Eid-ul-Adha 2021

Eid-ul-Adha or Eid al-Adha is one of the widely celebrated festivals of the followers of Islam in India and all over the world. It is also called Id-ul-Zuha or Bakr-Id by the people of India. That's because the festival involves the sacrifice of a goat which is termed as bakr (in Urdu). Eid al-Adha is celebrated during the 10th to the 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja. It marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

When is Eid-ul-Adha 2021?

In 2021, Eid-ul-Adha begin in the evening of Monday, July 19 and ends in the evening of Friday, July 23 The dates may vary depending upon certain factors like the observances of the moon and the length of a particular month. So, if required, Eid-ul-Adha date may be corrected around 10 days before the celebrations begin.

Eid-ul-Adha History

• This festival is celebrated to commemorate the sacrifice made by Ibrahim (Abrahim) in honor of the Allah.
• The almighty had appeared in his dream and commanded him to sacrifice his son who was an adult.
• He obeyed the order and took his son, Ishmael (or Ismail) to Mount Moriah. When he was about to make the sacrifice, he was stopped by an angel. The angel gave him a ram to sacrifice to Allah. Hence, Bakr-Id is considered as the "Feast of Sacrifice".

Traditions, Customs, and Celebrations

The followers of Islam celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha or Bakr-Id with the traditions and customs mentioned below.

Making a sacrifice:

• One of the special highlights of the festival of Eid al-Adha is to sacrifice an animal which should be more than a year old, healthy, and free of defects.
• By doing so, Muslims all over the world reveal their desire to sacrifice their life and property for the cause of Islam and in honor of the Allah. By doing so, the followers of Islam commemorate Ibrahim's sacrifice in reverence to Allah.
• The meat of the sacrifice is mostly offered to others. One-third part of the meat is given away to the family members, another one-third part is offered to the poor, while the rest is consumed by the person making the sacrifice and his friends.
• This is considered to be a symbol of giving away or sharing things that one can actually enjoy himself. It is believed that by doing so, one would receive the choicest blessings of Allah.

Prayers on Eid-ul-Adha:

اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

• The celebrations on this day start with congregational prayers (or Salah) after which a sermon known as Khutbah is held.
• No azaan is given for Eid-Salah. Reading or talking is not allowed during Khutbah. The Muslims conduct the prayers between sunrise and noon, especially early in the morning.
• The prayers are held outside a mosque. Before offering the prayers, the Muslims should cleanse their body and wear new clothes. Men are directed to apply perfume prior to offering their prayers. Women are not allowed to use perfume.
• During Salah, you should follow the Imam in prayer. Avoid bowing, prostrating, or making any kind of movement before the Imam does it. Also, make the required movements just the way you find the Imam doing.

Origin Of Islam

Islam is a word taken from an Arabic term, which means, "peace". However, specialists call the meaning of the word as "submission", which indicates towards the eternal submission in Allah's holy feet. The Islam religion finds it's origin in South Arabia and dates back to 7th Century, which is later to any other major religion existing in the world.
Despite it's more recent origin, the followers of Islam constitute of the second largest population in the world after Christians.

It was Prophet Muhammad who initiated disseminating the teachings of Islam. He was born and brought up in the holy place Mecca. Although, he married a young widow, yet he was never too much indulged in the mundane world. He started giving sermons, which were so inspiring that many people got attracted to his teachings. While he made so many followers, there were many who were against him. Thus, he moved to Medina, then known as Yathrib.

This is considered as the beginning of Islamic calendar and marks the origin of Islam. Till his death, Muhammad converted a majority of Arab population into Islam. The religion expanded as Arabs conquered countries like Syria, Iran, Egypt and later when they shifted to other countries.

Muslims eventually got divided into two groups: Shia and Sunni right after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Shia Muslims wanted somebody from Muhammad should take mantle of Muhammad, whereas, Sunni Muslims wanted the first Caliph to be their mentor.Ali, the Muhammad's son-in-law was made the leaders of Shia group, who was called as 'Imam'. the fundamental beliefs of both the groups are same, yet the difference is huge and profound. In fact, there are many Muslims who like to be called as simply 'Muslims'.

As the last prophet of Muslims said,

"Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so."

Thus, we can call Islam as a monotheistic religion. They believe that all men on this earth acquire equal privilege from Allah and no one is superior to another. That is why they have no caste system in their religion. Islamic religion has five pillars that define the rules of the religion. These pillars are: 'Prayers' (Namaz), 'The Pilgrimage' (Hajj), 'Faith', 'The Fast' and 'The Zakat'

Different ways to wish someone a happy and blessed Eid

Though 'Eid Mubarak’ is the most popular way to greet your loved ones on Eid. Some countries do have different phrases to greet one another on this auspicious occasion.
The following are some of the different ways Muslims around the world may greet each other on Eid other than ‘Eid Mubarak’

• Arab World - Eid Saeed, عيد سعيد – Happy Eid.
• Afghanistan - Akhtar de nekmregha sha = Happy Eid
• Bangladesh - Eider shubheccha = Eid Greetings
• Egyptian - كل سنة وانتوا طيبين. = Happy Eid
• Bosnian - Bajram Šerif mubarek olsun = Happy Eid
• Pashto (Afghani) - Akhtar de nekmregha sha = Happy Eid
• Iran - Eid muborak shaved = Eid Mubarak
• Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore - Selamat Hari Raya = Happy Eid or Eid Mubarak
• Turkish - Ramazan Bayramınız Mübarek olsun
• Urdu - عید مبارک
• Persian - عید شما مبارک
• Uzbek - Iyd Ramazon muborak!
• Hindi - ईद मुबारक
• Mandarin - 开斋节快乐
• Japanese - イード・アルフィトルおめでとうございます
• Spanish - Feliz Eid
• Kurdish - Cejna we pîroz be
• French - Aid Moubarak