Hyderabad: Muslims across Telangana celebrated Eid-ul-Adha, popularly known as Bakrid, the festival of sacrifice, with immense religious fervour and gaiety on Thursday. The festival, observed on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Zul Hijjah, is considered the second most significant festival for Muslims after Eid-ul-Fitr.
Devotees dressed in festive attire gathered in large numbers at mosques and Eidgahs across Hyderabad and other districts of the state to offer special congregational prayers early in the morning. Major congregations were witnessed at Mir Alam Eidgah, Eidgah Madannapet, Masab Tank Eidgah, Seven Tombs Eidgah, Mecca Masjid, and Shahi Masjid among several others.
At Mir Alam Eidgah, the prayers were led by Maulana Rizwan Qureshi, Khateeb of Mecca Masjid, where nearly one lakh devotees participated in the prayers. Several prominent personalities, community leaders, and senior officials from the Minority Welfare Department attended the congregations and exchanged Eid greetings.
The festival commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience and dedication to Allah. The Almighty was pleased with his devotion and sent a sheep to be slaughtered in place of his son. Ever since then, cattle sacrifice has been a major part of Eid-ul-Adha celebrations. It is a joyous occasion for which food is a hallmark where devout Muslims buy and slaughter animals and share two-thirds of the meat with the poor. Muslims re-enact Prophet Ibrahim’s obedience with the symbolic sacrifice of a lamb, goat, ox, camel, or another animal that is then divided into threes to be shared equally among family, friends, and the needy.
Following the prayers, Muslims across the city performed the ritual sacrifice of goats, sheep, oxen, and other permitted animals.
The meat is traditionally divided into three parts to be shared among family members, relatives, and the poor and needy. The city also witnessed a huge demand for butchers, many of whom arrived from adjoining districts including Vikarabad, Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgonda, and Sangareddy to meet the festive rush and earn seasonal income.
Cattle markets in various parts of the city remained crowded till late Wednesday night and continued witnessing heavy footfall in the early hours of Thursday as people purchased animals for sacrifice. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad police made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peaceful celebrations across the city. Police pickets were deployed at sensitive locations while intensive patrolling was carried out in several areas. Similar Eid congregations and celebrations were reported from districts across Telangana. The festivities are expected to continue till Saturday.