Eid is a time for fun and prayer. Many Muslims spend the day resting, eating, and visiting family and friends.
Those who can afford it sacrifice an animal (usually a sheep or goat), and their families distribute part of the meat to the poor. They also pray at the mosque.
Eid al-Adha
Islamic festivals celebrate the joys and triumphs of the faith. During the holidays, Muslims come together to share food, prayers and stories of their religion with family and friends. They also give back to the community, focusing on charity and providing the less fortunate with food.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, is a major holiday for Muslims. It is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. It commemorates a story from the Quran that describes Prophet Ibrahim’s obedience to God’s command to sacrifice his son Ismail. Although he was ready to kill Ismail, God intervened and substituted a ram in his place. This is a major symbol of Abraham’s faith and his willingness to make sacrifices in service to God.
In addition to being a time of prayer and celebration, Eid al-Adha is also a time to honor the dead. Many Muslims visit the graves of their loved ones and offer prayers for them. This is also a time to visit friends and relatives who are not as well off as oneself, giving them gifts and spending quality time with them.
The festival also includes a ritual of qurbani, in which Muslims sacrifice an animal (typically a sheep, goat, cow or camel) and share some of its meat with family, friends, and neighbors. The rest of the meat is given to the poor. This is a very important festival for Muslims, and it serves as an excellent opportunity to teach children about the importance of charity and giving back to the community. As with Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha is a national holiday in many Muslim-majority countries.
Eid al-Fitr
One of the most important Islamic festivals, Eid al-Fitr is also known as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast.” It occurs at the end of Ramadan, a month of prayer, self-reflection, and increased devotion during which Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset.
During Eid al-Fitr, Muslims pray together in large groups in mosques or open fields and then spend the day eating with family and friends. The holiday is often a time for forgiveness and reconciliation, with many people seeking out those they have fallen out with to mend relationships. It is also a time to give to charity, with Muslims typically making a special donation called sadaqah al-fitr.
Eid al-Fitr lasts three days and is celebrated in ways that vary depending on the region, but many common activities include: communal prayers (salat), preparing and eating special foods, giving gifts to friends and family, wearing new clothes, visiting friends and relatives, and having fun with children. It is also a time to make donations to the poor, called zakat.
Eid al-Adha commemorates the story of God’s command to Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as a test of faith. The story tells of the difficulty of following a command from God, and it is an important reminder for Muslims that their lives are not their own. During this festival, Muslims slaughter a lamb or goat and share the meat with family, friends, neighbors, and anyone in need. It is a joyful and thankful time. In addition to feasting, Muslims usually make a special Eid ul-Khabir, or ‘Festival of the Arrival,’ by greeting their family and friends with the phrase “Eid Mubarak!”.
Eid al-Azha
When it comes to Islamic festivals, Eid al-Adha (also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice) is perhaps one of the most important. It commemorates the story of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God’s command, an act that symbolized unwavering faith and trust in God. You can donate zakat online to empower Muslims who need your help.
Muslims around the world mark this holiday by wearing their best clothes and gathering for a prayer that usually includes a sermon about the importance of obedience and self-sacrifice. They also sacrifice an animal—usually a sheep, goat, cow, or camel—and share the meat with family members and friends as well as those in need.
The significance of this day can be found in the fact that it falls on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, which is the last month of the Islamic calendar. This is the day that marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage, an annual event that millions of Muslims from around the world undertake to reenact the trials and experiences of Prophet Abraham and his family.
In addition to prayers and sermons, Eid al-Adha is also a time for Muslims to visit friends and relatives, extending their greetings of “Eid Mubarak” or “Happy Eid.” It’s often followed by big feasts where everyone enjoys each other’s company and expresses gratitude for Allah’s blessings. The feasts are also a chance for Muslims to strengthen their social bonds and show that they prioritize their relationship with God over their material wealth. For example, in India, a popular dish served during Eid al-Adha is biryani, which is a rice dish that features lamb and other ingredients in a flavorful sauce. Similarly, in Morocco, people serve a dish called couscous bidaoui belghanmi, which features lamb and vegetables on a bed of couscous, cooked in a traditional two-level pot known as a couscoussier.
Mawlid al-Nabi
Mawlid al-Nabi, also known as the Prophet’s Birthday, is a holiday observed by many Muslims on the anniversary of the birth of their revered prophet Muhammad. Though the prophet never told his followers to celebrate his birthday, the practice is widely accepted in many Muslim countries as a religious obligation and a way to honor and respect God’s final messenger to humanity.
Muslims believe that Muhammad was chosen by God to receive His message, the Quran, and he was commanded to learn it by heart and teach it to others. According to tradition, when the prophet was forty years old, He began to spend his nights in seclusion for meditation and prayer at a place called Ghadir-e-Khun (literally: the encampment of the two streams). It was here that Gabriel appeared to him and informed him that he had been sent by God as His messenger to all mankind.
From that day forward, the prophet devoted his life to spreading his teachings. He is seen as the ultimate model of piety, compassion, wisdom, and justice for all humanity, and the celebration of his birthday is one way that Muslims show their respect and adoration for him.
In some Muslim nations, Mawlid al-Nabi is a national holiday. Streets are decorated, special foods are prepared and shared with family and friends, and educational events are held for children to learn more about the prophet’s life. In more traditional societies, the occasion is marked by simple prayers and recitations of verses from the Quran.
Although the majority of Sunni Islamic scholars have given their approval to the celebration of the prophet’s birthday, some denominations of Islam, such as Salafism and Wahhabism, disapprove of the festivities. Extremists claim that the Prophet’s Birthday celebration is based on the Christian Christmas, thus promoting “shirk” (polytheism) and anathema to Islamic teachings that there is no deity other than Allah. However, the scholars of al-Azhar Mosque, Egypt’s highest authority on Islamic law, have firmly refuted these claims.
Ramadan
Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan, which is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. This important observance is a time of fasting, prayer and charity. For Muslims, Ramadan is a spiritual and physical challenge that brings them closer to God and helps them improve themselves both personally and professionally.
It is customary to give extra zakat (charity) during the month of Ramadan, which is also a time when many Muslims visit family and friends. During this period, Muslim people eat iftar, a special meal that breaks the daily fast at sunset. It typically includes dates, which were a favorite of the Prophet Muhammad, apricots and water or milk. There is considerable cultural diversity in what Muslims eat for iftar, as they often follow their own regional traditions.
The end of the month, Eid al-Fitr, is marked by a three-day feast and gift-giving. It marks the end of a month of fasting and is celebrated with joy by over a billion Muslims worldwide.