Eid ul Azha 2008: Essence of Eid-ul-Adha

[Elegance]

Eid-ul-Adha is the celebration of sacrifice, and it is important for two reasons.

First, during Eid-ul-Adha we remember the spirit of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and how he was willing to sacrifice the person he loved the most, because it was Allah’s (SWT) command.

**Second, **Eid-ul-Adha ends the period of Hajj (the 5th pillar of Islam - remember?). Every year, about 3 million people go to Makkah and perform the pilgrimage together. Everyone is dressed the same, nobody is better than anybody else. Seeing the Kabah is like a homecoming - the place on earth where you can be closest to Allah. This is the spot you face everyday at home when you do your prayers - and now you’re really there! You forget about everything else in the world except what you are doing at that moment. Even the people who do not perform the Hajj that year think about what it symbolizes and celebrate that.

How to preserve this essence and message of Eid among our future generations?

[Lusi]

You know today I watching the TV and almost every channel had some christmas movie on throughout the day. They were basically about the message of christmas i.e. giving up the differences, coming togather for a greater cause, treating everyone with love and respect. This is the very same message of hajj, bring people from all walks of life togather. The purpose of qurban is not to enjoy a meaty feast but reach out to your family, friends, and the unprivillaged ones by including them in the feast. I wish there were such movies on EId that would pass the message of hajj or ramzan in a more casual and maybe in a fun way...

So now to the question, I think one of the ways to preserve the essence and message of Eid will be to encourage and involve our kids in outreach programs. Teach them that they have a responsibility towards the unprivillaged ones and encourage them by setting some examples.