This year’s Eid-Ul-Adha will be held on July 21 in India. On July 20, 2021, it will be celebrated a day earlier in Saudi Arabia. It usually falls on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the Islamic or lunar calendar’s twelfth month Eid al-Adha (the month of pilgrimage for all Muslims around the world).
It is also known as Eid Qurban or Qurban Bayarami, and it marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The crescent moon for Dhu al-Hijjah, which marks the ‘Feast of Sacrifice’ or Bakri Eid, was spotted on July 11 this year, according to Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a leading organisation of Islamic scholars.
Bakri Eid 2021: History
This festival commemorates Ibrahim’s greatest challenge, which was to obey God’s command and sacrifice his only son. Ibrahim is said to have had nightmares about killing his son Ishmael for God. When Ibrahim told his son Ishmael about God’s plan, he eagerly agreed to be sacrificed.
Ibrahim and his family were then tempted by the Shaytaan, who tried to persuade them not to carry out God’s command. Shaytaan was repelled by Ibrahim, who hurled pebbles at him. To commemorate their rejection of Satan, stones are thrown at symbolic pillars during the Hajj rites, a practise known as Stoning of the Devil.
Eventually, God honoured both Ibrahim and his son Ishmael for their willingness to sacrifice what was most precious to them. Angel Gabriel offered Prophet Ibrahim a lamb from heaven to sacrifice to God, instead of Ishmael. And that is why Muslims across the world commemorate both Ibrahim’s commitment and Ishmael’s survival on Eid-ul-Adha.
Eid-ul-Adha 2021: Significance
Eid al-Adha, which is the second most pivotal festival in Islam, means “Festival of Sacrifice” in Arabic. It is the second of Islam’s two major festivals (the other being Eid-al-Fitr). It commemorates Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Ismail) in response to God’s instruction. Allah sent a lamb to slaughter instead of Ibrahim’s son before he could sacrifice his son. Animals are sacrificed ritually to commemorate this intervention.
Eid-ul-Adha 2021: Rules
- The distribution of meat among people at Eid ul-Adha, as well as reciting the takbir aloud before and after Eid prayers on the first day and throughout the four days of Eid, are regarded key components of this important Islamic festival.
- Eid prayer is performed along with a huge audience in an open waqf (“stopping”) field called Eidgah or mosque. For this, men, women, and children are supposed to wear their nicest apparel.
- As a symbol of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his only son, affluent Muslims who can afford it offer their best domestic animals (typically a camel, goat, cow, sheep, or ram depending on the location) for halal.
- The sacrificed animals, known as aḍḥiya and also known as qurbani in Perso-Arabic, must meet particular age and quality standards in order to be regarded an acceptable sacrifice.
- It is recommended to divide the slaughtered animal’s meatmeat into three halves. One-third of the share is kept by the family, another third is distributed to relatives, friends and neighbours, and the remaining third is distributed to the destitute and need.
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