Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, which began on Tuesday and continues until the end of the Hajj pilgrimage.
The festival, one of the two most important Muslim feasts, starts on the tenth day of the last Islamic month on the calendar, Dhu al-Hijjah. Many Muslims wait for authorities in Mecca, the Fiqh Council, to announce the official day, which was determined to be Tuesday this year.
Eid al-Adha commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice of his son, Ishmael, to Allah as an act of obedience. Allah spared Ishmael after seeing Ibrahim's devotion and instead gave him a sheep to kill. In the Bible version, he is named Abraham and it is Isaac, not Ishmael, who is almost sacrificed.
The three-day festival also marks the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Prophet Muhammad's birthplace. Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage once in their lifetimes.
On the Eid, many Muslims celebrate and pay tribute to Allah, who gave mercy to Ibrahim, going to a mosque for morning prayers followed by slaughtering animals. Much of the meat is given away to others as a symbol of Muslim’s willingness to give up on behalf of Allah’s command. The sacrificed animal is cut in thirds, with one third eaten in a celebratory dinner by family, one third offered to friends, and the remaining portion donated to those less fortunate.
Worshipers of the holiday typically wish each other “Eid Mubarak,” which is the standard greeting during observance of Eid al-Adha, meaning “Have a blessed Eid.”
A woman holding balloons walk near Filipino Muslims taking part in Eid Al-Adha celebrations in Manila's Luneta park October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj pilgrimage by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command.ReutersA boy plays as Muslims pray in the mosque during Eid al Adha in Singapore October 15, 2013. Muslims across the world are preparing to celebrate the annual festival of Eid al-Adha or the Festival of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage, by slaughtering goats, sheep, cows and camels in commemoration of the Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to Allah.ReutersInterior Ministry members stand guard as muslims attend an Eid al-Adha mass prayer in Moscow, October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj pilgrimage by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command.ReutersPalestinians pray in front of the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old city, on the first day of Eid al-Adha October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the Haj by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command. ReutersPalestinian women pray as they sit next to graves at a cemetery in the West Bank city of Jenin, on the first day of Eid-al-Adha October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the Haj by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command.ReutersA boy holds a fish in a bag after buying it on the first day of Eid al-Adha in the Duma neighbourhood in Damascus October 15, 2013.ReutersMuslims gather to pray during Eid Al-Adha prayers in Omdurman October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj pilgrimage by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. ReutersPalestinians carry a sheep before it is slaughtered at a butchery in the West Bank town of Al-Ram near Jerusalem, on the first day of Eid-al-Adha October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the Haj by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command. ReutersChildren stand near a wall as they look at a slaughtered sacrificial cow during the religious Eid al-Adha in Yogyakarta, October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj pilgrimage by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. ReutersMuslims pray during Eid el-Kebir at a mosque in Koumassi, Abidjan October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid el-Kebir, also known as Eid al-Adha, by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command.ReutersFilipino Muslims pray during Eid Al-Adha celebration in Manila's Luneta park October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj pilgrimage by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. ReutersFilipino Muslims hold prayer pamplets during Eid Al-Adha celebration in Manila's Luneta park October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj pilgrimage by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. ReutersMuslims gather to pray during Eid Al-Adha prayers in Omdurman October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of the haj pilgrimage by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command.ReutersA girl prays during Eid el-Kebir at a mosque in Koumassi, in the Ivorian capital Abidjan, October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid el-Kebir, also known as Eid al-Adha, by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command.ReutersA Palestinian vendor sells toys at a market ahead of Eid al-Adha in Jerusalem's Old City October 14, 2013. Muslims across the world are preparing to celebrate the annual festival of Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of the haj pilgrimage to Mecca. ReutersMuslims pray during Eid el-Kebir at a mosque in Koumassi, in the Ivorian capital Abidjan, October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid el-Kebir, also known as Eid al-Adha, by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. ReutersMuslims pray during Eid el-Kebir at a mosque in Koumassi, Abidjan October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid el-Kebir, also known as Eid al-Adha, by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. Reuters
