Eid al-Fitr is the holiday after Ramadan. Fitr comes from the same root as iftar, which refers to the breaking of the fast.
Eid al-Adha is the one coming up in a couple of days insha'Allah. It means "the festival of sacrifice".
The Prophet sall Allahu 'aleyhi wa sallam said:
“The greatest day in the sight of Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted, the Day of Sacrifice . . .” (Reported by Abu Dawud; see also Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 1064).
Shaykh Muhammed Salih al-Munajjid explained this hadith in this way:
The reason why it is described as the greatest day of the year is that it combines so many acts of worship which are not combined on any other day, such as the Eid prayer, offering the sacrifice, reciting Takbeer (glorifying Allaah), and widespread remembrance of Allaah. For the pilgrims in Makkah, it also includes offering a sacrifice, stoning the pillars representing Shaytaan (the devil), shaving the head (for men only; women merely cut a little off their hair), and performing Tawaaf (circumambulation of the Ka‘bah) and Sa‘ee (running between the two hills of Safaa and Marwa).
Abu Zakariya, is Eid al-Adha the highest festival in the Islamic year?
And do people think of those who are doing hajj and completing their sacrifices in Mekka?
Thanks. It's interesting to learn new things ...
Peace
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
Yes, it's the highest festival in the Islamic year.
Well, I think most Muslims certainly do rember them but if you are asking about what we are celebrating then it has to do with several things. Shaykh Munajjid said:
Muslims celebrate Eid Aladha by slaughtering a sheep. The slaughtering of sheep is done in following the footsteps of Prophet Abraham when he was ordered by Allah (God) to slaughter his first child, Ishmael. When he told his son about it, his son told him to carry on with the order of Allah, and that he will be obedient and patient. As Abraham was tempting to slaughter Ishmael, Allah gave them a big and fat sheep to slaughter instead. The sacrificing of a sheep has become a ritual for Muslims every year in remembrance of the obedience of Abraham and Ishmael, peace be upon them. Our celebration of this day and the slaughtering of the sheep are in compliance with the teachings of our Prophet Mohammad, praising and peace of Allah be upon him.
The Prophet sall Allahu 'aleyhi wa sallam said:
‘The Day of ‘Arafah, the Day of Sacrifice and the Days of al-Tashreeq [the three days following the Day of Sacrifice] are a festival for us Muslims, and they are days of eating and drinking.’” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 704; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 620).
So we believe that God chose these days for us as a festival, so we celebrate. So this whole period in this month is really special. The first ten days of this month are the best days of this world. On the 9th day it will be the day of 'Arafah insha'Allah when, among other things, the verse was revealed in which God says that Islam has been perfected. Then, the 10th day, it will be Eid and we will commemorate Abrahams willingness to obey God. And the three days after that are also days of joy. So it's more than just one day.
Last edited by Abu Zakariya; 12-27-2006 at 08:24 PM.
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks