Eid Ul Azha 2024: Appeal for Communal Harmony

During every English calendar year we find different festivals are held pertaining to different religions. Such as, Hindu, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhist religions have their own festivals. As my focusing area pertaining to my piece centres upon Eid Ul Adha, hence I wish to concentrate upon the above festival. Like every festival of each religion, there is a pledge taken upon by the citizens that there should be absolute communal harmony. Entire humanity should lead sound and dynamic health throughout the year. Also we pray that all of us should lead our life peacefully and calmly. There should not be any emotional clashes with people of same religion as well as that of others. Hence restoration of communal harmony among us should be given top priority. Eid Ul Adha as a festival is celebrated all over Bangladesh, India plus rest of the globe. In this festival, not only the people of Muslim religion participate, rather we find universal participation. Same way we find it during the celebration of Durga Puja.

To write about Eid Ul Adha is not an easy task for this petty writer from Kolkata, India. But still I shall try my level best to write about this festival as per the best of my ability and efforts. Before I delve into details, let me give brief historical background of Eid Ul Adha for the cognizance of many of my online readers in both nations.

Real historical data about Eid Al Adha or Eid Ul Adha is around 622 AD. The festival has a closer resemblance with Hajj: Eid al-Fitr. Apart from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other Islamic nations like Brunei, Morocco, and Indonesia Malaysia etc. Apart from Muslim nations, Eid Ul Adha or Eid Al Adha is also celebrated in various countries under American and European continents. Apart from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Eid Ul Adha or Eid Al Adha is also observed amidst the spectre of communal harmony and integrity.

From another viewpoints Eid Ul Adha or Eid Al Adha is celebrated as a festival of sacrifice. A period of three to four days holiday is given for a period of three to four days. This year the actual date of celebration is June 29, 2023. But as per almanac viewpoints if the moon appears earlier, the festivity might be observed on June 27, 2023.

In order to celebrate the day, my friends from Muslim religion, attend at a special prayers at main mosque of the nations stated above. People from all walks of life are seen wearing new clothes as well as exchanging gifts with other members of the family. Children are presented with special clothes by parents, grandparents and other respectable members of the families. College students take couple of days off. Corporate employees also take to leave for a couple of days from their day to day monotony.

If anyone of us wishes to introspect the exact origin of the festivity Eid Ul Adha or Eid Al Adha, then we generate a feeling among us that, Prophet Muhammad seem to have uttered that it is a tradition which appeared within us from Prophet Abraham.

It is from another version I find that The Feast of Sacrifice originates from a historical background. It is found that Prophet Abraham received commandment by The Superpower as a dream to sacrifice his son Ishmael. The Prophet Abraham in the midst of sacrificing his son, he received a message from The Almighty with a punch in him. Prophet Abraham having received the message from Gabriel that the mission has been fulfilled. Prophet Abraham has been advised by Angel to sacrifice the force as a ransom to his son. This anecdotes are available in Chapter 37 of the Holy Quran.

It is around 2.5 million pilgrims who flock to Mecca and Medina every year from different members of Organisation of Islamic Confederation. In India, thousands of people from Muslim communities participate in Eid Al Adha or Eid Ul Adha gathering in different parts of the nation. Now Qurbani is going which will carry on till five more days. In Bangladesh there is massive gatherings on account of Eid Ul Adha or Eid Al Adha in different mosques of the nation. In Pakistan there is also huge gathering of Muslim brethren like that of Bangladesh. During Eid Al Adha or Eid Ul Adha namaz there are many Hindu brethren participate with their Muslim brothers amidst the spectre of oneness among all.

From another viewpoint Eid Ul Adha or Eid Al Adha enjoys special privileges because this Day of Sacrifice marks Hajji or Pilgrimage, who is referred to as the fifth pillar of Islam. This yearly pilgrimage bound for Macca and Medina in Saudi Arabia is obligatory for those people who are observe the rituals once in a year.

As Eid Ul Adha or Eid Al Adha is always referred to as festival of sacrifice. One point we should always bear in our mind that in life in any religious festival, there is a key lesson which all of us should inherit. This is we should not be self-centred at all. Rather we should always more liberal and radical upon other religions of the globe. As Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda always propagated to the societies of not only India and Bangladesh, but also to the global one. That we should pay our deepest obeisance to people of other religions. This is what we refer to as Sarva Dharma Samanya or integrating all religions under one banner. To be elaborately speaking about my thoughts, that we should give up all the vices and malice for people of other religions. So that equation with every humanity remains complete uniform throughout our life. Hence it can be reiterated without dubiousness the logic behind celebration of Eid Al Adha or Eid Ul Adha will no doubt portray feeling of oneness among people of all religions.


Sujayendra Das is a columnist based in Kolkata, India.