"Indeed, ALLAH has replaced both of them for you with two better days, namely Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr." - Hadith narrated by al-Nasa'i, in Sunan al-Nasa'i, hadith no: 959.

Eid al-Adha falls on the tenth day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic Hijri calendar. The 10th of Dhul-Hijjah is an important date in Islamic history when Prophet Adam and his wife Eve were expelled from heaven and sent down to earth before meeting on the plain of Arafah, outside the city of Mecca.

Apart from that, the sacrifice performed on Eid al-Adha is for Muslims to commemorate the story of the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim as who was willing to slaughter his son Prophet Ismail because of his obedience to Allah SWT. So when his son reached the age that allowed him to work together with him, Prophet Ibrahim had a dream where in his dream Allah had ordered him to slaughter his son named Ismail. Prophet Ibrahim said to his son: O my beloved son! Indeed, I saw in my dream that I will slaughter you. What do you think? His son replied: O father, do what you are commanded. God willing, you will find me among the patient.

After both of them surrendered completely and upheld the command of ALLAH, Prophet Ibrahim carried out the command of Allah SWT towards him. When Prophet Ibrahim and his son reached the destination, Prophet Ibrahim laid his son down by placing his face on a patch of ground, Prophet Ibrahim closed his eyes in the way planned by his son.

Then Prophet Ibrahim raised his sword with the word of Allah and stabbed his son in the neck. Then blood splashed on the body of Prophet Ibrahim. With trembling hands and body, Prophet Ibrahim opened his eyes, but he was shocked when he saw that the one being slaughtered was not his son but a goat. By praising the greatness of Allah SWT, both of them hugged each other while thanking God for giving them the strength to carry out the mandate commanded by Allah SWT.

As a result of this event, every year during the Eid al-Adha celebration, Muslims slaughter sacrificial animals and distribute them to the less fortunate.

Like Hari Raya Aidilfitri, on this Eid al-Adha, Muslims are also encouraged to wear the most beautiful, cleanest clothes, and also wear perfume. Muslims will perform the Hari Raya sunnah prayer of 2 rak'ahs with 7 takbirs in the first rak'ah followed by 5 takbirs in the second rak'ah.

Usually, the Eid al-Adha prayer is slightly faster than the Eid al-Fitr prayer. The wisdom behind slightly accelerating the Eid al-Adha prayer is to give more time for the slaughter of the animal. The wisdom behind slightly delaying the Eid al-Fitr prayer is to allow those who have not paid zakat the opportunity to fulfill their obligations and are advised to eat before going to the mosque.

Meanwhile, for Aidiladha, it is recommended to eat afterwards so that the first food eaten on that day is the blessed sacrificial meat. After praying, the sacrificial ceremony will begin. The sacrificed cows, goats, and sheep will be slaughtered en masse in the mosque area before being distributed to the public, especially the poor.

May this Aidiladha bring a thousand meanings to Muslims in our country.

Source: University of Malaysia Terengganu

Date of Input: 28/05/2025 | Updated: 28/05/2025 | asmunir