Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

The long-awaited holiday of the world Muslims, the sacred Eid al-Adha (Gurban bayrami), is marked in Azerbaijan on October 15-16. The eve of Eid al-Adha is celebrated on Oct. 15, while the holiday itself will be marked on Oct. 16.

After holiday prayers people realize the intention they had throughout the year to make a sacrifice for the sake of God, demonstrating true faith in hope of forgiveness of their sins by the Creator.

President Ilham Aliyev warmly congratulated the citizens of Azerbaijan and countrymen living abroad on the sacred Eid al-Adha, the symbol of spiritual unity of Muslims of the world and extended his best regards.

"Eid al-Adha is the personification of the blessed day when Islam was completed as a religion and was chosen as the path to salvation for the people. On this auspicious day, the majority of Muslims, making a sacrifice in the name of God, experience the joy of closeness to Allah and attachment to moral values, demonstrate willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of noble ideas.

Eid al-Adha ceremonies annually performed in Azerbaijan with a great sense of joy urge people to live in peace and tranquillity, become a triumph of national and spiritual solidarity, humanity and brotherhood in our society," the congratulatory letter says.

President Aliyev wished prosperity and well-being of Azerbaijani people and state, happiness to families and abundance to the homes of all Azerbaijanis.

The feast of sacrifice has a special and important nature in Islam; infinite love for God, deep belief and the light of faith lie at the core of the religion. The religious ritual of sacrificing existed long before Islam. New goals and causes of the ritual emerged in the Islamic world after the second year of the Hijrah (the year when Prophet Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina). Thus, the religious rite of sacrificing strengthened such symbols in Islam as a high spiritual state, religion, patronage and help to others. Nowadays, Eid al-Adha is the completion of Muslims` Hajj pilgrimage.

The religious rite appeared after the case with Prophet Ibrahim, who dreamed that Allah ordered him to sacrifice his son Ismail to test his faith.

As a true believer, Ibrahim was ready to follow the orders of Allah. Ismail himself was ready to become a victim. However, according to the holy Quran, Allah sent a sheep and it was sacrificed instead. Thus, from that time the rite is also referred as "Ismail sacrifice".

The main goal of Qurban Holiday is to become a true believer. Quran says: "Allah needs neither meat nor blood of the animal, only your faith".

Eid al-Adha is not only about sacrificing an animal, it is just a good chance to express goodwill and make kind deeds before God.

As kindness, purity, trust and love of God are the basis of the ritual, the main importance of the holiday is distribution of sacrificial meat for the sake of God among poor people.

Sacrificial offering is preferred, but not obligatory for everyone. Making a sacrifice through debt is not favored in Islam, as all religions including Islam are meant not for complicating the lives of people, but for improving their well-being.

There are several conditions required for giving a sacrifice on Qurban Holiday. First of all, the sacrificial animal should be healthy and well-fed. Furthermore, only four-legged animals such as sheep, calves or camels, buffaloes, bulls, cows, and goats can be sacrificed and distributed among the poor and needy, which symbolizes the compassion towards the poor and also calls on people to help each other.

Azerbaijani government agencies have taken corresponding measures such as listing locations of sold animals and regulating prices in order to provide favorable conditions for all people.

The main point of Qurban Holiday is unity and brotherhood of the rich and poor. This feast pleases everyone: those who are satisfied for making a God-pleasing deed and the poor who receive kindness and care from others.

Furthermore, along with sacrificing an animal Qurban Holiday also reminds us of some good habits like remembrance of God and giving alms, visiting relatives, and old people as the religion attaches great importance to kinship.

May the blessing of God keep your heart and home happy and joyous! May all your prayers be heard by God!

Happy Eid-al-Adha!