Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated on Monday with religious fervour and gaiety across the State; Muslims in the State capital offered special prayers at mosques and Idgahs on the occasion.
The day began with Muslims, attired in their best, offering Eid prayers at Eidgah and other mosques in Bhopal and other districts of the State. Shahar Qazi Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadwi solemnised special Eid prayers at Idgah while other important clerics solemnised the prayers at other mosques of the city.
After the prayers, Muslims sacrificed goats and other ‘halal’ animals commemorating the great sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and urged Muslims to follow his teachings and the Holy Quran. Also known as Bakrid or Eid-e-Qurban, it is the second major festival of Muslims. The meat of the sacrificed animals is distributed among the neighbours, relatives and the poor. Muslims also exchanged greetings with relatives and friends and treated the visitors to their homes with sweet dishes.
The biggest congregation of the faithful was held at the Eidgah where thousands of Muslims offered the special prayer. Prayers were also held at Jama Masjid, Tajul Masajid, Rabbani Masjid, Moti Masjid and other mosques of the city. On the occasion, the Imams of the Mosques exhorted the people to uphold the Islamic ideals of love, compassion and unflinching faith in the will of Almighty. During their speeches before the prayers, the imams also prayed for peace and prosperity in the country.
Muslims around the world believe that Allah (God) commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Ibrahim followed God’s orders, but his son was replaced by a sheep at the last moment. Muslims celebrate this at Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat or “bakr” in Urdu. The word “id” derived from the Arabic “iwd” means “festival” and “zuha” comes from “uzhaiyya” which translates to “sacrifice”.