Muslims Worldwide Perform Eid Al-Adha Prayers
Muslims worldwide flocked to perform prayers to celebrate Eid al-Adha on Saturday.
Following the prayers, many began to slaughter animals, a ritual honoring the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham to Jews and Christians) to sacrifice his own son on God’s behest, before the command was revoked.
The meat of sacrificed animals is shared with the needy.
Muslims in Northern Cyprus flocked to mosques for Eid prayers. Hala Sultan Mosque in the capital Lefkosa and other mosques across the country soon filled up before prayers.
Ersin Tatar, the country’s president, prayed at the Nurettin Ersin Pasha Mosque in the coastal town of Girne.
People also flocked to the Martyrs’ Memorial in Republic of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to perform prayers. President Ilham Aliyev issued a message celebrating the holiday.
Muslims in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan celebrated Eid al-Adha with traditional sports and charity events in the courtyards of mosques. In the capital Nur Sultan, prayers took place at the Hazrat Sultan Mosque.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev underlined the special role of Eid al-Adha in strengthening society’s spiritual values, harmony, and stability.
In Uzbekistan, the public went to the Char Minar Mosque in the capital Tashkent for prayers. Muslims filled the streets and surroundings next to the mosque when there was no place left inside.
Thousands of Muslims in Kyrgyzstan did prayers in front of government buildings, including the president himself.
"For a long time, our ancestors sacrificed during Eid al-Adha, expressed their good wishes, and recited from the Quran. They distributed sacrificial meat to the needy, which strengthens the sense of kinship and respect,” said Sadyr Japarov.
Muslims living in the Balkan countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo also welcomed Eid al-Adha with great enthusiasm.
Thousands of Muslims also flocked to mosques in Syria and Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to perform the Eid prayers.
In some Muslim countries, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Sunday.