Eidul Adha was celebrated across the country on Monday with zeal and fervour and a renewed commitment to make the country prosperous and invincible to threats to its integrity.
Small and large Eid congregations were held at hundreds of Eidgahs and mosques across the country. In their Eid sermons, clerics highlighted the significance and philosophy of the sacrifice and urged Muslims to follow the teachings of Islam, which call for greater unity amongst themselves. Special prayers were offered for the integrity, solidarity and prosperity of the country.
The clerics urged Muslims to shun petty differences, stand united and seek God’s blessings. The Interior Ministry had employed security measures to prevent any untoward incidents, with security officials deployed outside mosques, Eidgahs and other places where Eid congregations took place.
In Islamabad the largest Eid congregation was held at Faisal Mosque. In Lahore, the traditional Eid congregation was held at Badshahi Mosque. Eid congregations were also held at Data Darbar Mosque, Masjid Shuhada, Masjid Wazir Khan, Jamia Mosque, Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran, Bagh-e-Jinnah Mosque, Karbala Gamey Shah and Islampura mosque. Special arrangements were also made for Eid prayers in jails across Punjab.
In Karachi, the largest Eid congregation was held at Bagh-e-Quaid-e-Azam while the congregation at polo ground was attended by ministers, Sindh chief secretary and the diplomats of Muslim countries.
After Eid prayers, the faithful sacrificed animals in pursuance of Sunnat-e-Ibrahimi. In Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Masood Kausar and Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti offered Eid prayer at Governor’s House.
Eidul Adha was also celebrated in Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and other areas with a commitment and prayers to steer the country out of crises. Across the world, Muslims marked Eidul Adha on Sunday, with the festival overshadowed by deadly attacks in Africa and Central Asia. This year the festival comes after the turmoil of the ‘Arab Spring’, the pro-democracy protests that swept the Arab world and led to the ouster of the autocratic leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
