Thousands of Muslims have gathered over the past three days at various locations in Ottawa to pray for mercy and forgiveness from Allah, and to commemorate the great trial of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was asked by Allah to make the ultimate sacrifice, the sacrifice of his son Ismail.  The story of Prophet Ibrahim and his firm faith in God is well known to the followers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

The Eid falls on the day following the Day of Arafat, where the Pilgrims gather to ask their Creator to grant them mercy and forgiveness so that they will have a new beginning -  a slate that is wiped clean of sins.   It is at Arafat where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) delivered his last sermon and asked those present to witness that he in indeed did deliver the Message from Allah.  The day of Eid marks the end of the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Many Pilgrims will, however, stay in Mecca for a few more days or will visit Medina where the Prophet Muhammad is buried and where he spent the last years of his life.

An estimated 5 million Muslims will have prayed together in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, signifying the end of the Hajj.  Muslims around the world like those in Ottawa will have similar gatherings expressing the unity of the Ummah (Muslim Nation), people of different languages and race bound together by one Faith.

The Hajj or Pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and every Muslim is required to perform the hajj once in his or her life.  Every year  groups of Muslim families in Ottawa journey to Mecca to fulfill this religious obligation and to strengthen their faith.  Planning usually takes place at least one year ahead and for some many years ahead as they must have the economic means to embark on such a spiritual journey.  This year, Faquir Mohamed Faquiri made such a journey.   Faquiri, now a Canadian citizen, but who came to Canada as an Afghan refugee, finally realized his dream to fulfill the fifth pillar of his faith.   As members of his family celebrate Eid al Adha in Ottawa, their hearts and minds are with him, hoping to greet him days from now when he returns to share his experience and stories of other Muslims he would have met from around the globe.

Over a three day period, beginning Friday, February 21, Muslim organizations and mosques arranged Eid al Adha prayers to accommodate the more than 60,000 Muslims who live in the Ottawa area.   This year has been particularly challenging as local organizations made arrangements for prayers on different days, partly due to the lack of coordination on the pronouncement of the day of Eid and partly due to the availability of space in Ottawa to accommodate the large number of Muslims.

Ottawa Congress Center

Most people attended Eid prayers on Friday and Saturday, where the crowds were so large that multiple prayers had to be held at locations such as the Nepean Sportsplex, Britannia Park, and the Ottawa Mosque at Scott Street.   On Sunday, February 24, approximately 500 people gathered at the Ottawa Congress Centre to offer their prayers and Eid greetings to friends and family.  The low turn out being an obvious indication of the large turn out on the previous two days.

An ever increasing problem for the Muslim community is the lack of space to hold events such as Eid prayers and other community events.   In spite of the large size of the Ottawa Muslim community, a Muslim community centre does not exist in the city, and for large events such as Eid celebrations, existing facilities such as the Ottawa Congress Centre is still not large enough.  Members of the Muslim community has been raising such issues for a number of years, pressuring community leaders to direct their efforts towards meeting the needs of a fast growing community.
 

Standing in prayer at Ottawa Congress Center

On Saturday, at the Lakeside Gardens, Britannia Park, Hafiz Anver Malam, Imam of the Masjid Umar mosque in Nepean, delivered his Eid sermon to approximately  500 worshippers.  Imam Malam reminded the congregation about the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim, whose story plays a prominent role in the performance of the Hajj.  An hour later, Muhammad Kiyani, delivered another sermon to a second group of worshippers who could not be accommodated in the first prayer due to the lack of space.

Muhammad in his sermon asked the worshippers to reflect upon the trial of Prophet Ibrahim and the firmness of faith of his son Ismail who encouraged his father Ibrahim to carry out the commandment of Allah to sacrifice him.   Muhammad Kiyani told the worshippers that they are obligated to educate and nurture their children in Islam so that they can have firmness of faith such as Ismail.  He also pointed out that like Prophet Ibrahim, all Muslims must put their complete trust in Allah, no matter what the adversity.   That Allah will remember you if you remember Him.

On Sunday, Abdul Rashid, led the Eid prayer on behalf of the Ottawa Muslim Association at the Congress Centre.   Abdul Rashid reminded the worshippers of a number of verses in the Qur'an that relate to the story of Ibrahim and Allah's command to build the House (Kaa'ba in Mecca) of Allah and to sanctify it.   Abdul Rashid asked the worshippers to think about their own sacrifices, sacrifices to uphold Islam and all of its tenents, and sacrifices to help Muslims around the world, as they are all part of one Ummah.

 

 

Rehan Huda and sons at Lakeside Gardens

A special day

Ali Bokhari and Ayman Faris exchange Eid greetings