eid al-adha activities

the hajj, or pilgrimage to makkah / mecca, is one of the five pillars of islam.
muslims of all races and tongues come together
for three days (minimum) in the month of dhul-hijjah
to worship and glorify Allah
in one of life’s most moving spiritual experiences.
listed below are many ways to celebrate hajj
and its culminating celebration, eid al-adha or the festival of the sacrifice.
eid al-adha is expected to be on or around november 27, 2009 this year.

if you appreciate this
gathering of information,
make dua’ for my family and i
on the day of arafah
that Allah gives us the good in this world,
the good in the hereafter,
and saves us from the hellfire, inshaAllah!

1. make a kaba pop-up card
   
   we followed the directions for this simple pop up.
   however we used black construction paper
   backed with construction paper of a contrasting color,
   turned it on its side,
   and added a strip of gold-glitter glue.
2. read tell me about hajj book
   by saniyasnain khan
   
3. read/recite surah hajj, chapter 22 of the qur’an
4. watch PBS’s muhammad, legacy of a prophet
   there’s a chapter in the DVD that discusses the hajj, as well as a virtual hajj online.
5. make a hajj map
   
6. take part in a local sacrifice or zabihah
7. read or listen to hajj stories
   some communities have an event that allows people who have made the hajj to share their hajj-stories. if not, ask someone that you know to tell you their hajj story with you. you could even interview them and publish their story in your local muslim newspaper.

 

8. discuss the virtues of the first 10 days of dhul-hijjah,
   the 12th and last month of the islamic hijri calendar in which hajj takes place.

    

9. discuss the pillars of hajj:
   1. wearing ihram,
   2. making tawaaf (circumambulate) around the kaba,
   3. going back and forth sa’i between safaa and marwaa, and
   4. staying on arafah.
10. read stories about the history of hajj including
    • the story of sa’i when hajar and baby ismail (as) are left in the desert and discover the well of zamzam
    • the story of the sacrifice when Allah tells the prophet ibrahim (abraham) (as) to sacrifice his son ismail (as), including the stoning of shaytan
    • the story of the building of the kabah
    • the story of prophet muhammad’s (saws) hajj

    all of these stories can be found in these books by saniyasnain khan:
    
    my first quran story book
    and
    
    goodnight stories from the life of the prophet muhammad

11. learn and recite the talbiyah

arabic:

transliteration:
Labbaika Allahomma Labbaik.
Labbaik La Shareeka Laka Labbaik.
Innal-Hamdah, Wan-Nematah, Laka wal Mulk,
La Shareeka Laka

translation:
Here I am at Thy service O Lord, here I am.
Here I am at Thy service and Thou hast no partners.
Thine alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Thine alone is The Sovereignty.
Thou hast no partners.

12. take 3D virtual tour of the inside, outside kaba and masjid alHaram in mecca
    
13. watch journey to mecca
    
14. participate in a mock-hajj
    many schools set up a model kaba and allow the children to dress in ihram and “make” hajj. ask your local muslim school if you can participate.

 

15. play this “i’m learning about hajj” memory-style game

 

16. go on hajj!