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Eid Mubarak for everyone celebrating Eid ul-Adha

TLDRoffon

Eid ul-Adha ('Festival of Sacrifice') is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar

Eid ul-Adha ('Festival of Sacrifice') also known as Barkri/Bakra Eid in many countries is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar.

The story of Eid ul-Adha

Eid ul-Adha celebrates the time when the Prophet Ibrahim had a dream which he believed was a message from God asking him to sacrifice his son Isma'il as an act of obedience to God.

The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey God and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to kill his son, God stopped him and gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead.

Celebrating Eid

In some countries, Muslims sacrifice a sheep or goat (in Britain the animal is killed at a slaughter house). The meat is shared equally between family, friends and the poor.

Eid usually starts with Muslims going to the Mosque for prayers. They dress in their best clothes and thank Allah for all the blessings they have received. It is a time when they visit family and friends. Muslims will also give money to charity so that poor people can celebrate too.

HajjHajj

Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Adha during the 5 days of Hajj. The Hajj is pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia. It occurs every year and is the Fifth Pillar of Islam (and therefore very important).

All Muslims who are fit and able to travel should make the visit to Makkah at least once in their lives.

During the Hajj the pilgrims perform acts of worship and renew their faith and sense of purpose in the world. They stand before the Ka'bah, a shrine built by the Prophet Ibrahim, and praise Allah together.

Like last year due to the pandemic, Hajj this year will be limited to 60,000 pilgrims who already reside in Saudi Arabia. No one from outside the Kingdom will be permitted to enter and no one over the age of 65 will be allowed to take part.

The numbers allowed to perform the Hajj this year are in stark contrast to normal years. Pre-pandemic, there has been between 2 and 3 million pilgrims from around the world gathering to take part in the Hajj.

Thank you to Looqman Patni for writing this article. 

References -  BBC Bitesize. Image - Guardian Newspaper

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