Eid al-Adha is one of the two holidays for Muslims (the other is Eid al-Fitr). It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah with the Maghrib call to prayer after the end of the pause on the Day of Arafah, the position in which Muslim pilgrims stand to perform the most important rituals of Hajj, and ends on the 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah.
This holiday is also considered a remembrance of the story of Abraham, peace be upon him, when he wanted to sacrifice his son Ishmael in fulfillment of Allah’s command.
Therefore, many Muslims draw closer to Allah on this day by sacrificing one of the livestock (a sheep, a cow, or a camel) and distributing the meat of the sacrifice to relatives, the poor, his family, and others. Here came its name, Eid al-Adha.
Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha is known as: the holiday that all Muslims celebrate on the tenth day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and Allah Almighty has legislated it for His servants. To rejoice in what He guided them to in terms of worship during the first ten days of the month. Such as fasting on the day of Arafat, saying takbeer, saying “Allah is great”, giving charity, and other acts of worship.
The reason for naming Eid al-Adha
Eid means every day in which there is a meeting, and it was said that it is a custom; Because people are accustomed to it, and Al-Azhari said that Eid among the Arabs refers to everything that is repeated. Whether with joy or sadness, Ibn al-A’rabi said: It is what returns every year with new joy.
And Imam al-Nawawi said that the holiday is called a holiday because it returns and is repeated, or because joy returns during it. It is a matter of optimism for those who celebrate Eid al-Adha. Because the Arabs used to call the caravans when they left “optimistic.” To be optimistic about its safe return.
It was said that Allah Almighty returns to His servants on that day every year with abundant kindness to them. As for calling it Eid al-Adha, it is a reference to the sacrifice. As people begin to slaughter sacrifices on this day, it is also called the Day of Sacrifice. Because the sacrificial animals and sacrificial animals are slaughtered in it.
Number of days of Eid al-Adha
Islam has prescribed two holidays for Muslims: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The days of Eid al-Adha have been set by law as four days. The first of them is called the Day of Sacrifice, while the three days that come after it are called the Days of Tashreeq, and these days are mentioned in the Noble Hadith.
The Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – said: (The Day of Breakfast, the Day of Sacrifice, and the Days of Tashreeq are our Eid, people of Islam), and Imam Al-Shawkani said: This hadith contains an indication that the three days of Tashreeq are days of Eid.
Eid al-Adha prayer and sermon
Allah Almighty has prescribed for His servants a special prayer on the day of Eid, called the Eid prayer. Its legitimacy has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in His Almighty saying: (Pray for your Lord). As for its ruling, the opinions of jurists have varied regarding that, and the following is a statement of their sayings:
The Hanafi school
The Hanafi school of thought considered it obligatory. Because the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – continued to perform it in congregation and did not abandon it. If it were Sunnah, he would have excluded it, just as he excluded some prayers from congregational prayers, such as Tarawih prayer.
The Malikis and Shafi’is
The Malikis and Shafi’is said that it is one of the Sunnahs confirmed by the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace -; Evidenced by the fact that a man came to the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – asking him if he had to do anything other than the five daily prayers, and the Prophet answered him: (No, unless he volunteered).
Hanbali
They believed that it is one of the obligations of sufficiency, which if some people performed, the sin would be removed from others, and that the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – persevered in it. After completing the prayer, the imam begins to stand up and address the people, advise them, and advise them.
It was reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he witnessed Eid al-Adha with the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – and he also witnessed it with Abu Bakr, Omar, and Othman – may Allah be pleased with them all – and they used to deliver the sermon after the Eid prayer.
Sunnahs of Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha takbirs It is Sunnah for a Muslim to say a lot of takbeers on the days of Eid al-Adha, and the takbirs begin from the dawn prayer on the day of Arafah, and extend to the afternoon of the fourth day of the Eid al-Adha, and be in any capacity; Because there is no text from the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – specifying a specific characteristic of him, there are two types of takbeer on Eid al-Adha, explained as follows:
- Absolute takbeer is the takbeer that is not restricted to a specific time, as it is permissible to say takbeer in the morning and evening, at any time, and in any place. This takbeer begins on the first day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and extends to the last days of Eid al-Adha.
- The restricted takbir is the takbir that takes place after the obligatory prayers. This type of takbir begins at dawn on the day of Arafat, and extends to the last days of Tashreeq. It is the fourth day of Eid al-Adha.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Islam legislated the Eids of Al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as compensation for the temporal and spatial holidays that were in pre-Islamic times. It was legislated as a thank you to Allah Almighty for performing two of the pillars of Islam, which are the fasting of Ramadan, after which comes the joy of Eid Al-Fitr, and the Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah, which Then comes the joy of Eid al-Adha.
