Dear Editor,

ON the auspicious occasion of Eid-al-Adha, Muslims remember and honour the trials and triumphs of Prophet Ibraham/Abraham (Peace Be Upon Him). Additionally, we recognise that all blessings come from God, and that we should open our hearts and share these bounties he has bestowed upon us with others.
As Muslims across the globe celebrate and honour this historic willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his beloved son for the sake of Almighty Allah, we, the Guyana Islamic Forum for Education, Peace and Religious Solidarity, the Electric Mosque’s Presentation of the Teachings of Islam, in association with the Universal Peace Federation – Guyana, seize this opportunity to extend Eid-al-Adha greetings to the nation of Guyana, His Excellency, President Dr. Irfaan Ali and family, distinguished Members of the Government, the Opposition, and especially to our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.

It must be known that the practice of sacrificing an animal on this occasion has nothing to do with atoning for sins, or cleansing ourselves of sin with its blood. This symbolic act represents our readiness to forego some of our own blessings in order to develop and maintain our relationship with God, with others, and, most importantly, to provide a helping hand to the poor and needy. As a result, the meat from the Eid-al-Adha sacrifice is distributed in three ways: To oneself, to relatives, and to the needy. It is a gesture of humanity to share with those in need who do not have the same access to nourishment as we do. What we truly need to grasp is that in order to offer sacrifices to the Almighty, we must symbolically go to the same lengths as Prophet Abraham; that is to say, sacrificing an animal alone is insufficient, as Almighty God says, “Never does their flesh or blood reach Allah, but your piety successfully reaches him.” (Quran – 22:37).

In light of the forgoing, we encourage everyone to use this opportunity to open their hearts and minds, and to learn to uphold the noble ideals of unwavering service to Almighty God, and humanity in general. We pray that this Eid-al-Adha will deepen our relationship with others, foster harmony, as well as provide peace, prosperity, and well-being to the people of Guyana and throughout the world, especially as we are once again forced to celebrate this festivity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We pray that our selfless sacrifices will bring happiness into our lives and provide salvation for us in the hereafter. Our prayers are also with all those who may be unable to celebrate this occasion with proper revelry due to poverty or other afflictions at this time. We hope that the spirit of Eid-al-Adha – bonding, sharing, harmony, love, togetherness, and peace – will embrace us all.

Eid-al-Adha Mubarak!

Yours sincerely,
Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.