Abraham’s story takes center stage

Today, as Muslims around the world celebrate the holiday Eid al-Adha, known as the Feast of Sacrifice, thousands of Richmond-area Muslims will gather at the Arthur Ashe Center for a morning prayer service.

The holiday comes at the end of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. According to Islamic teachings, the hajj is a spiritual journey that cleanses the soul and wins absolution. Yesterday, nearly 3 million Muslims converged on Mount Arafat, a rocky desert hill outside Mecca to perform the ritual of forgiveness marking the climax of the hajj.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim who can financially afford to must perform it at least once in his or her lifetime.

Ammar Amonette, prayer leader or imam at the Islamic Center of Virginia in Chesterfield County, recently taught a workshop for several area residents who made the pilgrimage to Mecca this year.

Eid al-Adha, the three-day holiday that begins today, commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son.

"Muslims believe that Allah commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael," Amonette said. "Abraham had a vision of the act; in his vision he saw himself standing over his son holding a knife. When the time came for the actual sacrifice, Ishmael was readied and Abraham stood over his son, he raised the knife as it was in his vision, but then a ram appeared at the bush and God told Abraham to spare his son and use the ram."

Muslims, Jews and Christians have the common belief of Abraham and the events leading up to the sacrifice. Christians and Jews believe that it was Abraham's son Isaac who was to be sacrificed.

On this holiday, some Muslims use unblemished lambs as a sacrificial offering to remember Abraham's story. Amonette also taught some members of the Islamic Center the fundamentals of this ceremony, considered an act of faith.

"It is significant," he said, "because it is symbolic of Abraham and the commandment he was given by God to sacrifice his son as an offering."

The meat from the lambs that are sacrificed will be divided and shared among the people who participate, Amonette said. "We believe in taking care of the needy, and one-third will be offered to them."

Muslims also sacrifice their time to worship God, called Allah in the Muslim faith, he said.

"Many people say they do not have time for prayer, but that is just an excuse," Amonette said. "People have always been busy and will be busy; you just need to do it."

Prayer is observed five times per day as the sun is in certain positions. Because of the factor of the sun changing positions, prayer times will vary slightly. Prayer is held before sunrise, in the middle of the day, midafternoon, evening and night.

Muslims believe prayer to be a commandment by God that sometimes can present challenges.

"We understand sometimes prayers must be combined or delayed," Amonette said. "Suppose a doctor was in the middle of surgery? He couldn't stop and do his prayer, so it is understood sometimes things happen."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.