Eid al-Adha

right|thumb|250px|Eid al-Adha celebration at Jangwan Mosque, Shanghai, China in 2015
Eid al-Adha ( ‘Īdu l-’Aḍḥā) "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, but instead was able to sacrifice a ram (by God's command).Diversity Calendar: Eid al-Adha University of Kansas Medical Center Eid is also about spending time with family and friends, sacrifice, and thanksgiving for being able to afford food and housing. In traditional or agrarian settings, each family would sacrifice a domestic animal, such as a sheep, goat, cow, or camel, by slaughter (though many contemporary Muslims do not sacrifice an animal as part of their observance). The meat would then be divided into three equal parts to be distributed to others. The family eats one third, another third is given to other relatives, friends or neighbors, and the other third is given to the poor as a gift. 
Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes from the Quran.Quranic Basis for Eid al-Adha Like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba).
Eid al-Adha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja () of the lunar Islamic calendar. The festivities last for three days or more depending on the country. Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. The date is approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.
==Other names==
The Arabic term "Festival of Sacrifice", ‘Īd ul-’Aḍḥā, was borrowed as a unit into Indic languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and Bengali and Austronesian languages such as Malay and Indonesian.
Another Arabic word for "sacrifice" is ( Qurbān), which is used in Dari Persian - Afghanistan and Iranian dialect of Persian as Eyde Ghorbân (عید قربان), and in Tajik Persian as Иди Қурбон (Idi Qurbon), into Kazakh as Құрбан айт (Qurban ayt), into Uighur as Qurban Heyit, and also into various Indic languages. Other languages combined the Arabic word qurbān with local terms for "festival", as in Kurdish (Cejna Qurbanê Serokê Kurdistanê bi mesajekê cejna Qurbanê li Kurdistaniyan pîroz kir), Pashto (Kurbaneyy Akhtar), Chinese (古尔邦节 Gúěrbāng Jié), Malay and Indonesian (Hari Raya Korban, Qurbani), and Turkish (). The Turkish term was later used in other languages such as Azeri (Qurban Bayramı), Tatar (Qorban Bäyräme), Bosnian and Croatian (Kurban-bajram), Serbian (Курбан бајрам), Russian (Курбан байрам).
Another Arabic name, ‘Īd ul-Kabīr ( `Īd al-Kabīr), meaning "Greater Eid/Festival" (the "Lesser Eid" being Eid al-FitrIssues in Islam, All About Eid By Greg Noakes), is used in Yemen, Syria, and North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt). The term was borrowed directly into French as Aïd el-Kebir. Translations of "Big Eid" or "Greater Eid" are used in Pashto لوی اختر Loy Akhtar, Kashmiri Baed Eid, Hindi and Urdu Baṛā Īd, Malayalam Bali Perunnal, and Tamil Peru Nāl.
Another name refers to the fact that the holiday occurs after the culmination of the Hajj (حج), or pilgrimage to Mecca (Makka). Such names are used in Malay and Indonesian (Hari Raya Haji "Hajj celebration day", Lebaran Haji), and in Tamil Hajji Peru Nāl.
In Urdu-speaking areas, the festival is also called بقرعید Baqra Īd or Baqrī Īd, stemming either from the Arabic baqarah "heifer" or the Urdu word baqrī for "goat", as cows and goats are among the traditionally sacrificed animals. That term was also borrowed into other languages, such as Tamil Bakr Eid Peru Nāl.
Other local names include 宰牲节 Zǎishēng Jié ("Slaughter-livestock Festival") in Chinese, Tfaska Tamoqqart in the Berber language of Jerba, Tabaski or Tobaski in West African languages, 
Babbar Sallah in Nigerian languages, and ciida gawraca in Somali.
Eid-al-Adha has other popular names across the Muslim world. The name is often simply translated into the local language, such as English Festival of Sacrifice, German Opferfest, Dutch Offerfeest, Romanian Sărbătoarea Sacrificiului and Hungarian Áldozati ünnep.
==Origins==
Four thousand years ago, the valley of Mecca was a dry and uninhabited place. According to Islamic history, the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was instructed to bring Hajar and their child Ismael to Arabia from the land of Palestine by God's command.
As Ibrahim was ready to return to Palestine, Hajar asked him, "Who ordered you to leave us here"? When Ibrahim replied: "Allah" (God), Hajar said, "then Allah will not forget us; you can go". Although Ibrahim had left a large quantity of food and water with Hajar and Ismael, the supplies quickly ran out and within a few days the two were suffering from hunger and dehydration.
According to the story, a desperate Hajar ran up and down between two hills called Safa and Marwa seven times, trying to find water. Finally, she collapsed beside her baby Ismael and prayed to Allah for deliverance. Ismael struck his foot on the ground, causing a spring of water to gush forth from the earth. Other accounts have the angel Jibral (Gabriel) striking the earth and causing the spring to flow. With this secure water supply, they were not only able to provide for their own needs, but were also able to trade water with passing nomads for food and supplies. When the Prophet Ibrahim returned from Palestine to check on his family, he was amazed to see them running a profitable well.
The Prophet Ibrahim was told by God to build a shrine dedicated to him adjacent to Hajar's well (the Zamzam Well). Ibrahim and Ismael constructed a small stone structure—the Kaaba—which was to be the gathering place for all who wished to strengthen their faith in Allah. As the years passed, Ismael was blessed with Prophethood and gave the nomads of the desert his message of surrender to Allah. After many centuries, Mecca became a thriving city and a major center for trade, thanks to its reliable water source, the well of Zamzam. i other words Muslims are great beleifers of Allah and we should all respect that
One of the main trials of Prophet Ibrahim's life was to face the command of Allah to devote his dearest possession, his only son. Upon hearing this command, he prepared to submit to Allah's will. During this preparation, when Satan tempted Prophet Ibrahim and his family, Hajar and Ismael drove Satan away by throwing pebbles at him. To remember this rejection of Satan, stones are thrown during Hajj.
At the time of sacrifice, Ibrahim discovered a sheep died instead of Ismail, whom he hacked through neck. When Ibrahim was fully prepared to complete the sacrifice, Allah revealed to him that his "sacrifice" had already been fulfilled. Ibrahim had shown that his love for his Lord superseded all others: that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dear to him in order to submit to God. Muslims commemorate this superior act of sacrifice during Eid al-Adha.
==The Hijrah==
No longer safe in Makkaha, the Prophet Muhammad, in the year 622 traveled to Medina (lit. the city) with 1400 of his followers. This is considered as the first 'pilgrimage' in Islam, seeking to re-establish the religious traditions of the Prophet Ibrahim, as he believed they were originally practiced.http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/hajj_2.shtml
===The Takbir and other rituals===
The Takbir is recited from the dawn of the tenth of Dhu al-Hijjah to the thirteenth of it. The Takbir consists of:
:
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar	الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر
lā ilāha illā Allāh 	لا إله إلا الله
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar 	الله أكبر الله أكبر
wa li-illāhil-ḥamd 	ولله الحمد
:Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest,
:There is no deity but Allah
:Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest
:and to Allah goes all praise
Variation
:
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar 	الله أكبر الله أكبر
lā ilāha illā Allāh 	لا إله إلا الله
wa Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar 	والله أكبر الله أكبر
wa li-illāhil-ḥamd 	ولله الحمد
Alḥamdulillāh `alā mā hadānā, wa lahul-shukru `ala mā awlānā	الحمدلله على ما هدانا و له الشكر على ما اولانا
:Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, 
:There is no deity but Allah
:and Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest
:and to Allah goes all praise, (We) sing the praises of Allah because He has shown us the Right Path. (We) gratefully thank Him because He takes care of us and looks after our interests.
Variation:
:
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar 	الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر
lā ilāha illā Allāh 	لا إله إلا الله
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar 	الله أكبر الله أكبر
wa li-illāhil-ḥamd 	ولله الحمد
Allāhu akbar kabīra, wal ḥamdu lillāhi kathīra, wa subḥāna Allāhi bukratan wa aṣīlā 	الله أكبر كبيرا والحمد لله كثيرا وسبحان الله بكرة وأصيلا
lā ilāha illā Allāh waḥdah(i) 	لا اله إلا الله وحده
Ṣadaqa wa`dah, wa naṣara abdah, wa 'a`azza jundahu wa ḥazama al-aḥzaba wahdah 	صدق وعده ونصر عبده وأعز جنده وهزم الأحزاب وحده
lā ilāha illā Allāh 	لا إله إلا الله
walā na`budu illā iyyāh 	ولا نعبد إلا إياه
Mukhliṣīn lahu ud-dīn wa law kariha al kāfirūn 	مخلصين له الدين ولو كره الكافرون
Allāhumma ṣallī `alā Sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa āla Sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa 'alā aṣḥabi Sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa `alā anṣāri Sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa `alā azwāji Sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa ala ḏurriyyati Sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa sallim taslīman kathīra	اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد وعلى أصحاب سيدنا محمد وعلى أنصار سيدنا محمد وعلى أزواج سيدنا محمد وعلى ذرية سيدنا محمد وسلم تسليما كثيرا
:Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest,
:There is no deity but Allah
:Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest
:and to Allah goes all praise
:Allah is the Greatest, all Praise is due to Him, And Glory to Allah, eventide and in the morning
:There is no god, but Allah the Unique
:He has fulfilled His Promise, and made Victorious His worshipper, and made Mighty His soldiers and defeated the confederates
:There is no deity but Allah
:He alone we worship
:With sincere and exclusive devotion, even though the infidels hate it
:O Allah, have Mercy on our Prophet Muhammad, and on the family of our Prophet Muhammad, and on the Companions of our Prophet Muhammad, and on the Helpers of our Prophet Muhammad, and on the wives of our Prophet Muhammad, and on the offspring of our Prophet Muhammad (SAW's), and Bestow upon them much peace
==Traditions and practices==
Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer (ṣalātu l-`Īdi) in a large congregation is an open area or mosque. Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels, cows and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The sacrificed animals, called uḍiyyah (, also known as "al-qurbāni"), have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. Generally, sacrificial animals must be at least one year of age.
The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid al-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished person is left without sacrificial food during these days.
During Eid al-Adha, distributing meat amongst the people, chanting Takbir out loud before the Eid prayer on the first day, and after prayers throughout the four days of Eid are considered essential parts of the festival. In some countries, families that do not own livestock can make a contribution to a charity that will provide meat to those who are in need.
==Eid al-Adha in the Gregorian calendar==
While Eid al-Adha is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. The lunar calendar is approximately eleven days shorter than the solar calendar. Each year, Eid al-Adha (like other Islamic holidays) falls on one of two different Gregorian dates in different parts of the world, due to the fact that the boundary of crescent visibility is different from the International date line. 
The following table shows the official dates of Eid al-Adha for Saudi Arabia as announced by the Supreme Judicial Council. Future dates are calculated according to the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia The three days after the listed date are also part of the festival. The time before the listed date the pilgrims visit the Mount Arafat and descend from it after sunrise of the listed day. 
Future dates of Eid al-Adha might face correction 10 days before the festivity, in case of deviant lunar sighting in Saudi Arabia for the start of the month Dhul Hijja.
Islamic year	Gregorian date
1403 	31 May 1983
1404 	5 September 1984
1405 	26 August 1985
1406 	15 August 1986
1407 	4 August 1987
1408 	23 July 1988
1409 	13 July 1989
1410 	2 July 1990
1411 	22 June 1991
1412 	11 June 1992
1413 	31 May 1993
1414 	20 May 1994
1415 	9 May 1995
1416 	27 April 1996
1417 	18 April 1997
1418 	7 April 1998
1419 	28 March 1999
1420 	15 March 2000
1421 	5 March 2001
1422 	22 February 2002
1423 	11 February 2003
1424 	1 February 2004
1425 	20 January 2005
1426 	30 December 2006
1427 	20 December 2007
1428 	8 December 2008
1429 	27 November 2009
1430 	16 November 2010
1431 	6 November 2011
1432 	26 October 2012
1433 	14 October 2013
1434 	5 October 2014
1435 	24 September 2015
1436 	12 September 2016
1437 	2 September 2017
1438 	20 August 2018
1439 	11 August 2019
1440 	31 July 2020
1441 	20 July 2021
1442 	9 July 2022
1443 	28 June 2023 (calculated)
1444 	16 June 2024 (calculated)
1445 	6 June 2025 (calculated)
1446 	26 May 2026 (calculated)
1447 	16 May 2027 (calculated)
1448 	4 May 2028 (calculated)
1449 	23 April 2029 (calculated)
1450 	13 April 2030 (calculated)
1451 	2 April 2031 (calculated)
1452 	21 March 2032 (calculated)
1453 	11 March 2033 (calculated)
1454 	28 February 2034 (calculated)
1455 	17 February 2035 (calculated)
1456 	7 February 2036 (calculated)
1457 	26 January 2037 (calculated)
1458 	16 January 2038 (calculated)
==Notes==
==External links==
*Moonsightings for different regions or their following after some other region 
*The Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia (with computed and announced dates for Eid al-Adha) 
*The Festival of Sacrifice
Category:Islamic festivals
Category:Islamic holy days