Eidul-ul-Adaha or “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid” is an importantreligious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma’il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead.
This is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something we value the most in honor to God. Abraham’s great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God and is to be followed as such. Moreover, Muslims believe that Allah has honoured many of His righteous messengers by recounting their stories in the Qur’an and prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, features prominently in that blessed group of messengers. Abraham was further honored by Allah when He bestowed upon Abraham the title of khalil or close friend.
The activity also aims to foster mutual understanding among Muslims Ateneans the importance of dialogue with oneself and with one another, to raise awareness about the life of Prophet Abraham as Khalil or close friend of God, and to introduce Al Qalam’s plans, programs and activities to the entire Muslim Ateneans and draw ideas from them on how to change, improve, enhance and promote the perception of Ateneans and the people in general with regard to Islam and Muslims.
