Celebrating Eid-ul-Azha

As we get ready to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, the second most important festival in the Islamic calendar, we hope that it will go beyond simply observing ritualistic practices and that we put more emphasis on the spiritual side of the day.

This day is meant to symbolise the supreme sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who gave up his beloved son to honour the wishes of his Creator. It was a test of faith and the act itself an expression of great sacrifice. The true message of Eid-ul-Azha is the act of surrendering oneself to the divine will, a message that has sadly gotten diluted in our modern-day observation of Eid.  

This year we are observing Eid at a time of floods and an unprecedented outbreak of the dengue fever that has spread to nearly the whole country and many families are not going to be able to celebrate Eid in the manner they would like to. We should show restraint in our display of extravagance, keeping in mind the hardship thousands of people are going through due to circumstances beyond their control. Let us break from the past and not indulge in a show of our worldly riches; rather focus on how we may help those in need.

Our prayers are with all our fellow Muslims who are not able to partake in the sacrifice, especially as the rich-poor divide widens in our society. We pray that the injustices suffered by fellow Muslims lessen with time and the fundamental inequality that divides our society is forgotten on this special day as we lend our hand to help those less fortunate than us. Eid Mubarak to all our readers!