Eid-ul-Adha to be celebrated today
It’s celebration time for Muslims across the world as they pray to mark the important day in Islamic Calendar. The event is celebrated in commemoration of the Prophet Ibrahim’s (AS) readiness to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismail (AS) to show obedience to Almighty Allah, only to be told at the last moment to sacrifice a sheep instead. The tradition of sacrificing an animal commemorates this gesture.
This year saw the highest number of pilgrims visiting Islam’s holiest places in Makkah and Madinah after two years of Covid onslaught that wreaked havoc across the globe. This year’s Hajj was the first to see a million pilgrims since before the pandemic. In 2020, the Kingdom allowed only 1,000 selected pilgrims to perform Hajj; in 2021, the number was raised to 60,000 fully vaccinated pilgrims. The government of Saudi Arabia deserves appreciation for managing million of pilgrims amidst the Covid wave peaking in many countries. The pilgrims returned to Mina on Saturday after an emotional day on the plains of Arafat, performing prayers and supplicating to Allah. They will continue to perform the Hajj rites over the next few days. Eid Al-Adha will be celebrated across Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday and sermons will be delivered by the imams at all the mosques to adhere to the Holy Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah. Men, women, and children, will be attired especially for the occasion. After the special prayer, people will offer sacrificial animals as per the traditions.
This year like the previous two years saw a slump in Kashmir markets even though the sacrificial animals were bought to observe Eid. The pandemic has pushed trade to a sluggish dip and the impact could be seen globally with Sri Lanka bearing the brunt of the recession. There has been less economic activity owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the purchasing power has gone down due to the successive lockdowns. Inflation has touched new heights. The prices of all essential commodities have skyrocketed, which has burned a hole in the pockets of the common man. The rush has been only seen in shops of bakeries, mutton, and chicken. This doesn’t imply that people across Jammu and Kashmir are not offering sacrificial animals to mark the Islamic tradition. Each household that has the capacity to go for it is going for it even as the rates for such animals have skyrocketed as the administration has failed to maintain standard pricing across the board. Despite issues of pricing, sluggishness, and pandemic, Muslims will greet each other with Eid Mubarak on Sunday.
Courtesy : Brighter kashmir