Written By Zoya Imran
Imran A. Khan, Zoya Imran, Engr. Iqbal A. Khan, Erum Imran, Zara Imran
The following report was written by Zoya Imran, granddaughter of Engr. Iqbal Ahmed Khan of Karachi, Pakistan.
There are two main festivals in Islam: Eid-ul-Fitr, which signifies the completion of the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Adha, the greater Eid, which follows the completion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, at the time of Qurbani (sacrifice).
Zoya, Imran, Erum and Zara ready for the barbeque on Eid
Habib Ur Rehman, Zoya Imran, Zara Imran, Engr. Iqbal A. Khan, Erum Imran
Although Eid-ul-Adha has a direct relation to the Hajj Pilgrimage, it is but a day after the completion of Hajj and therefore has significance in time. The day of Eid-ul-Adha falls on the tenth day of the last month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar, Dhu-al-Hijjah. The day that celebrations fall on is dependent on a legitimate sighting of the moon, following the completion of the annual Holy Pilgrimage of Hajj - which is an obligation for all Muslims, one of the important Five Pillars of Islam.
Imran Ahmed Khan and Engr. Iqbal A. Khan
Zara Imran, Engr. Iqbal A. Khan, Erum Imran, Zoya Imran
The celebration of Eid-ul-Adha is to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s devotion to Allah SWT and his readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail. At the very point of sacrifice, Allah SWT replaced Ismail with a ram, which was to be slaughtered in place of his son. This command from Allah SWT was a test of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness and commitment to obey his Lord’s command, without question. Therefore, Eid-ul-Adha means the festival of sacrifice.
Habib Ur Rehman, Engr. Iqbal A. Khan, Obaid Ur Rehman, Dr. Ata Ur Rehman
Dr Kiran Ata Ur Rehman
Qurbani is carried out following the Eid Prayers, which are performed in congregation at the nearest Mosque on the morning of Eid. The act of Qurbani consists of slaughtering an animal as a sacrifice to mark this occasion in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice for Allah SWT.
The sacrificial animal must be a sheep, lamb, goat, cow, bull or a camel. The animal must be in good health and over a certain age in order to be slaughtered. The Qurbani meat can then be divided into three equal portions per share, one-third is for you and your family, one-third is for friends, and the final third is to be donated to those in need.
This year we slaughtered three goats, two fairly bigger than the last one which was a breed called teddy and are naturally small in size. My father brought them 4 days prior to the first Eid day and I got ample time to spend with them. We took good care of them in the time they spent with us, feeding them every evening and taking them out for a walk. As the days to Eid got closer, I was getting sadder as I grew really attached to the goats.
On the first Eid day, 21st July 2021, Our Qasaai (butcher) arrived right after the prayer at 7 AM and our goats were slaughtered, Alhamdullilah. All the meat was also distributed by the end of the day and at night we went to our Khala’s house for a barbeque.
May ALLAH SWT accept our Qurbani and shower us with His blessings. Ameen.