Albanian-American Islamic Center of Queens
Qendra Islame
Shqiptaro-Amerikane në Queens
Announcement
All
the members as well as the entire Albanian Muslim community are informed
that:
· The
Day of Arafat will be on
Sunday December 7
· Eid
al-Edha
will be on
Monday December 8
· Fajr
(morning) prayer on this day will begin at
6:45AM
and the
Eid Prayer
will begin at
8:00AM
· Monetary
value of
Kurbani
for this year is
$150
Eid al-Edha is the second of the muslim holidays. As Eid al-Fitr that
comes after fasting of the Holy month of Ramazan (that is the third
pillar of Islam) Eid al-Edha comes after the fifth pillar of Islam
Hajj (the pilgrimage to the magnificient Ka’ba).
Hajj means
goal
towards “the House of Allah (swt)” Ka’ba in Mekka. It symbolizes
“meeting” with our Lord in this world to re-attest our covenant that He
is our Lord and we are His servants. Therefore, Hajj is a spiritual
revival for the believer; and, as the Prophet (saws) has said in hadith:
“The
one who fulfills Hajj for the sake of Allah (swt) and stays away from
offensive words and sins he will return after Hajj free from all his
sins, the way he was when he was born.”
(Bukhari, Muslim)
Eid al-Edha, as its name points out (Edha
derived from
Udhija
meaning
sacrifice),
is connected to the ritual of sacrificing (animals) for the sake of
our Lord. This is to remind us that we must be ready anytime to
sacrifice the most beloved things to us to achieve the pleasure of our
Lord, in the same manner that prophet Ibrahim (as) was ready to
sacrifice his only son Ismail. Allah (swt) rewarded him for his strong
conviction and obedience to the order of Allah (swt), and a male sheep
was brought to Ibrahim to sacrifice instead of his son. The sacrifice
of kurbani reminds us of the test that Ibrahim (as) went through and
his steadfastness and belief in the goodness of Allah (swt).
However, if circumstances are such that we can not sacrifice an animal
in the proper religious manner, or that we can not find someone else to
do it for us, then the last option we have is to give its value in
money.
“It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your
piety that reaches Him.” (22:37)
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, that started on Saturday November 29,
carry particular meaning and blessings. Therefore, it is recommended
that we fast these days glorifying Allah (swt); especially, the day of
Arafat, that falls on Sunday December 7. For this day the Prophet (saws)
has said:
“Fasting
of the day of Arafat is accounted with Allah (swt) so that He (swt) will
forgive the sins of two years, the previous year and the next coming
year.”
(Muslim)
Respected members:
We pray that Allah (swt) accept all your ibadat (worshipping and good
deeds) and that this Eid find you and us in strong faith, peace and
harmony. Eid Mubarek.
