What is EID UL ADHA

One important aspect of the Eid ul-Adha is that it commemorates Abraham’s (Ibrahim) readiness to obey Allah and sacrifice his son. To some Islamic people, this son is always Ishmael. That comes as a surprise to Christians and Jews who traditionally think God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

In other Islamic sects, it is not specified which son Abraham was asked to sacrifice. The Eid ul-Adha simply celebrates Abraham’s willingness to comply with the request of Allah to sacrifice a beloved son. At the last minute of this sacrifice, Allah spares Abraham and allows him to sacrifice a goat instead; some accounts say a lamb.

The Eid ul-Adha celebrates the faith and obedience of Abraham/Ibrahim, and the mercy that Allah can show. Animal sacrifice is an important part of the feast. This sacrifice of generally sheep or goats is shared with family, friends and the needy.

The second important aspect of the Eid ul-Adha is that it is the end of the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca for the year. Those who have made the Hajj that year may celebrate the Eid ul-Adha with particular joy. The Hajj is jihad, strife to become more obedient to Allah’s will. Thus to have completed a jihad right before the Eid ul-Adha is cause for great happiness.

Eid ul-Adha also is an important time for family and friends. People dress in their best clothing and share meals. They also will visit family members and then friends. All are expected to attend the mosque for special prayers, and sometimes a brief talk from the Imam.

The Eid ul-Adha may be called by different names in different Islamic countries. It may be called Hari Raya in any country. In West Africa, a Muslim might call it Tobaski. A Moroccan might refer to it is Eid el-Kbir. Indians, Pakistanis and those from Bangladesh call it Id ul-Zuha, and more commonly refer to it as Bakr-Id, or Goat Eid.

Source:- http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-eid-ul-adha.htm

What is Hajj?

Praise be to Allaah.

Hajj means travelling for the purpose of visiting the Ka’bah, the sacred House of Allaah, to perform the rites (manaasik), i.e., the actions and words reported in accounts of the Prophet’s Hajj, such as Tawaaf or walking around the Ka’bah seven times, al-Saa’ee or running between the hills of Safaa’ and Marwa seven times, standing at ‘Arafaah, stoning the Jamaraat (stone pillars representing the Shaytaan) at Mina, etc. Hajj brings immense benefits to people, as they declare the Unity (Tawheed) of Allaah, there is forgiveness for the pilgrims, Muslims get to know one another and learn the rules of their religion, and so on. We greatly appreciate your interest in asking about Hajj even though you are so young and live so far away in Canada. We ask Allaah to enable you to go for Hajj and do all its rites. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Source:- http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/2804

All information about hajj

Study every thing about Hajj in detail:

Introduction, Significance & Philosophy of hajj, Upon Whom Is It Obligatory To Perform Hajj, What are the Timings of Hajj (Pilgrimage), Pillars of Hajj, Sequence Of Rites and Actions For Performing Hajj, Departure From Home, Ihram at Miqat, Talbiyah, Entering Masjid-el-Haram, Istlam (Kissing the Hajr-e-Aswad), Tawaaf (Circling of ka’ba), Nawafal at Muqam-e-Ibrahim, Sa’ee(Running between Safa’ and Marwah), Arriving at Mina, Arriving at Arafat, Arriving at Muzdalifah, Departure from Muzdalifah, Return to Mecca after the sacrifice and hair cut. Perform Tawaaf-e-Afaza, Return to Mina after Tawaf-e-Afaza, Return to Ka’ba and Farewell, Prohibitions During the Pilgrimage, Ahsar, Umra, Types of Hajj, Places of Hajj inside Mecca, Ka’aba, Hajr-e-Aswad (The Black Stone), Hateem, Multazam, Rukun-e-Yemeni, Mutaaf, Muqam-e-Ibrahim (Place of Ibrahim, Zumzum, Masjid-el-Haram, Al-Safa and Al-Marwa, Places Outside of Mecca, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah, Muwaqiat, Haram

From:- http://www.islam.com/hajj/hajj.htm

HAJJ

And pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah, (upon) every one who is able to undertake the journey to it; Holy Quran, (3:97)

The word Hajj means to intend, to win over someone by argument and frequently visit someone. As a religious term it refers to the act of worship: circumambulating the Kaaba (Tawaf, praying and performing the other prescribed deeds).

Hajj is the Pilgrimage to Makkah in Islam. Hajj is the fifth of the Five Pillars in Sunni Islam and one of the ten Branches of religion (Obligations of Islam or Furo-e-Deen) in Shia Islam, which takes place during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Entrance to Makkah itself is forbidden to non-Muslims and the entire city is considered a holy site to Islam.

Baitulla is another name for Kaaba, is a sacred house in the center of Masjid-e-Haram in Makkah and Baitulla means House of Allah. Hence Hajj-e-Baytullah, Hajj-e-Baitullah or Hajj-e-Baitulla means Pilgrimage to the House of Allah.

This is the Worship (Ibadat) that becomes obligatory once in a lifetime. Therefore, its conditions, its difficulties and its rewards are unique.

Those who are able to fulfill this obligation are indeed privileged. But this privilege can become a ban instead of a boon if it is misused. And it is easy to misuse it. Misuse takes the form of oblivion of the rules, carelessness in performance of the rites and ignorance of the importance of the rites of Hajj in the living of one's life.

Therefore, the more sincere effort the Haji (Person who performs the Hajj) puts in, the greater the reward, and this Guide is an aid to this sincere effort according to the fatwa of Ayatulla Al-Uzma Agha Seyyid Abul Qassim Al-Musawi Al-Khui (RA).

Source:- http://www.ezsoftech.com/hajj/