Monroe Sherwood News: Eid Al Adha

We are on vacation for 10 days right now because of one of the two most important feasts in the Muslim religion. Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, which began on Tuesday and continues until the end of the Hajj pilgrimage.

Eid al-Adha commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice of his son, Ishmael, to Allah as an act of obedience. Allah spared Ishmael after seeing Ibrahim's devotion and instead gave him a sheep to kill. In the Bible version, he is named Abraham and it is Isaac, not Ishmael, who is almost sacrificed.

The three-day festival also marks the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Prophet Muhammad's birthplace. Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage once in their lifetimes.

On the Eid, many Muslims celebrate and pay tribute to Allah, who gave mercy to Ibrahim, going to a mosque for morning prayers followed by slaughtering animals. Much of the meat is given away to others as a symbol of Muslim’s willingness to give up on behalf of Allah’s command. The sacrificed animal is cut in thirds, with one third eaten in a celebratory dinner by family, one third offered to friends, and the remaining portion donated to those less fortunate.

Worshipers of the holiday typically wish each other “Eid Mubarak,” which is the standard greeting during observance of Eid al-Adha, meaning “Have a blessed Eid.”

We have been enjoying our time off, indulging in opportunity that we would NEVER have had before. We started the week at Fuwairit Beach up north, sunbathing and enjoying the Gulf waters, just the four of us. The temperatures have been beautiful and seeing the cooler temps back home in Minnesota and Wisconsin have given us cause for celebration as we are still recooping from the harsh winter we endured last year. We joined some friends from school at the Four Seasons Hotel on Monday and lived it up in a huge suite, at the pool, and on the beach. It was absolutely phenomenal and the fun and relaxation we came away with was completely worth the money :) We did get a discount because of where we work so that was helpful, thank goodness. This isn't bragging, mind you...it's just quite surreal to us to be able to do some of these things now that we are where we are. It's a privilege that we don't take lightly and are embracing every experience that presents itself...big or small. We are definitely missing our family and friends back home, but facebook, facetime, viber, and skype have been brilliant in keeping us in touch and getting our fix.