Nagpur News.
Devout Muslims in Nagpur on Wednesday celebrated Eid-ul-Azha or Bakrid with gaiety and in a spirit of sacrifice. The community offered prayers in the morning at various mosques in the Muslim pockets across the city and adjoin areas of the city.
According to the holly book Quran, the Bakrid is a tribute to Abraham’s wish to sacrifice his only son Ishmael. In the some part of the country, people also sacrifice buffalo and camel.
There are various festivals in the Muslim calendar. But Bakriid or Id-ul-Zuha is one of the most celebrated festivals among Muslims all over the world. It is a day of sacrifice for the Muslims. According to legends. It all started with a dream in which Allah directed the patriarch Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail. It was Ibrahim’s faith in Allah and his son’s faith in his father that were on test. Before performing the sacrifice Ismail tied a cloth around his father’s eyes. But when Ibrahim opened his eyes he found his son safe and sound. In his place lay a dead dumba or ram. It is in honour of this test of faith that Muslims around the world sacrifice an animal on the occasion of Id-ul-azha to show their allegiance, faith and sincerity towards Allah. In India the Muslims mainly sacrifice the goat, which is why the occasion is spoken of in Urdu as Bakhr or Bakri-Id. The festival is to celebrate the strong faith of those devoted to Islam.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Governor K Shankarnarayanan greeted the Muslim brethren and said the celebrations mark the supreme sacrifice for the welfare and harmonious brotherhood not only in Muslim community but in other communities, too.
