Eid-ul-Adha

About the event

Eid-ul-Adha is the second Eid festival of the calendar year This festival commemorates the willingness of Abraham to obey God by sacrificing his beloved son Ishmael - in the end God gave Abraham a sheep to sacrifice instead. As they celebrate Eid-ul-Adha, Muslims remind themselves of their own obedience to God and willingness to sacrifice anything to His wishes. Traditions include:

• Sacrificing a sheep or a goat and sharing the meat with family, friends and the poor
• Prayers at the mosque, thanking God for blessings received over the year
• Visiting family and friends, sharing food and offering presents
• Giving money to charity.

Eid-ul-Adha immediately follows the period of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims must make at least once in their lifetime if they are able. 

How to approach it

This is another opportunity to recognise the importance of this celebration with Muslim students at the same time as introducing Eid-al-Adha to other members of your class. A good route into this is to read the story of Abraham this day primarily refers to. Students may notice that the same story occurs in the Torah and in the Old Testament. Use this to show the shared cultural origins of these three ‘Abrahamic’ religions, their collective belief in the life of Abraham and his interactions with God. Engage students by asking them what they think the story means, what values is it trying to show? Encourage students from different backgrounds to suggest answers.