عيد مبارك . . .وكل عام وأنتم بخير - Eid al-Adha and the Hajj

Eid al-Adha festival
marks the end of the
Hajj or Pilgrimage.
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It celebrates the
sacrifice made by
the prophet Ibrahim
when God asked him
to sacrifice his own son,
Ismail. Ibrahim agreed
to do this in order to
show his commitment
and loyalty to his Lord.
As Ibrahim drew his knife to sacrifice his son,
God intervened and Ismail was replaced by
a sheep. God had asked him to sacrifice his son
to test his faith and when Ibrahim proved he
was willing to do it, God did not need him to commit the
slaughter of his own son.
This is why Muslims all over the world sacrifice an animal at
Eid al-Adha, as a reminder of Ibrahim‛s obedience to God.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is the
pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
The Hajj is a duty for all Muslims who are physically and
financially able to make the pilgrimage. Eid al-Adha takes
place on the 10th day of the last month of the Islamic
calendar.