Kahmandu, May 29: The Muslim community in Nepal is celebrating Bakr Eid (Eid-ul-Adha), today with great joy and enthusiasm through congregational prayers at mosques and Eidgahs. The government has also declared a public holiday nationwide on the occasion of this festival, which is observed on the 70th day after Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramadan).
Early this morning, Muslim devotees take ritual baths and gathered at religious sites across the country, including the Nepali Jame Mosque and Kashmiri Mosque in Kathmandu’s Durbar Marg area, to offer collective prayers. After the prayers, people exchange greetings and embrace one another as a gesture of goodwill. According to religious tradition, the festival begins today and is celebrated for three days until Saturday.
Historically, the festival commemorates the event that took place 1,439 years ago in the Hijri calendar, when Ibrahim, obeying Allah’s command, was prepared to sacrifice his beloved and noble son Ismail Alaih Salam (peace be upon him).
According to Muslim religious scholar (Maulana) Rahmat Ali, Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was born in Mecca in 571 AD in the lineage of Ibrahim, and he made significant contributions to preserving and spreading the religion as well as compiling the religious text known as the Hadith. This text is still taught in madrasas today.
The main purpose of this festival is the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Those unable to undertake the pilgrimage celebrate Bakr Eid at home. On this occasion, it is customary among Muslims to offer the sacrifice (Qurbani) of animals considered permissible in order to please Allah.
According to religious belief, Ibrahim, who had a son at the age of 90, was tested by Allah and prepared to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail. Pleased with Ibrahim’s devotion, Allah is believed to have sent a ram from heaven (Jannat) to be sacrificed in place of his son. Since then, the tradition of animal sacrifice has continued.
The festival is believed to promote brotherhood, sacrifice, and responsibility toward the poor and needy.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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