Muslims celebrate Festival of Sacrifice today
Muslims in Ghana are joining Muslims across the globe to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) today. It is a day of glorifications of Allah, sacrifice and eating of meat.
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Muslims — old and young, men and women — dressed in their nice apparels, will first converge on open spaces and in big mosques to observe prayers in the early hours of the morning.
They will shower praises on Allah for preserving them for an additional year and giving them the opportunity to observe a sacrifice to earn His blessings.
Thereafter, Muslims who have the financial wherewithal will retire to their various homes to sacrifice animals — sheep, cows and camels.
Eid-ul-Adha is a festival of sacrifice in honour of the Prophet Ibrahim who obeyed Allah's command to sacrifice his son, Ismail.
For that display of commitment to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah's command, Allah exchanged that sacrifice with a sheep.
It is a religious obligation in Islam that Prophet Muhammed amplified more than 1,400 years ago.
Eid-ul-Adha is an occasion that tests the faith and obedience of Muslims to Allah’s command. Those who can afford it are required to buy and sacrifice animals.
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A walk through Muslim dominated communities revealed that Muslims were gearing up for the sacrifice as sheep and cows were being sold in corners and streets.
Peaceful coexistence
The celebration is also a moment to promote goodwill among Muslims and between Muslims and adherents of other religious faiths.
Eid-ul-Adha also seeks to bring about peaceful coexistence and harmony between the rich and the poor in society.
This is evident in the guide for the sharing of the meat of the animals sacrificed — those who perform the sacrifice are required to reserve one-third for themselves, share one-third among poor Muslim neighbours and the other third among followers of other religious faiths.
According to Islamic scholars, Eid-ul-Adha goes beyond the sacrifice of animals as the feast also challenges Muslims to use their intelligence, wealth, energy and time to better the lot of other people in society.
The Hajj factor
Eid-ul-Adha also marks the end of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
Pilgrims are required to sacrifice animals at the end of the pilgrimage. Those who do not have the means to sacrifice animals are required to observe the fast, part in
Mecca and the rest in their home countries to stand in for the sacrifice.
About 6,200 Ghanaian Muslims are performing this year's Hajj.
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Sharubutu and other Islamic scholars are leading the Ghanaian delegation.
They are expected to pray for continuous peace, stability and socio-economic development in the country.