Eid Al Adha Message from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar
Today we join our Muslim community to celebrate Eid al-Adha. This occasion, often referred to as the greater of the two Eids, marks the culmination of the annual pilgrimage –the Hajj – and is observed with congregational prayer and ritual sacrifice by Muslims throughout the world.
It follows upon the great tradition of the Prophet Abraham who was prepared to sacrifice his own son, at the command of God. Each year, Muslims who have the means, have immortalised his act of submission by sacrificing an animal and distributing one third of the meat to the poor, and one third of the meat to friends and family, while retaining only one third for themselves.
The five days of Hajj also incorporate the pelting of the devil, in the same way that Prophet Abraham pelted the devil, three times, when tempted in the desert. These Abrahamic traditions that are honoured in Islam are reminders of how similar we are in doctrine and constitute ties that bind us together as a people. May they be symbolic of our own intentions to dispel evil from our lives and to feed the disadvantaged in our communities.
I am thankful for this opportunity to wish the Muslim pilgrims who have journeyed from our shores, and all pilgrims worldwide, an accepted Hajj or Hajj Mabroor. It is indeed a momentous occasion to have completed the Hajj – one of the five compulsory pillars of Islam. Congratulations and Alhamdullilah – all Praise is due to Allah.
To those who have remained at home to attend the Congregational prayer, I wish you Eid Mubarak. May Allah bless your families and may you enjoy in your lives the peace and harmony of spiritual attainment. For those who perform the sacrifice in obedience to your Lord, may your sacrifice be accepted and may you rise with your sacrificial animals on the Day of Judgement.
May we as a plural society benefit from the examples of sacrifice, and the welfare system established in Islam to assist the poor. May this occasion be a joyous one for all our families as we continue to live in harmony and with respect for the treasured values and mores of all our religions, our races and our cultures.
We are indeed a blessed nation to have the privilege of sharing in and participating with our neighbours in the many traditions that characterise our people. Together we must forge our destiny as an exemplary nation with a focus on sustainable development with economic growth, and prosperity for all.
May God Bless you and may God Bless our nation. Eid Mubarak!