Eid-Al-Adha

 "Adha" literally means sheep, goats or cattle offered in sacrifice.  All Muslims should celebrate by sacrificing cattle and this day has been determined by Allah to rejoice.  This Eid is linked to the incident of the sacrifice of Ismail by his father Prophet Ibrahim.  About two thousand seven hundred and 93 years before the migration (Hijrat) of Prophet Mohammed (p.b.u.h).  With Allah command, Prophet Ibrahim let Syria towards Mecca with his wife Hagar and his infant son Ismail.  Mecca at that time was a barren desert with no water or food for miles.  In seeing this, prophet Ibrahim prayed to Allah:
 "O our Lord!  Surely I have settled a part of my offspring in a valley unproductive of fruit near Thy Sacred House.  Our Lord!  may they keep up prayer:  therefore make the hearts of some people yearn towards them and provide them with fruits, happily they may be grateful."  (Surat Ibrahim verse 37).
After this prayer he left them and went back to Syria.  Hagar settled until all the water she had was finished.  She climbed the hills of Safa and Marwa seven times without stopping hoping to find water for her thirsty baby.  Without any luck she returned to her son finding beneath his feet gushing water.  With joy she cried "This is Zamzam" and thanked Allah.  A tribe known as Jurhum noticed that birds were circling around area indicating that water was near.  They followed the birds finding Hagar and her baby around the fountain.  With the permission of Hagar they settled at a place called "Arafat".  Prophet Ibrahim came to visit and was delighted to see the tribe encamped and approved of their stay.  The tribe grew very fond of Prophet Ismail and presented him with gifts of sheep; by the time he was mature he owned a large number of sheep.  Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq narrated that one day Prophet Ibrahim was in Mashar-al-Haram with Hagar and Ismail.  That night he had a dream that he was slaughtering his son Ismail.  As a command of Allah he prepared to fulfill this deed.  He approached his son and said, "O my son!  O my son!  surely I have seen in a dram that I am sacrificing you; consider then what you see (what is your opinion)."  Ismail said, "O my father, do what you are commanded; if Allah pleases, you will find me among the patient ones."  (Surat Saffat: verse 102)  After hearing this he took a knife and his son to a place known as "Mana".
 "So when they both submitted (prepared for sacrifice) he (father) threw him (son) down upon his forehead."  (Sura Saffat:  verse 103)
Then Prophet Ibrahim moved the knife across Ismail's neck.  At that moment Angel Gabriel replaced Ismail with a sheep and Allah said:
 "O Ibrahim!  you have indeed materialized your dream; surely thus do we reward the doers of good.  Most surely this is a manifest trial.  And we ransomed him with a great sacrifice.  And we perpetuated (praised) him among the later generation." Sura Saffat: 104 -108)
 Prophet Ibrahim took off the mask from his eyes and found Ismail standing and a slaughtered sheep on the ground.  He prostrated gratefully to Allah and took Ismail to the Kaaba.  This devotion of worship by Prophet Ibrahim was such a great pleasure of Allah that he ordered all Muslims to commemorate this act till dooms-day.