History of Eid ul Adha
Two of the most important Islamic holidays of the year are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. While the former marks the end of the long fasting month of Ramadan, Eid-ul-Adha marks the end of Hajj, Eid is a festival of Muslims that is celebrated all over the world. Eid-ul-Adha is also known as the festival of sacrifice and sacrifice feast. Eid- ul- Adha is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhuj Hijja, the Islamic month according to the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid- ul- Adha accurs approximately seventy days after the end of Ramadan month. The festival of Eid- ul- Adha is celebrated in the remembrance of prophet Abraham’s readiness to forfeit Ishmael, his son for god. The story about this festival tells, how Abraham was ready to kill his son and remained true to God. The story tells, how Allah told Abraham, to lift up the foundation of Kaaba that was a holy place in Mecca.God also asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, in a dream. Abraham along with his son started moving towards Mina for the sacrifice.Some of the daemons tried to direct Abraham away from his way but Abraham was true to god and as he was just set to kill his son, God stopped him and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead of sacrificing his son. This festival is thereby said to be a festival of sacrifice. Some people celebrate Eid- ul- Adha because it ends the pilgrimage or Hajj for those Muslims who make a trip to Mecca each year. Eid-ul-Adha begins from the 10th day of the 12th Islamic month Dhul-Hijjah. But the date of Eid-ul-Adha depends on the visibility of the moon each year. Eid-ul-Adha is known by different names in different parts of the world. For instance, Eid-ul-Adha is known by the name Hari Raya Aidiladha in south-east Asia. In Singapore, the local name for Eid-ul-Adha is Hari Raya Haji and in Malaysia, people refer to this festival as Id al-Adha and have made it a national holiday there. Indians know Eid-ul-Adha as Id al-Adha or Idu’z Zuha. And in Bangladesh, Eid-ul-Adha is known as Eid-ul-Azha or sometimes even Id al-Adha. But whatever the name, the celebratory spirit of Eid-ul-Adha runs high among Muslims all over the world
