 | | Going to mosque for prayers |
This Eid or ‘celebration’ is to commemorate the willingness of the Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his own son to confirm his commitment to God. Alas, this will not be the only sacrifice that Muslims will be remembering around the world. A lot of events around the globe in the last year will also have touched the hearts of Muslims and it will be a time of reflection. Sorrow For the Muslims of Birmingham this religious break will not be any less poignant. For Birmingham Muslims, as for many in the world, seeing the absolute chaos and destruction unfold in Iraq over the last twelve months hasn’t been easy. Knowing that families and children thousands of miles away are being bombarded by bombs or being caught up in wrongful arrests, house raids and demolition or being caught in crossfire while we are in the safety of our own homes and communities can’t be comfortable. Many of us do what we can and many, including Muslims, have tried to help by calling for an end to war and bloodshed or by helping the few charities that are still brave enough to operate in Iraq. Many Iraqis will again celebrate Eid amid violence and despair. Tsunami Disaster Another catastrophe that deeply struck at the heart of the city’s Muslim community alongside the rest of the nation was the tragic events of 26th December and the Tsunami tidal wave disaster that hit 12 countries from Asia to Africa. Many of the countries, regions and villages affected, especially those within immediate range of the tidal wave, were largely Muslim populated. With Muslims already raising funds to help the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Sudan, they now had to help the people of India, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population. Everyone dug deep from all faith communities to give what they could and the Muslim community got together to do their bit. The worshippers at Birmingham’s Central Mosque managed to gather over £15,000 for the appeal. Sacrifice It is in this that sacrifice is really identified with. We sacrifice our time and work and money to help those in need. Those in need have inadvertently sacrificed a great deal more to survive and have lost families and loved ones. The world’s nations have sacrificed political and cultural differences in a bid to work together and help each other rebuild the lives of millions. It is in this that we see why sacrifice for God benefits ourselves and those we help and work with. Sometimes, we will accept the passing of our closest and dearest and this sacrifice, no matter how painful and unexpected, is a test of willingness to God’s divine plan and from everything arrives some benefit and good. We so strongly feel for the loss of over 150,000 people, yet at the same time we smile at the unity the world is now celebrating. Joy  | | Celebrating Eid |
There is an old saying which also applies in Islamic teaching too and that is ‘with hardship, there is ease’. It is this that explains why Muslims must have patience with God for He knows what is best. So sometimes terrible things happen but we must have that patience and perseverance. We must try our very best to do what we can do make things better but we mustn’t blame God. For Muslims, God is the Knower of all things and therefore, whether good or bad happens, something beneficial will derive from it. In many cases, God tests the believer’s strength, commitment and patience as he did with Prophet Abraham. Three years ago, when Birmingham-born Moazzam Begg was arrested from Pakistan in front of his family and taken to Guantanamo Bay without charge or reason, his family’s lives were turned upside down as his father campaigned for three years to secure his release. Moazzam didn’t even get to see his son who was born soon after his capture. Many took to the streets peacefully and patiently, not using any violence in his name. For the city’s Muslims, this was a huge shock and many prayed for his release. Many nearly gave up hope but his father had patience and hope. His wife Sally and three children sacrificed a great deal over the years in not having a loving father and husband. Moazzam himself sacrificed three whole years of freedom, of not being with family and three years of not seeing the clouds in the sky. Just this month, it was announced that Moazzam and the other three British detainees would be released bringing joy to all his supporters and relatives. It just goes to show that sometimes sacrifice is worth it because there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. This is what people have to identify with in the Eid story of Abraham. Celebration So this Eid, Muslims across our wonderful city will celebrate the ups and downs of the year and remember the less fortunate in their special Eid prayers. They’ll be thinking of the victims of war and the victims of disaster. Families will gather together after quite some time while a particular family will finally be together after an extremely long time. Eid is expected to fall on January 21st. There is no difference in the community about the date of this Eid like there is for Eid al-Fitr and this is because Eid al-Adha isn’t based on the phase of the moon. Eid day is just after the Day of Hajj which takes place on only one day which is on the 21st of this month. This will be the day everyone in the world will be celebrating Eid with many extending festivities from three days to a week. Eid is a day for the family, when Muslims do not work and everyone enjoys themselves, prays and remembers God. Later, on around February 10th, Muslims will move forward into the new Islamic year of 1426 AH (After Hijri). May all of Birmingham have a most beautiful Eid. By Adam Yosef, site user | 
