Eid ul Adha is one of the important Muslim festivals that is celebrated on the 10th Zilhajj. It is considered one of the holiest festivals of the year. It is also known as Bakra Eid as mostly goats are sacrificed on Eid. The practice performed at this festival is the one that was done by Hazrat Ibrahim thousands of years ago. Although the practice is well versed in the minds of Muslims, it may be difficult to explain the value of this to children. Let’s explore how the values and traditions can be explained to the kids.
Story of Eid ul Adha
The story of Eid ul Adha that we can tell our young children is that Hazrat Ibrahim had a dream in which he was sacrificing his young son, Ismaeel. Hazrat Ibrahim was a strong believer in God who took his dream literally and decided to sacrifice his son for Allah. The moment at which Hazrat Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his 10-year-old son, Allah sent his angels to replace Ismail with an animal. Eid ul Adha is known as a festival of sacrifice because Hazrat Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his own son for the love of God. It was a test to determine the love and commitment of Ibrahim to Allah.
Bakra Eid
Every year animals arrive at homes a few days before Eid and children are likely to get attached to the animals. Upon sacrifice, children usually get heartbroken as their favorite animal gets sacrificed. The children must be explained properly why the sacrifice needs to be performed.
How to teach children about Eid ul Adha
There are a number of ways to explain to children why a sacrifice is necessary on the 10th day of Zilhajj.
1. Tell them about Hajj
First, the children may be informed about the five pillars of Islam and Hajj being the fifth one. Children must be told about the significance of performing a pilgrimage to the Holy house. A sense of equality is promoted through pilgrimage as every individual is equal in the eyes of Allah and there is no discrimination based on color, race, ethnicity, or gender. Muslims must perform the pilgrimage at least once in their life if they have the means to travel to Mecca.
2. The Holy House, Kab’aba
Children must be told about the Holy House known as Ka’aba which is the House of God. Muslims visit Allah’s house to perform Umrah and the annual pilgrimage. One visits the House of Allah to pray for forgiveness of their sins. It is a sacred house that all Muslims face when praying to Allah.
3. Remembering the sacrifice
The children must be informed with utmost care that the sacrifice that is performed on the day of Eid is to remember and honor the sacrifice made by Hazrat Ibrahim. The primary purpose to do so is to promote brotherhood and a sense of sharing. The meat is divided into three parts family, relatives, and the needy.
4. Encouraging your children to think about others
The essence of Eid ul Adha is to think about others therefore, your children must be encouraged to help the needy and less fortunate ones without looking down upon them. The purpose of the day is to make sure everyone has meat to eat.