The literal translation of the word “Eid” in Arabic is “festival” or “feast” and is a time when Muslims congregate with family and the larger Muslim community to celebrate.
Across the UK Muslims begin the celebration of Eid, which is the second and biggest of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam begins with Eid prayers, also referred to as Salat al-Eid, a holy holiday prayer in the Islamic tradition.
Many parks across England accommodate thousands to come along with their prayer mats and offer the two-part prayer, although lockdown meant many Muslims missed out on the congregation of Eid prayers over the last two years, this year many will fall in line, shoulder to shoulder and return to the parks and mosques to fulfil this act of worship.
Religious scholar and teacher of Islamic Studies from Brierfield, Mufti Tayyibah Afzal tells Asian Sunday:
“Eid al-Adha has special significance because the Day of Sacrifice marks the climax of Hajj or Pilgrimage, the fifth pillar of Islam and commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice.
“The story of Qurbani is the symbol of complete submission to Allah’s will. Prophet Ibrahim showed steadfast devotion to Allah, by being prepared to sacrifice his only son Ismail, whom he loved dearly” says Mufti Afzal.
“Muslims adopt this Sunnah of Ibrahim by conducting their own Qurbani and distributing the sacrificed meat amongst poor and vulnerable communities around the world,”.
She explains why there remains a divided celebration for Eid “As it was quite difficult to get news from here when Muslims arrived in the 40s, scholars began following Saudi as an Islamic country although not the closest, Islamically there is the scope of permissibility to follow global sightings in need, as long as the sighting is conducted properly.
“However, there is some ambiguity around whether Saudi adopts actual sightings and whether they are conducted and reported properly on a monthly basis or whether it’s based on the Ummul Qura calendar or via other means.
“Whilst some Muslims follow Saudi Arabia, others follow the nearest Islamic country which follows proper moonsighting criteria adopted such as Morrocco”.
“Local moon sightings have been conducted and documented for several years in the UK now by scholars and experts; therefore, this seems to be the only sensible solution to unity in the UK” Mufti Tayyibah Afzal concluded.
All around the world Muslims celebrate Eid in different ways, such as traditions in Morocco, where a lamb liver wrapped in caul fat, also known as boulfaf is seen as a delectable dish and devoured as a delicacy.
The two main classic Subcontinent sweets that emerge every Eid are seviyan and kheer, the former being fried wheat vermicelli simmered in milk and the latter, a creamy rice pudding-like sweet dish made by boiling milk, with cardamom, sugar or jaggery and rice, and decorated with crushed pistachios.
As seviyan and kheer are usually consumed after Eid prayers, it is not just Muslims that favour these ubiquitous puddings on their religious holidays, as depicted in an Amazon India advert, celebrating love and brotherhood, siblings share a heartfelt moment over kheer during the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Having studied for his post-graduate degree in London, a Pakistani dentist recalls his experience of celebrating Eid in London being different from the celebrations back home with family in Pakistan
Saqib Ali told Asian Sunday:
“There was no food feast waiting for me to be eaten as I was a student and alone there, so we just offered prayers and that’s it. My friends did a gathering but again it was nothing like how it is in Pakistan”.
He describes how Eid is usually spent with his family in Pakistan “Like here we visit our uncles and our aunties. We go to our village, where we have a big villa so on Eid all our family gathers here and on the second day our married sisters along with family come for lunch and I visit my in-laws in the evening”.
Describing the traditions, they uphold Ali says, “We eat vermicelli, which we call seviyan, in the morning usually after Eid prayers, straight after Eid prayers we will do the “Qurbani” sacrifice, then we will have its liver fried and eat followed by the meat”.
“We eat Kheer, as it is usually eaten as a sweet dish and served to guests after lunch/dinner in our household, which is made at home from rice, milk and roasted dry fruits” he added.
Rumana Bukht, a marketing professional based in Manchester, with an accidental academic career, turned entrepreneur shares how “The true spirit of Eid lies in sharing and caring”.
The Managing Director at Made in B, a company that works with local artisans, and small businesses from Britain, Bharat and Bhutan, to create unique British artisan products online, talks to Asian Sunday about the loss of tradition in gift-giving, as you get older.
“Gifts don’t make the rounds anymore like when we were kids but typically, I tend to give away my paintings to my friends and family as an Eid gift”.
She shares what a typical day spent during Eid looks like “I usually start the day with prayers and giving charity, mainly to a women’s domestic violence association, but no Eid is ever complete without a good meal of ‘biryani’ and ‘phirni’ or kheer, which is always on the agenda, and it’s spent calling my relatives, immediate family, aunts and uncles around the world and remembering them on this special day”.
