Aidil Adha and its Significance

Since small I was told that Aidil Adha or Hariraya Korban is celebrated to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim's unflinching obedience to Allah by agreeing to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail as ordered by Allah in a dream. But as he was about to sacrifice the son, Allah replaced the latter with a ram (kibas). It is also celebrated to honor the WUKUF, the completion of the Haj procedures by the pilgims who flooded Mecca to do the Haj and become Hajis. After a special morning prayer and sermon (khutbah) on that day, camels. cows, bulls or goats are sacrificed and their meat distributed to the poor so that they can have a special feast and celebration.

Maybe I wasn't attending enough lectures, symposiums, khutbah etc on Islam or not reading enough of the 'kitabs' especially those written in Arabic and have not been translated into Malay or English. For whatever reasons, I've never really been told of the full significance of the first ten days of the month of Zulhijjah in the Muslim calender. All prayers, especially those in addition to the five compulsory ones as performed by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), all good deeds and gifts to the poor (sedekah), and especially two days of fasting on the 9th and 10th of the month, have very special significance. Fasting on the 9th day is equivalent to fasting for 1000 days while fasting on the 10th is equivalent ot fasting for 10,000 days. Moreover if fasting on the day of Asyura (10Muharram) can absolve your sins(dosa) for a year. fasting on the day of the WUKUF (10 Zulhijjah) can absolve your sins for two years.How come these assurances have not been widely discussed by the ulamas as they had done in regard to the significance of the korban? Or maybe it's just me who have missed such discussions.

Thank God that I finally know. It's no wonder that in Kelantan and Trengganu, the Aidil Adha is celebrated with more pomp and ceremony than the Aidilfitri. Even the Federal Government does not seem to recognize the full significance of Aidil Adha since more emphasis is given to the Aidilfitri. Of course there seems to be more reason for celebration in Aidilfitri for it ends 30 days of fasting, not ten or just two days, plus the special prayers ( tarawih) at night for the whole month of Ramadhan. But even after another six days of fasting ( puasa sunat), one is considered to have fasted for a year -- not 1000 or 10,000 days for fasting one or two days. That's a real grand bonus which all Muslims would not want to miss. This has never been emphasized in the ceramahs and khitbahs that I've listened to.

Anyway, today (26th Nov,)is the 10th day of Zulhijjah. Tomorrow is the day that we in Malaysia celebrate Aidil Adha. Selamat Hariraya Aidil Adha ( or Hariraya Haji/Korban) to all Muslims. May you be blessed with all the special bonuses that it brings by performing all the ibadah that it prescribes.