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Tamil Nadu
FESTIVAL FERVOUR: Thousands of Muslim pilgrims offer prayers around the Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque. Eid means recurring happiness and festivity. Eid ul Zuha or Bakrid (Festival of Sacrifice) is one of the two major festivals celebrated by the Muslims. The other one is the Eid ul Fithr or Ramzan (Festival of Charity). Eid ul Zuha is a reminder of Prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham) readiness to sacrifice his son for Allah’s sake. To test Prophet Ibrahim, Allah commanded him to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismail. He agreed to do it but found his paternal feelings hard to suppress. So he blindfolded himself before putting Hazrath Ismail on the altar at the mount of Mina near Makkah. When he removed his blind-fold after performing the act, he saw his son standing in front of him, alive. On the altar lay a slaughtered lamb. It is in honour of this test of faith that Muslims around the world sacrifice an animal on the occasion to show their faith, allegiance and sincerity to Allah. The slaughtering of animals is a symbolic expression whereby a Muslim declares his readiness to lay down his own life and everything he owes for the sake of God Almighty. On that day, attention is drawn to duty to sacrifice. The meat of the animal sacrificed is shared amongst the poor and needy, friends and family. This Eid also marks the completion of Haj (Pilgrimage to Makkah). Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the five pillars of Islam. Haj means betaking oneself or going to Makkah in the 12 th lunar month of the Islamic calendar to perform certain devotional acts. Haj is obligatory at least once in a lifetime for every Muslim who is in a position, both physically and financially, to undertake the journey. He must shun all base connections and rise above worldly pleasures. He must seek apologies from all his dear and near ones, even from his enemies, for mistakes committed knowingly or unknowingly. During the pilgrimage, he should be free to concentrate fully on God, without any worldly worries. The people performing Haj must wear only two seamless pieces of white cloth known as ‘Ihram’ throughout. This symbolises the severance of all worldly ties. It also serves to make equal all men and women. All distinctions of rank and colour, of wealth and nationality, disappear, and the prince is now indistinguishable from the peasant. Syed Muthahar Saqaf
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