Eid and Hajj Mubarak to all those receiving this message.

[Insert your own witty remark here and then laugh at how funny The Revival can be]

May Allah (swt) accept the Hajj and the dua of those who are currently performing hajj and give the rest of us the chance to do the same, while benefiting from the act of hajj and understanding its historical significance and history.

A brief history of Hajj

The Hajj is a hugely significant event which is a blessing on the Muslims, a way for us to get closer to our creator, to have our sins forgiven and to become better people. However, that is not the whole story, as the acts that are carried out during hajj also have have historical relevance and can be seen as an aggregation of historical events that Muslims are being asked to remember and to emulate.

The plains of Arafat are where Prophet Adam (as) is said to have been finally granted forgiveness. Mina is where Prophet Ibrahim stoned the devil when he was offering questions and doubts. The Sa'ee between Safa and Marwa is emulating the Sunnah of Prophet Isma'eel's (as) mother while she was searching for water.

While those are actions that cannot be carried out elsewhere, the qurbani (sacrifice) can and is carried out by Muslims all over the world. It is commemorating the acceptance by God of Prophet Ibrahim's (as) offered sacrifice of his son Prophet Isma'eel (as) and replaced it with a lamb.

The importance of Sacrifice

So beloved was the act to Allah (swt), that muslims all round the world are ordained to commemorate it and its emulation has been strongly urged for all Muslims to follow:

Narrated Al-Bara:
The Prophet said (on the day of Idal-Adha), “The first thing we will do on this day of ours, is to offer the (’Id) prayer and then return to slaughter the sacrifice. Whoever does so, he acted according to our Sunna (tradition), and whoever slaughtered (the sacrifice) before the prayer, what he offered was just meat he presented to his family, and that will not be considered as Nusak (sacrifice).” (On hearing that) Abu Burda bin Niyar got up, for he had slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, and said, “I have got a six month old ram.” The Prophet said, ‘Slaughter it (as a sacrifice) but it will not be sufficient for any -one else (as a sacrifice after you). Al-Bara’ added: The Prophet said, “Whoever slaughtered (the sacrifice) after the prayer, he slaughtered it at the right time and followed the tradition of the Muslims.” (Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 68, Number 453:)

For the Muslims who have not made arrangements for a sacrifice yet, it is not too late - it can still be arranged for/carried out on the rest of the days of this Eid.

Quick Links

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The Revival wishes everyone a Joyous Eid.