Muslims are blessed with lot blessings that are uncountable. Allah Almighty has blessed Muslims with some religious festivals as well and Eid ul Azha is one of them. Eid ul Azha is celebrated in the month of Zil hajj and after Eid ul Fitar. The two festivals i.e Eid ul Fitar and Eid ul Azha not only unites the whole Muslim world but also arouse the sense of brotherhood among them. All Muslims celebrates the festivals with great enthusiasm and zeal.
Eid ul Azha is basically celebrated in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim (A.S). He was the Prophet who was ready to sacrifice his son for the sake of God’s will. Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) thus becomes an example for whole Muslim world that one should bow before every will of Almighty. As a reward of his obedience, Allah Almighty spares his son’s (Prophet Ismail A.S) life and orders him to sacrifice the sheep instead. This is the reason that Muslims sacrifice animals on this day in the memory of the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) and this is the reason that Eid ul Azha is also called “the feast of sacrifice”. Apart from sacrifice, Eid ul Azha is celebrated in different ways as well. Below are mentioned the celebrations of 1st day of eid ul Azha.
Eid Prayer: The celebrations of both eif ul fitar and eid ul azha starts by offering eid prayer early in the morning. The purpose of this prayer is to thank Allah for his blessings and all. All the Muslim brothers rushed towards the mosque for eid prayer and get untied. After eid prayer, all Muslims wished “Eid Mubarak” to each other by hugging and shaking hand. This is the moment when all of them are called Muslims without the distinction of caste, creed and color.
Sacrifice: After offering eid prayer, all Muslim brothers rush towards their homes and some at slaughter houses for the sacrifice of their animals that they brought for eid ul Azha. All seems happy for sacrifice except the kids, because they don’t want to sacrifice their animal that they love to stroll with in the streets and muhallas. Some kids began to cry on the sacrifice of their beloved cow, goat, camel etc. They just want to be with them throughout the year-which is not possible indeed.
Get ready: When the male members of the family are busy in the process of sacrifice, the female members get ready wearing new clothes and jewelry which they bought specially for the occasion. The beauty of females is incomplete without the makeup, so they spend that time of sacrifice by doing makeup and all. They decorate themselves in such away that their happiness reflects from their get up.
The feast: When the meat is being prepared for distribution, mothers and other females of the family starts the cooking of the meat for lunch. Some families visit who are unable to sacrifice on Eid ul Azha –visit their relatives who has sacrificed.
The whole family with relatives enjoys the cooked meat in lunch along with some sweet dishes and cold drinks. This event gives the opportunity to spend good time together with family.
Distribution of meat: The process of distribution of the meat of sacrificed animal usually starts after lunch. The meat is divided into equal parts according to Islamic rules and then distributed among those who deserve. This is the main characteristic of Eid ul Azha that give us the lesson of equality by helping and giving the needy. There are a great number of people in Pakistan who can not afford the meat throughout the year due to its high price. Eid ul Azha gives us the opportunity to help these people. Kids love to distribute the meat by going door to door of their area. No doubt, Eid ul Azah is the event of great amusement and happiness for all the Muslims of the world. Those who are able must offer sacrifice on this day.
