A blessed Eid to all the pilgrims: Muslims to perform Hajj and make sacrifice
This week is a very important time for Muslims around the world as they watch how about two million pilgrims are fulfilling their hajj in the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
Muslims chosen by the Almighty from every corner of the world have embarked on this journey of a lifetime to honour the fifth pillar of Islam.
Hajj is incumbent upon those Muslims who have the mental and physical health, and of course the finance, and is a very sacred rite for all Muslims.
Each year the Kiswah (the black and gold cloth that covers the kaaba) is replaced with a white cloth during the major pilgrimage, reflecting the white ceremonial robes of the pilgrims known as the ihram, which physically signifies their entrance into the sacred state of hajj.
According to the teachings of our Prophet Muhamad PBUH, there are no days wherein acts of worship are more loved by the Almighty than the first 10 days of this holy month of Dhul Hijjah.
During the days of hajj, pilgrims travel from Azizia and Makkah to Mina, where they’ll prepare themselves for the biggest and by far most taxing leg of their spiritual journey.
Next stop is Mount Arafat aka the Mountain of Mercy; this is where the Prophet Muhammad PBUH gave his final sermon to the followers of Islam.
Pilgrims will perform their prayers here, beg God for forgiveness, make supplication and most importantly praise God, before heading to their next destination called Muzdalifah.
Here they will collect 21 pebbles, which they will take back to Mina for the stoning of the Jamarat.
Some will sleep in Muzdalifah under the open sky, waking up to pray while others will simply stay awake and spend the night praying, and then they head back to Mina.
Here the pebbles will now be used to pelt three towers, in a symbolic gesture of stoning the devil known to Muslims as stoning the Jamarat.
The pilgrims will return to Makkah to circumambulate the Kaaba seven times.
After circling the Kaaba, pilgrims will walk between the two mountains Safa and Marwa seven times, after which the men will shave their heads, while women only snip off a little.
Thereafter they will head back to Mina to stone the Jamarat a second time.
Pilgrims will rest for one night and use their last seven stones for the final Jamarat.
To complete their hajj, pilgrims return to Makkah to perform their farewell, known as Tawaf al-Wida.
The day of Eid ul Adha aka the Festival of Sacrifice, which is celebrated by Muslims around the world, takes place on the tenth day of the month of Dhul Hijjah.
In South Africa, according to the local sighting of the moon, this occurs on Monday this year.
On the day of Eid, families at home give charity and perform the Qurban, when they slaughter sheep, lamb, cattle or any other of the permissible livestock.
Those who Qurban may keep up to one third of the sacrifice, while the rest is donated to the needy.
The Qurban is to commemorate the sacrifice of Prophet Ebrahim (Abraham), when Allah ordered him to give up his son Ismail.
He obeyed, but just as he was about to perform the sacrifice, Allah intervened saying, “O Ebrahim! You have fulfilled the vision and now you will be rewarded!”
Allah sent a ram to Ebrahim (AS) to be sacrificed instead of Ismail.
On Eid, Muslims wake up before dawn, wash, don their best clothes and the men are permitted to use perfume or cologne.
Men and women will stream to the mosques, where they will glorify God, expressing the Takbeer, Allah hu Akbar (God is greater than everything).
After Eid prayer, we go and greet our families and visit our departed loved ones at the graveyard.
The most important act for this day is to show kindness and tolerance.
Many Muslims will perform the Qurban, although in some quarters of our city it is viewed as “barbaric”.
Last year a woman took to social media to post videos and called the SPCA to complain about it.
Sometimes it is best to educate ourselves before taking such drastic measures.
Animal protection services and the City of Cape Town are well aware of the Qurban ritual, while Muslims must also follow the rules of Qurban according to Islam or it becomes invalidated.
One of these rules is that the sacrificial animals must be healthy, treated with kindness and respect and be killed in a humane manner.
This includes using a sharp blade, to make the cut fast and deep, to clean the blade before the next sacrifice, and for the animals to be kept away from the slaughtering block until it’s their turn.
I wish you an Eid Mubarak, and to our pilgrims may Allah grant you a Hajj Maqbool and a Hajj Mabroor in sha Allah, ameen.
I am truly excited to hear your stories.
Ps. to all the dads… Happy Father’s Day!
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