Eid Ul Adha

1. Divine Revelation

1.1. Ayat:Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good. (Qur’an 22:37)

1.2. Hadith: Narrated Al-Bara': I heard the Prophet (p.b.u.h) delivering a Khutba saying, "The first thing to be done on this day (first day of `Id ul Adha) is to pray; and after returning from the prayer we slaughter our sacrifices (in the name of Allah) and whoever does so, he acted according to our Sunna (traditions)."

2. Islamic Beliefs

2.1. Significance of Eid Ul Adha:

2.2. Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى‎ 'Īdu l-'Aḍḥā) "Festival " or "Greater Bairam"

2.3. The Muslim calendar holds two Eid festivals. The first, Eid al-Fitr, lasts several days and marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

2.4. The second, known as the Greater Eid or Eid al-Adha, commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to Allah.

3. Islamic Rulings&Aims

3.1. Brush Teeth with Miswak – Miswak is used for brushing teeth. It has become more of a personal preference.

3.2. Dress Up For the Eid Occasion – Eid is an occasion to dress up nicely. Muslims tend to celebrate Eid wearing clean clothes. This isn’t just a Sunnah but a requirement as well for the days of Eid-ul-Adha.

3.3. He said:"It is not permissible for a Muslim to be angry with another Muslim for more than three days" (Bukhari,Adab,57;Muslim,Birr,23-25)

3.4. Use Attar – Attar is a special fragrance for men. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) applied Attar on Eid occasions. Using Attar (non-alcoholic perfume) is a Sunnah and is also highly recommended for men as it creates a pleasant aura.

3.5. Perform Salat al-Eid – Salat al-Eid shouldn’t be skipped. Once Salat al-Eid has been completed, Muslims can begin the Qurbani ritual and then continue to distribute the meat accordingly in three equal sections; one for themselves, one for their neighbours and one for the poor.

4. Biographies

4.1. Prophet Muhammad would spend time with his family and friends during Eid.

4.2. He would receive guests,feeding and entertaining them.

4.3. Prophet Muhammad did not approve of bad feelings among Muslims.

5. Islamic Values and Manners

5.1. Eating after coming back from the prayer

5.2. Takbir on the day of Eid:It is sunnah to do this throughout the three days of Eid,especially before the Eid Salah, unti' the Imam arrives.

5.2.1. Adorning oneself on the occasion of Eid.

5.3. Changing route while returning back from prayer.

6. Identity & Contemporary Issues

6.1. How is Eid celebrated in Sri Lanka?

6.2. On this festival day Muslims pray and visit the Mosque to listen to a sermon. Family members dress up in new clothes and visit relatives and friends. Giving money to poorer families in the community is also considered a good deed, enabling them to join in the celebrations.Muslims also sacrifice goat or sheet and distribute a third to family and friends.

6.2.1. Ghusl(taking a bath) before going to the Eid prayer