By Dr. Syed Ahmed, for TwoCircles.net,
Muslims in Manipur, like in other parts of India, celebrated Eid-ul-Azha on October 27. Special Eid congregation prayers offered at masjids and idgahs and ritual slaughter of animals marked the auspicious occasion.
In the capital city Imphal, Muslims, clad in their finest festive attires, were seen offering prayers at Jama Masjid at Sadar Bazar, Babupara Masjid, Hafiz Hatta Masjid, Golapati Masjid, Mantripukhri Masjid and Porompat Masjid.
Children celebrating Eid
Muslims prayed for the well-being of the faith, prosperity of the community, diminution of sins and misfortunes for all, and to bring peace and harmony in the society.
As a tradition, before the prayers, Imams delivered lectures from the pulpit of the masjids and idgahs, highlighting the significance of Eid-ul-Azha, and narrated the account of the supreme sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim for his faith in the Almighty.
Listening to the sermon (Khutba) of Imam
An Imam said, “The festival is celebrated in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s great act of faith years ago. As per the Islamic tradition, Prophet Ibrahim was once asked by Allah in his dream to sacrifice his beloved son, Ismael. He narrated the dream to his son, who readily agreed for the sacrifice. Ibrahim then took his son to a nearby hill at Mina to perform the sacrifice. Before the sacrifice, Ismael requested his father to blind-fold his eyes so that his love does not distract him from obeying the order of Allah. Ibrahim after blind-folding his eyes severed the throat of his son with a knife. When he removed the blind-fold he found that he had sacrificed a sheep instead of his son. At that moment a heavenly voice revealed that it was only a test in which Prophet Ibrahim had succeeded. God, in fact, was pleased with the sincere devotion and resignation of the father and son to His holy will.” The event is incorporated in the Quran, he added.
“To honour this act,” the Imam further explained, “and to show our true resignation to the will of Allah Muslims throughout the world observe this tradition of sacrifice of animals, also called Qurbani. It is for this reason that this festival is also referred to as festival of sacrifice.” Thus, the basic meaning of Eid-ul-Azha to Muslims is to invoke the spirit of self-sacrifice as shown by Prophet Abraham and to submit oneself to the will of God, the Imam added.
The prayers were followed by Qurbani, or the ritual of the sacrifice of animal. In Manipur, cow, bull and goat are the preferred animals for sacrifice. After the sacrifice, as per the Islamic tradition, the meat is shared with family members, neighbors and the poor.
Eid celebration
Almost all the rich and the affluent Muslims in Manipur performed Qurbani. Abdus Sattar, a government employee staying at Hafiz Hatta, said, “My family performs Qurbani every year. Allah has given my family more than what we require. So it is my duty to perform this ritual. This time my family sacrificed a cow. I got it for rupees twenty thousand. Nowadays it is very difficult to get the animals for Qurbani as we search for the best. Moreover, the population of cattle in Manipur is depleting over the years. I engaged one of my relatives in a village to get the preferred animal for the sacrifice a month back. We distributed the meat to our relatives, friends and the poor families in our locality.”
Muslim households prepared sumptuous dishes and offered to friends and relatives. Rest of the day was spent visiting friends and relatives, and exchanging greetings.
Celebration
Among others, Governor and Chief Minister of Manipur also greeted the people of Manipur on the auspicious occasion. Governor Gurbachan Jagat expressed in his message, “I proffer my heartiest greetings and best wishes to the people of Manipur, especially our Muslim brethren on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. Eid-ul-Azha which literally means ‘festival of sacrifice’ epitomizes the spirit of sacrifice overcoming one’s ego and narrow self-interest for the larger good. The festival, which is inclusive, inculcates charity which is the basic framework for peace, amity, brotherhood and harmony amongst the various communities. On this occasion one should remember and take inspiration from the selfless sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim who was willing to sacrifice his own son for the common good.”
In his message, Chief Minister O. Ibobi stated, “Eid-ul-Azha reminds us of the supreme sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim for the sake of mankind. Let this sacrifice inspire us to dedicate ourselves to all causes that are good and noble and work for the betterment of humanity at large. May the occasion also spread the message of friendship and forgiveness among the people of the State for a more peaceful and prosperous Manipur.”