بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Alhamdulillah, this week has seen the culmination of sacred, global Islamic rituals and celebrations, and has ended on an especially positive note for our MuslimMatters team.

Firstly, the joyous occasion of Eid Al-Adha was celebrated by Muslims the world over, as millions of pilgrims/hujjaj performed the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia. This year, Muslims pilgrims kicked off the new inter-site Makkah Metro. For some great photographs of Hajj, check out the “Big Picture” Hajj page on Boston.com.

As the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia recited the talbiyah, other Muslims the world over recited takbeers and planned their annual sacrifice of animal(s). Fasting was a top priority as the days were shorter and the weather chillier. Some fortunate Muslims fasted all the first 9 days of the sacred month of Dhul Hijjah.

In my country, sacrificial animals are found everywhere as the day of Eid Al-Adha approaches. The local children love to get really “up close and personal” with these decorated, garlanded udhiyah found everywhere on the streets and roads. This year I tried to photograph animals where ever they could be spotted:

1. In the compounds of homes..
   
   
2. Tied up outside homes on roadsides..
   
   
   
3. In open plots of land between bungalows and palatial houses..
   
   
4. Tied up in the marketplace under apartment buildings…
   
   
5. Inside empty shop places available for rent…(yes, believe it or not, that is a sitting camel!)
   
   
6. Being transported in pickup vans to their proud owners’ homes..
   
   

By the time the sun begins to set at maghrib time on Eid Al-Adha, most of the sacred udhiyah are transformed into mouth-watering delicacies like this:

As frenzied and overworked butchers run around throughout the day doing their work overtime, many a hopeful face among the poor people of the country brighten up with joy as packets of meat are distributed to them in an unrestricted spirit of wholehearted giving, sharing, and caring. It is a fact that thousands of the poor people in our country cannot even think of eating lamb or mutton except on Eid Al-Adha! Besides the main meat, even the trotters, brains, kidneys, lungs, liver, and other anatomical parts of the sacred animals find their way into a heated pot, wherein they are cooked to spicy and tender perfection and eaten with relish.

Last but not least, this week saw voting reach its peak as the Seventh Annual Brass Crescent Awards 2010 neared their final date of online voting, i.e. November 19th, 2010. Alhamdulillah, MuslimMatters.org won in both categories for which it was nominated, “Best Blog” and “Best Group Blog”!

Jazakum Allahu khair, readers, for your votes and support. May Allah bless our efforts here at MuslimMatters.org and accept our endeavors.

How was your Eid? What meaty treats did you enjoy? How much more meat did you give as sadaqah this year?