May 27 to Be Eid Al-Adha As Moon Sighting Marks Start of Dhul Hijjah
Eid Al-Adha will be celebrated on Wednesday May 27 after the crescent moon of Dhul Hijjah was sighted on Sunday evening.
The sighting of the crescent marks the start of the month in which Hajj takes place.
The pinnacle of the pilgrimage, the day of Arafat, will take place on Tuesday May 26.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and every Muslim is expected to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in their lives if they have physical and financial capacity.
Eid al-Adha is one of the greatest celebrations of Muslims all over the world and is celebrated from 1 to 4 days depending on different countries.
On the day of Eid, the Hajj pilgrims perform the ritual of animal sacrifice, after which many of the things that were Haram (forbidden) during the state of Ihram, such as looking in the mirror, trimming nails, and combing hair, will become Halal (permissible) for the pilgrims.
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Eid al-Adha is a reminder of the divine test for Prophet Abraham (AS) and his son Ismail (AS) who successfully passed it. The tradition of animal sacrifice is a reminder of Abraham’s sacrifice of Ismail.
According to Islamic Hadiths, Abraham had a son in his old age, and he named him Ismail and cherished him. When Ismail become a young adult, God ordered Abraham to sacrifice Ismail by slaughtering him with a knife. When Ismail learned about the divine command, he accepted to be sacrificed on the path of God, However, when Ibrahim put the knife on Ismail’s throat, a ram was provided by God and it was sacrificed instead.
This story is mentioned in Verses 103-105 of Surah Saffat of the Holy Quran:
“When they both agreed and Abraham had lain down his son on the side of his face (for slaughtering), We called to him, ‘Abraham, you have fulfilled what you were commanded to do in your dream." Thus do We reward the righteous ones.”
Source: Agencies
