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 ‘Hari Raya Haji’ (also called Eid-ul-Adhar in other
countries) lies in a lower-profile compared to ‘Hari
Raya Puasa’. It is celebrated for three days starting
from the tenth day of ‘Zulhijjah’ and marks the
successful conclusion of the annual pilgrimage to Mekkah,
one of the five pillars of Islam. This day is set aside to
commemorate the readiness of Prophet ‘Ibrahim’ to
sacrifice his beloved son, ’Isma’ail’, in order to
obey God’s commands. Hence, it is also known as the
‘Festival of Sacrifice’. The story reminds all Muslims
of how God provides and cares for those who do his will
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Origins
Way back in time, there lived a great prophet ‘Ibrahim’,
who knew and believed in the one and only God,
‘Allah’. ‘Ibrahim’ had a son, ‘Isma’ail’,
who was a quiet and helpful boy and loved Allah. One day,
‘Ibrahim’ was commanded in his dream, to sacrifice his
son, ‘Isma’ail’ as an offering to Allah. With great
sadness ‘Ibrahim’ went and told his son about his
dream. Without a moment of hesitation, ‘Isma’ail’
agreed, as that was Allah’s wish.
So ‘Isma’ail’ lay down and ‘Ibrahim’, taking
a sharp knife in his hand, was prepared to do what Allah
commanded. He was just about to sacrifice his son when he
received Allah’s command telling him not to harm the
child. Then Allah replaced him with an animal for the
sacrifice. Thereafter ‘Ibrahim’ and ‘Isma’ail’
realized that the dream had been a test to see how much
they really loved and trusted Allah.
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