What is Eid?

Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated on August 11 this year and is generally known as the big Eid. This is a Muslim celebration in honor of prophet Abraham (peace be on him) and his son, prophet Ishmael (peace be on him). Why? Because Prophet Abraham had to leave his wife, Hagar and his infant son, Ishmael in a desert, and they only brought little water and food. They did this in obedience to God’s command. When they ran out of supply, Hagar ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa, searching for water and praying. Then she heard a voice that told her that her prayer was accepted. She ran to her son and saw that the place that her son was kicking, there was a fountain of water, which she surrounded with small rocks and was able to drink from it. When Ishmael was older, Prophet Abraham told him about multiple dreams in which he was sacrificing his son. Here is a Quranic verse that describes it: “And when he was old enough to work with him, he said, “O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering thee. So consider what thou thinkest of it” [37:103]. When Prophet Ishmael heard this, he told his father that he was ready to sacrifice himself to God. When Abraham was ready, God told him that he had fulfilled his dream and asked him to sacrifice a ram instead. God was very pleased. Every Eid-ul-Adha Muslims celebrate this great sacrifice by slaughtering animals such as lamb or cow, and sharing with the poor, friends, and family. I hope all Muslims have a good Eid and everyone else enjoys their day.