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Id-ul-Fitra
Id-ul-Fitr means the 'festival of breaking
the fast'. Fitr is derived from the word
fatar meaning 'breaking'. Another connotation
suggests that it is derived from fitrah
or 'alms'. Certain Sunni Muslims believe
that fitr comes from fitrat meaning 'nature'
and Id-ul-Fitr is the celebration of god's
magnanimity in providing nature to man |
Celebrated
on the first day of the new moon in Shawwal,
it marks the end of Ramzan. In the morning
everyone bathes, wears new or clean clothes,
applies perfume, eats dates or some other
sweet before walking to the mosque for Id
prayers. Men wear white clothes because
white symbolizes purity and austerity. On
this day, according to the Quran, Allah
has ordained a dole for every Muslim who
is free and is in possession of alms worthy
capital. This charitable gift, called Sadaqah
Fitr, is a dole to break the fast. It is
to be given to a needy person as thanksgiving.
Even one who has not kept the rozas is expected
to give alms.
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The
amount to be gifted must be in excess
of one's essential needs and free from
all encumbrances of debt. Food grains
or their cost are donated. The Quran also
specifies the grain and their quantities.
A person should give 3.5 lb of wheat or
its flour per head, or 7lb of barley per
head or their cost.
Do Rakat Namaz is performed in the mosque.
These prayers can be read anytime between
sunrise and just afternoon. In India,
it is customary to say them in the morning.
Even women in purdah attend the namaz
prayers in special chambers in the metropolitan
cities. Id milans are part of the rituals
in which people embrace each other three
times, as is laid down in the Quran.
The
festival originated when after proclaiming
Ramzan as the period of fasting and austerity,
Prophet Muhammad announced a day for celebrations
to reaffirm the feeling of brotherhood.
Women prepare sweets at home. Sevian,
or vermicelli cooked in sweetened milk,
is popular. People then go for Id milans.
Some people visit cemeteries and stay
there for many hours, often even camping
out overnight. This is perhaps to honor
their ancestors and to be with their spirits.
To a devout Muslim, Id is a time to forget
all past grievances.
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Id-ul-Zuhat
Id-ul-Zuhat is one of the most important festivals
of the Muslims. It is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic
and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because
of the tradition of sacrificing a goat, or bakr
in Urdu. It is celebrated from the10th to the
12th day in the month of Dhul Hijjah. The word
id derived from the Arabic iwd means 'festival'
and zuha comes from uzhaiyya, which translates
to 'sacrifice'. Id-ul-Zuhat commemorates Prophet
Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son on
god's orders. According to Islamic belief, to
test Ibrahim, Allah commanded him to sacrifice
his son Ismail. He agreed to do it but found his
paternal feelings hard to suppress. So he blind
- folded himself before putting Ismail on the
altar at the mount of Mina near Mecca. When he
removed his bandage after performing the act,
he saw his son standing in front of him, alive.
On the altar lay a slaughtered lamb. |
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Joyous
festivities and somber rituals mark this event.
The main celebrations are on the first day of
the three-day festival. According to the rules
laid down for Id by Prophet Muhammad, every
Muslim is expected to take a bath, wear new
clothes, apply itr or perfume, walk to the mosque
before eating anything, and recite theTakbir
aloud. After the prayers, which are held in
an open space in deference to the directive
of the Quran, he is tore turn home.
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Celebrations
on the first day include Do Rakat Namaz, which
can be performed any time from sunrise to just
after noon. The prayers during this festival
are considered more rewarding than other daily
or weekly offerings. Every Muslim owning property
worth 400 grams of gold or more is expected
to sacrifice a goat, sheep or any other four-legged
animal during one of the three days of the festival.
This symbolizes devotion to Allah and his desires.
The sacrifical meat is then distributed and
partaken of after the Id prayers. Prophet Muhammad
had decreed that the entire community celebrate
Id for three days to facilitate participation.
Prayer meetings and Id milans are part of the
festivities. People visit friends and relatives
wearing new clothes and jewelry. Children are
given idi or gifts and money. In the Indian
subcontinent sweets are exchanged. Vermicelli
or seviyan, a traditional sweet, is prepared
specially for this festival. Id also coincides
with the anniversary of the day when the Quran
was declared complete. It is the time when many
Muslims undertake Haj to Mecca.
During Haj, pilgrims symbolically go through
several events in the life of Prophet Ibrahim
and his son, Ismail, while building the Kabah.
On reaching Mecca, devotees walk around the
Kabah seven times and run seven times between
the Safa and Marwa hills. After a night halt
at Mina, they go to the Arafat plain, where
Muhammad preached his last sermon. They pray
together till dusk, spend the night there, then
return to Mina to enact the 'stoning of the
devils' ritual, in which seven stones are thrown
at three stone pillars commemorating Ibrahim's
rejection of Satan. After sacrificing an animal,
they have their hair shorn off and go around
the Kabah seven times, to complete the rites
of the pilgrimage.
During
Haj, men and women are expected to adhere to
a very strict code of conduct. Male pilgrims
wear only two white sheets of cotton, so that
all of them, whether rich or poor, look alike.
Women have no special dress. They must be covered
from head to toe, except that their face is
unveiled. The use of cosmetics and soap is prohibited,
as is cutting hair and nails. Physical relations
are also not permitted. Every Muslim is expected
to go for Haj at least once in his lifetime.
The poor and the sick are however, pardoned.
Those who cannot undertake the pilgrimage are
expected to celebrate Id-ul-Zuha. The government
of India makes provisions for Muslim pilgrims
to travel to Mecca. Large numbers can be seen
at international airports, waiting for their
flights.
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Bakri
Id - a day of sacrifice for Muslims
It all started with a dream in which
Allah directed the patriarch Ibrahim
to sacrifice his son Ismail. Ibrahim's
allegiance to the word of Allah and
his son's faith in his father were on
test. The dream recurred thrice before
Ibrahim told Ismail about it. The two
went to a mountain where Ismail tied
a cloth round his father's eyes before
offering himself to be sacrificed. But
when Ibrahim opened his eyes, he found
his son safe and sound. In his place
lay a dead dumba or ram. It is in honour
of this test of faith that Muslims around
the world sacrifice an animal on the
occasion of Id-ul-azha to show their
faith, allegiance and sincerity towards
Allah. In India, the animal used most
often for sacrifice is the goat - which
is why the occasion is spoken of in
Urdu as Bakhr or Bakri-Id.
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For
the millions at Haj in Saudi Arabia, it
is a big day. On the day of Id, the pilgrims
reach the grounds of Mina where they sacrifice
an animal each. It was here that Ibrahim
is believed to have sacrificed his son.
The pilgrims then shave their heads. The
purpose is to be one with the millions
of devotees who converge to Mecca each
year for the Haj.
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