Nation celebrates Eid-ul-Azha with religious zeal, fervor

The day dawned with special prayers in mosques for well-being of the Ummah

LAHORE (Dunya News) - Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated today (Saturday) across the country with religious fervor to commemorate the great sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismael (AS).

The day dawned with special prayers in mosques for well-being of the Ummah and progress, prosperity and security of the country.

Eid congregations were held at mosques, Eidgahs and open places in all cities, towns and villages across the country.

Ulema in their Khutbah of Eid highlighted the significance of the philosophy of great sacrifice offered by Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismael (AS).

After offering Eid prayers, the faithful are offering sacrifices of animals to follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS).

The federal and provincial governments have chalked out elaborate security plans.

The government has advised the faithful to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for containing the COVID-19 while perform the ritual of sacrificing animals. While offering Eid paryers, they should keep distance, and avoid hugging and instead extend only greetings.

President’s Message

In his message to the nation on Eid ul Azha, President Dr Arif Alvi has urged upon the nation to be more dedicated to the cause of Eid ul Azha and help the poor and needy, particularly in a situation amid coronavirus.

He said while celebrating an occasion with a spirit of sacrifice, one must not forget the deserving people.

The president felicitated the entire Pakistani nation and the Islamic world on Eid ul Azha, and said that "surely this happy occasion will bring a lot of happiness and accomplishments in our life".

He said Allah Almighty tested His chosen servants by putting them to various challenges.

"These great personalities have been fully successful in the tests, giving us a lesson that the key to success is to be steadfast in the face of trials and difficulties and to be ever ready to make any sacrifice" he said.

He mentioned that the whole world was concerned about the coronavirus, which had negatively impacted the people across the globe.

He said the pandemic had taken a heavy toll on the world economically, with even the powerful governments struggling to provide relief to their people.

The president quoted a hadith as saying that when the people around Madinah were suffering from famine, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) forbade them to collect more meat for more than three days (Saheeh Bukhari, hadeeth 5569).

"Therefore, one must find the needy people around them and some share of the sacrifice must be delivered to them," he said.

He stressed that the most important thing at this point was not to ignore the safety measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"On this occasion, we should pray to Allah Almighty to protect us from the negative impact of this pandemic. Amen," he said.

PM’s message

In a social media message, Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the people to strictly follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Eid-ul-Azha to contain the spread of coronavirus.

He said sacrifice of needless visits to loved-ones will ensure safe and blessed Eid for everyone.

The Prime Minister said Eid-ul-Azha is all about sacrifice and through our adherence to SOPs, we can be savior of humanity.

He urged the people to only go outside on Eid when it is necessary and needed.