Eid, an Islamic holiday celebrated by approximately 1.4 billion people across the world, holds monumental importance in the life of a follower of Islam known as a Muslim. Two types of Islamic holidays exist, Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha. Eid-Ul-Fitr, an Islamic festival, marks the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Zainab Alagha, a Muslim Olathe East student explained the origin of the name, Eid-Ul-Fitr.

“Fitr came from the word Iftar and Iftar means breakfast. Iftar means when you break your fast, you eat. We have Ramadan and it’s the whole month when you fast. The day after, you will not be fasting this day. So I think that’s why it’s called Eid-Ul-Fitr. In Ramadan you don’t eat breakfast. In Eid-Ul-Fitr, you eat breakfast,” said Alagha.

Eid-Ul-Fitr occurs the day after the Holy Month of Ramadan ends. Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, honors the first revelation of the Holy Book Muslims consider as the Word of God, the Quran.

“We fast from before sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is a month when you get a chance to worship Him [God] more, to do more good deeds. You get more rewards,” said Alagha.

Salma Omar, a Muslim student at Olathe East specified what she loves about the Holy Month.

“For the entire month [of Ramadan], we are avoiding all the desires and temptations and sinful activities. We’re focusing more on our spiritual side, our spiritual connection to God, but not only just spiritually, but mentally and physically,” said Omar.

Yosra Hassan, an Olathe East junior described her favorite part of Ramadan.

“I love the vibes. It’s so peaceful. Ramadan nights are my favorite, to be honest,” Hassan said.

Eid-Al-Adha, the second Islamic holiday, occurs at the end of Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam and a mandatory pilgrimage performed by Muslims. The festival of Eid-Al-Adha honors the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim, known also as Abraham, to sacrifice his son, Ismail, in submission to the will of God. Muslims believe the order to sacrifice Ismail was a test from God. God instructed Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son through a dream. Prophet Ibrahim informed his son Ismail of his dream. Ismail did not hesitate to encourage his father to obey God’s command. As Prophet Ibrahim moved to sacrifice Ismail, God ordered Ibrahim to sacrifice a ram He sent down from Heaven and Prophet Ibrahim sacrificed the ram instead of his son, Ismail. For this reason, Muslims are commanded to sacrifice an animal during Eid-Al-Adha in the name of God. Rules exist to govern the way an animal is slaughtered in Islam.

“You can sacrifice sheeps, goats, cows. You can sacrifice beef. They [The animal] should be really fine. If there’s a sheep and they have a problem, like maybe this sheep is sick so you can’t really sacrifice this sheep. These animals, they should be in good health and a good look because you’re sacrificing them for Allah, for God,” said Alagha.

Muslims view Eid as a significant and remarkable holiday. Millions of Muslims look forward to celebrating Eid.

“It’s like when someone you love gives you a gift, you will not reject it, you will not say no, I don’t want your gift. So it’s like Allah is giving us a gift. This is why we celebrate it [Eid],” said Alagha.

Muslims often greet each other with the greeting Eid Mubarak. Eid Mubarak literally means blessed celebration but can be translated to Happy Eid or ‘Have a blessed celebration.’ Many attend Salat-Al-Eid, a prayer followed by a khutbah, or sermon revolving around Islam.

“I feel like Eid is the time for us to kind of get together as a community, not only that, but like as families. It’s a really good time to bond. Eid is like happy times, just good vibes, good energy,” Omar said.

Muslims hold multiple views of what Eid stands for.

“[Eid] It’s where you can do a lot of good deeds on this day, like feed your family with the date[s] and go to the prayer and to give gifts. It’s a really important day for me. I really love this day,” said Alagha.

Muslims all over the world spend and celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha in different ways. The festival serves as a joyous and enjoyable occasion for a multitude of Muslims.

“Eid is beautiful,” said Alagha.

How Muslim Olathe East Students Spend & Celebrate Eid:

“I usually go to San Joseph, Missouri. I pray there and then, after prayer, we go to a farm and we slaughter goats and then we give some of the meat to the homeless and the rest to the family. After that, we go out for Chinese with my entire family,” Hassan said.

“My mom cooks home food a lot and she cooks a lot of food and we help clean the house the day before. It’s weird, but every Eid, we change our curtains and put on really nice ones. Typically, we have breakfast with some of our relatives,” said Omar.

“By wearing new and beautiful clothes. Getting money and gifts from my dad and my family, my uncles. Eid is also where you get money from your uncles or your dad. Just drinking Arabic coffee. Eating a lot of sweets, sweet things, and candy,” said Alagha.

Basima Khan // Staff Writer