Hundreds of Muslims around Fiji today celebrate Eid Al-Adha or the Feast of the Sacrifice.

Muslims celebrate the festival by carrying out a Qurbani, meaning sacrifice, commemorating the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God’s command.

Hafiz Dean says Eid Al-Adha is about giving back to the poor especially at a time when Fijians are struggling.

“Today we start with a prayer at the mosque after that we go to the places wherever we have arranged for the meat to be sacrificed and distributed to the poor. So that everybody has a good meal. We look to our neighbours no matter what religion they are either Indian, Fijian or Muslim – so to whoever takes meat we distribute to them. “

School teacher Mohammed Feroz says the celebrations are also about joy, love and unity.

“Thinking about poor people, thinking about less fortunate those people that are suffering and we are doing this sacrifice in God’s name. We are praying hard that this pandemic goes away from this world and we live peacefully in this world.”

The Celebration is the last of the two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide, the other being Eid al-Fitr.