Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice, on Friday, July 31, 2020, one of the two major holidays celebrated in Islam. Eid al-Adha marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and honors the Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, according to the Islamic tradition.
When the Prophet Abraham had proved his willingness to follow the command of God to sacrifice his son, God sent him a ram to sacrifice instead. As a result, Muslims on Eid al-Adha perform animal sacrifices to commemorate the legacy of the Prophet Abraham. Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son is seen as a great test of faith through which obedience to God and his commands are shown.
This year, the Hajj pilgrimage and Eid al-Adha will look very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is obligatory upon every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage once in their lives so long as they are physically and financially able to do so. Many Muslims save up for years to attend this spiritual rite. Those who saved and planned to attend this year will have to postpone given the heavy restrictions on the pilgrimage due to the pandemic.
In 2019, almost 2.5 million Muslims performed the Hajj while this year, only about 1,000 people who are Saudi residents will be allowed to do so. Those who typically would celebrate Eid al-Adha by gathering with family and friends will be finding other ways of gathering virtually.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also proved to be a test of patience for believers. All of us have struggled with accepting the lockdown and restrictions that have prevented us from going out and gathering with friends and family. We have adjusted to life virtually and distanced from one another. The Quran emphasizes patience in the face of difficulty and promises ease after hardship.
In addition to practicing patience and gratitude, I believe we can all derive lessons from the example of Prophet Abraham’s obedience to God by extending such obedience to include the acceptance of God’s will. We may not understand the divine wisdom behind the current pandemic but we have access to the prophetic legacies that are found in our Abrahamic traditions that we can implement in our lives to better our world. A perfect example of this prophetic legacy is to pay for animal sacrifices this Eid al-Adha to help feed the poor and the hungry during this pandemic.
For us as Muslims at a Jesuit university, Eid al-Adha is an opportunity for us to honor the legacy of the Prophet Abraham as a means to build interfaith connections with our Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters. God tells us, “Who could be better in religion than those who direct themselves wholly to God, do good, and follow the religion of Abraham, who was true in faith?” (Quran 4:125). The Prophet Abraham serves as the common link that binds the three great monotheistic faiths together. Let us use his example as a starting point to foster greater understanding between believers of these traditions.
To all the Muslim students, faculty, and staff, I wish you Eid Mubarak and I pray that God bless everyone at LMU with safety and good health in these times!
Sincerely,
Kienan Taweil
Program Coordinator
Muslim Student Life
