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Guyana celebrates Eid-ul-Adha with charity, prayers
By Rabindra Rooplall
Eid-Ul-Adha, a three-day Muslim celebration called “festival of sacrifice” or “festival of feast” began yesterday morning with Muslims across the world observing the holiday together.
Muslims celebrate Eid-Ul-Adha to remember the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, as an act of obedience to God.
A few traditions associated with Eid include sacrificing animals as did the Prophet Abraham, purchasing of new clothes for the festival and a gathering of friends and family together for a feast.
Charity in the form of meat being shared to persons at the MYO.
Muslims from various Masjids gathered at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) located on Woolford Avenue yesterday to celebrate in the festival of Eid-Ul-Adha, while family and friends gathered to celebrate the activity with prayers and charitable acts.
According to Chairman of the Bait-ul-Rihma, (house of mercy, a unit of the Queenstown Masjid) S.M.J Nasseer, Eid-Ul-Adha is one of the largest festivals in the Islamic world.
He said that traditionally, the sacrifice evolves into an act of charity. It is customary for Muslims to give one-third of the meat to the poor and one-third to friends and family. The remainder they keep.
According to Haranlall Sukhlall, a member of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), a special prayer was offered about 6:30 in the morning, after which a kutbah (lecture pertinent to the holiday and its significance) was delivered.
He said that soon after this, the physical aspect or slaughtering began, and approximately 80 animals were sacrificed, (66 being cattle and 14 being sheep. One sheep is counted as one share, and one bull is counted as seven shares…share meaning one person’s offering).
Sukhlall said that Muslims and non-Muslims alike gathered at the MYO complex to collect a share of meat which was distributed by the relevant families and Jamaat.
Don Rahim, a committee member of the Kitty Masjid, disclosed that Eid-ul-Adha is about remembering the prophet Ibrahim and the dream he had about sacrificing the one thing he loved the most which was his son. “You see he was an old man longing for a child. He prayed to God for an obedient son who will be god fearing and kind.”
Mohammad said that after years of praying, his prayers were answered, and out of all his wealth and possession, his son was the only thing he loved the most. “One night in his sleep, some years after his son was born, he got a dream of which God commanded him to sacrifice the one thing he loved the most. After much thought, he discussed it with the boy and being the obedient child he is, agreed. As Ibrahim was about to do same, he blindfolded himself and his son. Since God saw how much faith the father had, he placed a ram in the place of the son and this was sacrificed instead. It is as a result of this, that Muslims today celebrate EID UL ADHA; as a form of remembrance of the sacrifice.”
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