Eidul Adha - Celebration of Sacrifice

Eidul Adha is another important celebration in Islam. It takes place on the 10th day of the twelfth and last month (Dzulhijjah) of the Islamic (Hijrah) calendar.

Eidul Adha is the celebration of sacrifice. It is to remember the spirit of Prophet Ibrahim and how he was willing to sacrifice his son Ismail to show his obedience to Allah.

Muslims all around the world will celebrate this day, although it has particular significance for pilgrims who at this time will be completing the Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah. The day begins with a sacrifice of an animal in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifce of a lamb in place of his son. When this is done, 1/3 of the meat goes to the needy people, 1/3 is given to neighbors and friends, and 1/3 stays with your family.

The Sacrifice

Centuries-old Religious Observance

The Hajj journey for millions of Muslims who are currently in Makkah begins today. News reports that there will be 2.5 million pilgrims who will be doing Hajj this year.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a requirement for any Muslim who has the means to carry out the Hajj to perform it, at lease once in a lifetime. It is a centuries-old religious observance, one that draws all Muslims closer to their spiritual roots. This year Hajj is even more significant as the Day of Arafah occurs on Friday, hence it will be the Hajj Akbar (Great Hajj).

At about the same time last year, I was among the millions in Makkah performing my Hajj. Together with me were my husband and Mom. Hajj is once in a lifetime opportunity, who knows if there will be a second chance. And because of this too….I was glad that Mom could come along. Even though both my husband and I had attended a series of religious classes prior to going for our Hajj, I felt that it was always good to have someone who could really guide us during this journey. And who else would be the best person for this… if not Mom. She has been for Hajj a few times in the last couple of years. She did her first Hajj with my late father when she was 35 and at the age of 67 she was still having the go for it!!

It's Christmas Time Again

Monday was Christmas Day. As it was a holiday, waking out of bed was such a drag. But it was such a beautiful day outside. So bright and sunny and the smell of coffee was enough to get me up.

When I went downstairs I saw my little girl sitting happily in front of the TV watching her favorite program on Disney Channel. I could hear Mickey singing a Christmas tune and she was singing along with him too. Kids will always be kids. Holidays are always the best time for them.

I recalled how different Christmas was many years back when I was studying in the US. Christmas came during winter. Even though the sun was out…it was freezing cold outside. Being outdoors was a challenge as one would have to brave the chilly Wisconsin air. The day time temperature was between 30˚F – 35˚F and it was even colder at night. Well, it’s the Midwest…what would you expect!!

I remember one Christmas season during my senior year. I was working as a library assistant in one of the libraries on campus. As most of the locals had gone back home for Christmas, my supervisor had scheduled a few of us the foreign students to be on duty during the day and close the library in the evening. Just imagine having the entire library all to ourselves!! Ooo..la..la…It was fun as work was easy.

The place was very quiet as there were not many students around. But it was kind of eerie too having the entire place all to ourselves. We worked a full day shift, from morning right till evening. Having spent the entire day in the library prevented us from knowing that a snow storm had hit our campus area.

As always, we closed the library at 5.00pm that evening. Both my roommate and I grabbed our coats and were ready to head home. The moment we stepped out…boy, it was snowing so hard and the whole area was already filled with a few inches of fresh snow.

In fact it had started to snow earlier, but we didn’t know how bad it was as we had been indoors most of the time. When we headed out, snow was about 5 inches thick. The weather forecast had it that a blizzard had hit the area. Visibility was very bad and one could hardly see the road.

No matter how bad it was, both my housemate and I were determined to get home in one piece. Blizzard or no blizzard!! It was no use trying to wait for the campus bus or try to hail a cab. No one who was in the right frame on mind would want to be on the roads during this time. In fact the police had advised motorists to stay off the roads.

Leaving us with no choice, we decided to walk. Our apartment was a few blocks from the library. It was cold…but we just had to brave the freezing temperature and the blowing icy winds. It was one of our most daring attempts and also was one of the longest walk of our lives I guess. Braving the snow storm was really a challenge. We were like zombies…all wrapped up and walking wobbly in the snow.

We got home alright…exhausted and very cold. Our feet were almost numb from the walk….and our cheeks were red like the Eskimos. Lucky for us..it only took us a few mugs of hot chocolate to “defrost” ourselves. But that was surely some experience to remember…and that Christmas season became very snowy season for most of us ;-)