Eid Mubarak!

“Let our religions unite us for human kindness rather than dividing us on what we believe. Eid Mubarak!”

Hockson Floin

So, here in certain parts of jolly old England, chaos once more reigns – you can go out, you can’t go out, you can see friends, you can’t see friends, you can go to restaurants you can’t go to restaurants, once again Bojo the clown is sending messages so mixed nobody knows if they’re coming or going!

Unfortunately, the areas that have been hit hardest once again house some large South Asian communities which is particularly hard as this weekend many Muslims around the world should be celebrating Eid al-Adha with friends and family. To demonstrate my own ignorance here, I actually hadn’t realised there was two Eid’s so, I thought I do some reading about it.

Eid al-Adha falls later in the year than Eid al-Fitr, which commemorates the lifting of the fasting month of Ramadan but what is Eid al-Adha and why is it celebrated?

What is Eid al-Adha?

Otherwise known as the “Festival of the Sacrifice”, Eid al-Adha is considered the holier of the two Islamic Eid festivals.

It honours the famous story of the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (known in the Christian Old Testament as Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command.

However, before Ibrahim carried out the heart-breaking request, God, known as Allah in Islam, produced a lamb for him to sacrifice instead. Nice one Allah!

To commemorate this, an animal is traditionally sacrificed and divided into three parts in an act known as Qurbani. One part of the sheep is given to the poor, one to the immediate family at home and one is reserved for relatives.

Some Muslims may give money to charity to give poorer families the chance to have a proper Eid feast. Mosques and community groups will often arrange communal meals.

When does Eid al-Adha take place?

Eid al-Adha falls on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah known as the “Month of Pilgrimage”, the twelfth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar. Because this is based on the lunar cycle, in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar, this date shifts from year to year, moving forward around 11 days annually.

The nature of the Hijri also means that it’s not possible to predict its date exactly – in 2020 it was predicted to begin on either Thursday 30 or Friday 31 July, lasting for four days.

According to Saudi Arabia, whose moon sighting lead is followed by many Muslims around the world, the new moon for Dhu al-Hijjah was not seen on Monday 20 July – this meant that the date for Eid al-Adha was confirmed for Friday 31 July.

How do Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha?

In ordinary times, once the sun has risen fully in the sky devout Muslims will pray ahead of the Dhuhr prayer at noon.

Similarly to Eid al-Fitr, Muslims will greet each other using the celebratory phrase “Eid Mubarak,” and traditionally exchange gifts and share food with friends and family.

As detailed in the Quranic story of Ibrahim, it is still common practice for people to distribute meat during the festival, following the tradition of sacrificing their best halal animals.

They also chant the Takbir, which is the Arabic phrase “Allāhu akbar”, or “God is great”, before and after Eid prayers.

Why do we say Eid Mubarak?

“Eid Mubarak” is the traditional phrase used by Muslims to greet each other during the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha celebrations.

The Arabic word “Mubarak” translates as “blessed,” while “Eid” means feast, festival or celebration, so “Eid Mubarak” can literally mean “blessed celebration” or “blessed feast”, although it is widely interpreted as simply wishing somebody a “happy Eid”.

In exactly the same way, Muslims will often wish their fellow observers “Ramadan Mubarak” at the start of the holy month and throughout the fasting period.

So, to all my Muslim friends; May the magic of this Eid bring lots of happiness in your life and may you celebrate it with all your close friends as much as you can and may it fill your heart with wonders. Eid Mubarak!

What’s on this week?