The day of Eid al-Adha is known as "Al-Eid Al-Kabir", or the Major Feast.
The word 'Eid is an Arabic word meaning a festivity, a celebration, a recurring happiness, and a feast. The second 'Eid is the Feast of Sacrifice and it is to be celebrated for the memory of Prophet Ibrahim trying to sacrifice his son Isma'il(Ishmael) as a mark of faith.
The Holy Qur'an describes Ibrahim (A.S) as follows: "Surely Ibrahim was an example, obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous." (Qur'an 16:120-121)
It is very important to understand that the sacrifice itself, as practiced by Muslims, has nothing to do with atoning for our sins or using the blood to wash ourselves from sin. This is a misunderstanding by those of previous generations: (Qur'an 22:37) says, "it is not their meat or their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him".
The National Chairman of the Ghana Muslim Mission, Sheikh Dr. Amin Bonsu in a statement urged all believers, especially the youth, to celebrate the Eid calmly and solemnly with the fear of God.
"Don’t ruin your rewards and contaminate the good deeds with bad deeds like indecent dressing, beach parties, drinking alcohol and smoking, motorbike displays among others. These are the ways of shaytan (Satan). Remember that Allah is All-Knowing and All-Seeing. Know that we will stand before Him and account for our deeds".
He continued "the joy of this special moment should be shared with all people especially the needy in our societies like the orphans, widows and poor people on the street, those in prisons, the sick, the aged and all other vulnerable persons. Indeed, there is a great reward in giving and Allah will surely reward you".
His statement further read:
Let us live in peace with our children, wives, family members, friends and all others around us. Love each other and live in harmony.
What is more important is that we donate generously towards very rewarding projects like the building of schools and colleges as well as hospitals and other infrastructures for the benefit of our people and the reward of Allah. This is one of the things that would fetch us blessings even after death.
The Prophet (S.A.W) said when a man dies all his rewards on earth ceases except three things. These are:
1. Sadakatul Jaahiya (something he did that people are still benefitting from even after his death). 2. The dua or prayers of his good children. 3. The good religious knowledge he imparted to people.
In addition, we urge parents to train their children in a more spiritual and moral way, so that they become better persons in future. So let us avoid the situation where our children will rather send us to hellfire.
We pray for the whole nation, the well-being of everyone and we ask Allah to continue to bless us to enjoy more peace and prosperity. We also ask for Allah’s blessings for the President and the entire Government, all political parties and State Institutions and ask Him to guide and protect them. We also advise all Muslims to make their animal sacrifices in very hygienic conditions, and it should be cooked well before eating.
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