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Eid Ul Adha

There are two official sanctioned festivals in Islam. They are the festival of Eid Ul Fitr, or Day of Recurring Joy, which falls in the first day of Shawwaal, at the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan, and Eid Ul Adha, which is celebrated at the end of the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca) during the twelfth Islamic month of Zjul Hijjah

Eid Ul Adha means "Festival of the Sacrifice", and commemorates the willingness of the Patriarch Abraham ) to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael, in accordance with God's command.

This command is found in Chapter 37, verses 100 to 111 of the Holy Qur"an viz:
"(Abraham prayed) 'O My Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)! So we gave him the food news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. Then, when (the son) reached the age of serious work with him, he said: 'O my son, I see in a vision

that I offer you in sacrifice; now see what is your view!' (The son) said: 'O my father! Do as you are commanded; you will find me, if Allah so wills, one practicing patience and constancy!'

So when they had both submitted their wills to Allah, and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), we called out to him, 'O Abraham! You have already fulfilled the vision! Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial and we ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice."
Muslims the world over offer animal sacrifice on this great day to mark the willingness of Father Abraham to accept God's command to make the supreme sacrifice of his only beloved son, and also the willingness of that son to be sacrificed.
On the day of Eid Ul Adha, the animal sacrifice offered is not merely the performance of a religious rite, but is meant as a symbol of our willingness to sacrifice our own animal desires and submit ourselves to the will of God.
For it is the Animal instinct within us that breeds low passions and desires, and soils and corrupts the personality and the inherent goodness and spirituality that form part of those who are believed to have been created in God's image.

Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam and is closely yoked to every action that is performed by the Muslim. Therefore the meat of the sacrificed animals is not retained in its entirety by those making the sacrifice, but is distributed in three portions.
One third is kept by those making the sacrifice, one third distributed among family and friends, while the last one third portions is distributed among the poor and needy. So that the festival of Eid ul Adha which comes at the end of the Hajj with the implications of sacrifice and submission that are involved can be seen as a joyous celebration by the believer for the opportunity to have achieved spiritual advancement through service not only to ourselves but to those around us.

Just for you to know!

Islam (isläm', is'läm), [Arab., =submission to God], world religion founded by the Prophet Muhammad. Founded in the 7th century,

Islam is the youngest of the three monotheistic world religions (with Judaism and Christianity). An adherent to Islam is a Muslim [Arab.,=one who submits].