Teach your kids about Eid Ul Adha

Globally, the Islamic people have been blessed with two special days in the year to celebrate necessary activities regarding the religion. The first celebration is Eid ul Fitr which signifies the end of Ramadan,  and the second is Eid ul Adha which commemorates the Hajj (an Islam pilgrimage). Teaching your kids about the Eid ul Adha involves teaching them about everything relating to the celebration.

Hajj

It is a spiritual journey that every Muslim should aspire to embark on. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and compulsory for every Muslim at least once in their lifetime. While it is mandatory, your kids should know that they can only embark on it if they can afford it, so while waiting, they should practice the other four pillars of Islam. Hajj happens between the 8th and 12th of the last month of the Islamic calendar (DhulHijjah). There is a dress code for the Pilgrims; men are to be in Ehraam (two pieces of big white clothes), and the women are to dress in a Hijab.

The pilgrimage starts at Mount Arafat then proceeds to Muzdalfah and Mina. Your kids should be made aware of the rituals performed by Muslims following the step of Prophet Mohammed. The first ritual is the stoning ritual at Jumaraat (a denotation of a spot where the devil attempted to mislead Prophet Ibrahim, who overcame the devil by throwing stones at him). Then they proceed to perform the Qurbani (the sacrifice of a sheep, goat, cow, or camel). The last ritual to be performed is the Tawaf-al-Wilda that involves walking around in circles seven times in the Holy Kabba inside the Masjid Al-Haram. Muslims that complete this pilgrimage is called Hajjis.

Eid ul-Adha

After educating your children about the pilgrimage (Hajj), you can then progress to the celebration that occurs on the 10th of DhulHijjah and is for every Muslim (Hajjis or not). On Eid ul-Adha, Muslims are expected to start their day with their morning prayer (salah) then proceed for Eid which is done after sunrise but before the afternoon prayers. They are to look their best, by caring for their hygiene, wearing their best clothes, and being happy. The Eid Salah takes place on open land in a common gathering site (eidga). If there is no eidga, the people can use a mosque. After the prayer, there is a sermon (Khutbah) that lasts for 15 to 20 minutes, after which everyone exchanges greetings, and everyone goes home in a different path than what they used to come for Eid.

Qurbani

It is also called Udhiya, and it comes after Eid Salah. It is the slaughtering of an animal (like sheep, lamb, goat, cow, bull, or camel) as a remembrance of Prophet's Ibrahim sacrifice for Allah. The animal is expected to be in good health, over a particular age, and should be killed in utmost mercy in an Islamic way. The sacrificed animal is to be divided into three portions - the first for the family, the second for the neighbors, and the last for the poor. It is to ensure that everyone is happy on Eid.

Teaching your kids about Eid ul-Adha should be done interactively with no fact left out. They should understand that though they are young, they can aspire toward hajj by preparing their mind and soul for it.