The nation is celebrating Eid-ul-Azha on Saturday (today) in all provinces, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Fata. The government has announced four Eid holidays in the country starting from Friday and lasting till Monday. People will attend Eid congregations and offer prayers at various major mosques and Eidgahs before slaughtering animals.
Prayer leaders (Imams) will give sermons to highlight the significance of sacrifices in Islam. Eid ul Azha is celebrated on 10th Zil Haj every year. This year the Eid falls on Saturday, October 27. Preferably, most people offer sacrifices of goats, cows and camels, but religious scholars differ on sacrificing buffalos.
In Arab world, goats, sheep and camel are sacrificed. In the non-Arab world, cows and goats are largely sacrifices, particularly in Asian countries. The obligation of sacrificing animals during Eidul Azha is not compulsory for Muslims to perform. Rather, religious scholars term the deed as a Sunah, but urge the Muslims to renew the tradition if they could afford it financially. In Pakistan, rich and middle class people prefer performing the Sunnah and distribute meat of animals among the poor, celebrating the religious festival with others.
Eid greetings began appearing on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites nearly a couple of days before the Eid. On the eve of Eid, people normally send their greetings and felicitations to their family members, friends and colleagues via SMS.
Special prayers will be offered for the prosperity of the country and unity among the Muslim Ummah. The process of sacrificial animals would be continued till Monday afternoon. People would visit their relatives for distribution of meat and mutton while special family get together will also be arranged. Radio and TV channels will present special programmes. Foolproof security measures have been adopted on the occasion of Eid. Policemen have been deputed outside the bazaars, shopping centres and sensitive public and private buildings.
The civic organisations have made arrangements for ensuring cleanliness and to remove the offal of the sacrificial animals. Different charitable organisations have also made arrangements to collect hides of sacrificial animals. Hide merchants would be active for the purchase of hides. The faithful used to sell hides of sacrificial animals to give money to needy people. Every year, millions of rupees economic activity is generated through sale of sacrificial animals' hides.
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