the country ,the celebrations of Eid-ul-Adha can last anywhere between two and four days .The act of Qurbani –sacrifice is carried out following the Eid Salaah –Eid prayers which are performed in congregation at nearest Mosque on the morning of Eid. The act of Qurbani consists of slaughtering an animal as a sacrifice to mark this occasion in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice for Allah SWT .This is also Known as Udhiya .The days of animal sacrifice total three days ,from the 10th to 12th of Dhu-al-Hijjah .The Qurbani meat can then be divided into three equal portions ,one third is for you and your family ,one third is for your friends ,and final third is to be donated to those in need .Traditionally the day is spent celebrating with family ,friends ,and loved ones ,often wearing new or best attire and giving of gifts .As with Eid-ul –Fitr ,it is distinguished by the performance of communal prayer –salat at day break on its first day .It begins on the tenth of Dhu –al-Hijjah ,the last month of Islamic calendar and continues for an additional three days .Eid-ul-Adha is also time for visiting with friends and family and for exchanges gifts .The festival commemorates the ransom with ram of the biblical patriarch Ibrahim’s son Ismail rather than Isaac as in Judeo-Christian tradition .Eid al –Adha ( Arabic festival of sacrifice ) also spelled as Id al-Adha also called Id al –Qurban or al –Id al –Kabir is a major festival of Muslims ,the second of two great Muslim festivals ,the other being Eid –ul-Fitr .Eid-ul-Adha marks the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage –rites at Mina ,Saudi Arabia near Mecca but is celebrated by Muslims throughout the world .During the festival the families that can afford can make a sacrifice of an animal as per Islamic tradition and distribute the meat among friends and the needy people .The tradition for Eid-ul-Adha involves slaughtering an animal and sharing the meat in equal parts for family ,friends and relatives and the poor people .The goal is to make sure every Muslim gets to eat meat .This festival stresses equality and ordains Muslims to help the needy and poor and donate for the poor and so it shows how justice can be done with the poor and weak .Equality is the big and more relevant message of Islam in today ‘s world of modernity and materialism where mine and thane is the order of the day and the festival of great Eid teaches us to help poor and needy and contribute towards Zakat and distribute the money among the poor people and thus it teaches equality and justice and help to the poor in the society . The government gives two day gazette holiday’s on great Eid and this year June 28 and June 29 will be the two holidays .This festival also teaches the importance of sacrifice and being ready for giving sacrifice for a right cause and in memory of the prophet Ibrahim .Great Eid is celebrated with big religious fervor and gaiety by the Muslims including the children around the world. .In Kashmir the festival of Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated with religious devotion and enthusiasm and the rich to do people celebrate this festival with needy and poor and thus equality and help are the two teachings we imbibe from this festival .Let this year’s Eid bring peace ,prosperity ,health .contentment ,happiness to all the people of India especially the people of Jammu and Kashmir .Amin. .
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
