Holy Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of the Muslims, will be celebrated across the country, on Wednesday, with due solemnity and religious fervour. The well-off Muslims will sacrifice animals on the day, to commemorate Hazrat Ibrahim’s (AS) devotion to the almighty Allah, as illustrated by his readiness to give up his dearest son Hazrat Ismail (AS), and share the sacrificial meat with their relatives, neighbours and poor people.
On this day, some 4,000 years ago, Prophet Ibrahim (AS) offered to sacrifice his beloved son, Hazrat Ismail (AS), who willingly submitted to the will of his father to please Allah, but the Almighty, in His benign mercy, spared Ismail (AS) and, instead, sent a ram to be sacrificed. At Eid al-Azha, Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a sermon at mosques or Eidgahs. They also wear new clothes, visit family members, and friends and may symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act known as qurbani. This represents the animal that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son.
Braving many odds, including struggle for tickets and sufferings on the highways, hundreds of thousands of people have already left the capital for their village homes, to celebrate the
festival with their near and dear ones. With the last moment rush for home, the normally bustling metropolis has started showing signs of tranquillity that would remain for a few more days.
Bangladesh Railway, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), and numerous private sector transport operators have pressed different types and modes of vehicles into service, to cope with the extra load of home-bound passengers.
Additional contingents of law-enforcement agencies have been deployed at different points, to ensure safety and security of the passengers.
Meanwhile, buying and selling of cattle in the animal markets in the city have started taking off, as more cattle and buyers are arriving in the markets two days ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.
The city-dwellers were seen thronging cattle markets for buying sacrificial animals. Besides, they were busy completing their last-minute shopping on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
Important public buildings, thoroughfares and road islands of the capital will be decorated with national flags and banners inscribed with “Eid Mubarak”. Major government buildings will also be illuminated.
All preparations for holding the Eid congregations have already been completed all over the country.
The day’s programme will begin with the offering of Eid prayers by millions of Muslims at mosques and eidgahs throughout the
country.
They will seek divine blessings of Almighty Allah for peace, progress and prosperity of the country and welfare of the Muslim Ummah. They will also visit the graves of their near and dear ones to pray for eternal peace of the departed souls.
The prayers will be followed by sacrificing of animals.
The main Eid congregation in the capital will be held at the National Eidgah, adjacent to the premises of the Supreme Court, at 8:30 am.
Hafez Mufti Muhibullahil Baki Nadvi, the imam of Baitula Mukarram National Mosque, will conduct the prayer.
Five Eid congregations will be held at Baitual Mukarram National Mosque, after every one hour, from 7:00am.
The biggest Eid congregation in the country will be held at the historic Solakia ground in Kishoreganj, at 9:00 am. Maulana Farid Uddin Masud will conduct the prayer. Three congregations of Eid-ul-Azha will be held at 8.00am, 9.30am and 10am, respectively, at Babe Rahmat of Dewanbagh Sharif in the capital.
Law enforcing agencies, including the Police and Rapid Action Battalion, will remain on guard to ensure security at Eid congregations in the capital.
President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Leader of the Opposition, Khaleda Zia, greeted countrymen and Muslims across the world, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
In separate messages, they wished peace, progress and prosperity for all.
Both Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) cancelled holidays for all employees of Waste Management Department, to keep the city clean after Eid-ul-Azha.
The government has taken elaborate programmes to observe Eid-ul-Azha in a befitting manner.
On the day, special meals will be served at government hospitals, prisons, orphanages, safe homes and shelter centres.
Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Television, and private TV channels will broadcast special programmes, while different newspapers have published special supplement on the occasion.
Under-privileged children of the society can visit all childrens’ parks, without ticket, and visit Dhaka Museum.
District administration, upazila administration and city corporations have also taken different programmes to observe Eid-ul-Azha.
Besides, Bangladesh Missions abroad have taken programmes to celebrate Eid.
A three-day Eid vacation has already began from Tuesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia will separately exchange greetings with people from all walks of life, including party leaders and workers, judges and foreign diplomats, on the Eid-day.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the holy Hajj was observed on Mount Arafat near Makkah in Saudi Arabia, in which, hundreds and thousands Muslims from across the world, including Bangladesh, took part.
-With The Independent input
