The main Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha will come at sunset on July 30. On the eve of the holiday, mufti Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation and the Russian Muftis Council, addressed congratulations to the communities of believers in Russia.
"Let me, on behalf of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, the Russian Muftis Council and on my own behalf, congratulate you and your relatives on the bright holiday of Islam-Eid al-Adha-Kurban Bairam! <…> In the days when the world has faced a common disaster in the form of a coronavirus pandemic, we, Muslims, have a responsible duty to save human lives and provide all possible support to those who are left in a straightened or extremely difficult situation. Almighty Allah has given us the opportunity to show our best human qualities in relation to other people: mercy, kindness, compassion and love," the mufti's message reads.
Mufti Ravil Gainutdin added that Muslims should not despair because it is impossible to perform the Hajj in 2020 due to the pandemic. "To our great regret, this year the pandemic has made its own adjustments in our everyday life and Muslims around the world are temporarily unable to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Kaaba in Mecca. But for us, this should not serve as a reason for despair and inaction," the message reads.
Due to the new coronavirus pandemic, Saudi Arabia canceled the 2020 Hajj for pilgrims from abroad. The pilgrimage takes place with the participation of a limited number of pilgrims of different nationalities living in the country. On July 29, Deputy Chairman of the RMC Rushan Abbyasov said that there are Russians among them.
In his message, Ravil Gaynutdin also noted the work of medical workers who risked their lives performing their professional duties during the pandemic, and the responsible behavior of parishioners who observed the regime of self-isolation. "In our prayers, we wish that Allah will protect medical workers and grant them out of his infinite mercy. <...> Throughout the pandemic, we did not remove our responsibility for strict compliance with all health regulations. Our mosques and our clergy did everything in their power to prevent further spread of the infection and, praise be to Allah, succeeded in this, " the mufti wrote.
About the holiday
Kurban Bairam (in Arabic - Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice) is one of the main holidays of Muslims. It marks the end of the Holy and obligatory Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia - the Hajj. Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah of the Islamic lunar calendar. In 2020, it will start at sunset on July 30.
On the eve of the holiday, the day of Arafat, participants of the Hajj perform namaz at the foot of Mount Arafat near Mecca. On this day, it is also customary to observe a fast. Earlier, mufti Ravil Gainutdin called on the faithful to additional prayer, charity and fasting due to the inability to perform the Hajj.
Eid al-Adha in the capital
The Eid al-Adha morning prayer on July 31 in Moscow will be held only in the Cathedral mosque without the participation of parishioners because of the threat of the spread of the coronavirus. At the same time, the admission of parishioners to Moscow mosques was resumed from June 6, 2020, in compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements, and believers will be able to participate in Friday prayers in Moscow mosques.
The Council of Ulemas also recommended that believers on the holiday do not commit the slaughter of sacrificial animals themselves, but transfer the cost of the sacrifice to charitable foundations in order to avoid large crowds of people and the risk of infection with the coronavirus. In the capital region, sites outside Moscow are used for this purpose. The Religious Board of Moscow and the Zakat Foundation intend to organize the work of points of delivery of sacrificial meat to customers so as to avoid crowding of people and also provided a service of delivery of sacrificial meat to the house.
On holidays, it is customary to visit friends and exchange gifts. In Russia, Eid al-Adha is an official holiday in the republics of Adygea, Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Tatarstan and Chechnya.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Artem Geodakyan / TASS
Based on materials from TASS