Muslims in Bangladesh celebrate the Eid-ul-Azha on Monday (Aug 12) with attending prayer congregations and the ritual of slaughtering animals which symbolises sacrifice.
The slaughtering of cattle commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son at Allah's command.
The Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated on the 10th of Zilhajj month of the Hijri calendar as Prophet Ibrahim (AS), on this day, some 4,500 years ago, offered to sacrifice his beloved son Hazrat Ismail (AS) who willingly submitted to the will of his father to please Allah. But the Almighty in His benign mercy spared Hazrat Ismail (AS) and instead sent a ram to be sacrificed.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims offer Eid prayers seeking divine blessings, peace and progress for the country.
The main congregation of Eid-ul-Azha is set to be held at the National Eidgah at 8 am with President Md Abdul Hamid is expected to join along with the thousands of devotees.
Eid congregations have been arranged at as many as 582 spots across Dhaka including that of five congregations at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque with its first jamaat at 7 am, and the last one at 10:45 am.
Five-Tier security measures have been adopted for the congregations across Dhaka, police said.
Besides, Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj and Gor-e-Shaheed Baro Maidan in Dinajpur host the country’s largest Eid congregations.
On the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted the Muslim Ummah, including country’s people.
In a greeting message, the president said the spirit of sacrifice of Eid-ul-Azha is a unique example of showing respect and love to almighty Allah.
Hamid called all "to be imbued with the mindset of sacrifice and restraining to pave the way for establishing peace and welfare in society.
“The main message of all religions is the welfare of people,” said the President adding that no religion permits terrorism, militancy, unrest and disorder.
In a separate message, Prime Minister Hasina called upon the countrymen to be imbued with the sacrificing spirit of Eid-ul-Azha for universal brotherhood and welfare of the mankind and welfare of the country.
“Eid-ul-Azha teaches us peace, sympathy, sacrifice and brotherhood. Let us establish a happy, prosperous and peaceful Bangladesh, free from discrimination, by participating in the welfare-oriented activities and realizing the essence of Eid-ul-Azha,” she said.