Eid Al-Adha, Feast of Sacrifice

If you notice the plaintive bleating of sheep today, it might be due to Eid Al-Adha, the Islamic feast of sacrifice. It’s a fun celebration, if you’re not a sheep! 

For this the largest annual celebration of the Islamic year, sheep are killed, shared and eaten in commemoration of Abraham’s (Muslims tend to use “Ibrahim.”) obedience to offer his son, a story recounted in both the Bible and the Quran, and God’s provision at the last moment of an alternative sacrifice. 

Eid Al-Adha is a joyful time of family gatherings, gifts and special religious services. (You can read more here and here.) 

It’s also a great time for Christians to connect with Muslim friends and neighbors. 

Start with greetings both personal and on your Facebook page. “Eid Mubarak,” basically “Happy Eid,” is a good start. Depending on your relationships and time (Personally, we’re prepping for our daughter’s wedding at our house in a week, so I barely have time to brush my teeth!), consider some of these ideas as well: 

Take small presents (flowers or chocolates) to your Muslim friends and wish them a happy holiday. If you’re invited to a meal and your schedule allows, go! Seems like Jesus was doing this all the time!  Finally, grab a copy or five of this booklet written by my friend Fouad called “Adha in the Injeel.”  It talks about the foreshadowing found in Abraham’s action and the fullness of the sacrifice of Jesus. It’s designed to be read by both Christians and Muslims and to facilitate discussion about Jesus and his role in God’s great purposes.