Tag Archives: religion

Eid-ul-Adha – Eid Mubarak

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A post contributed by Hasan Gilani about Eid-ul-Adha (Eid of sacrifice) which takes place on Tue, 20th July in 2021.

There are two key Eid’s (Celebration Festivals) in Islam: Eid-ul-Fitr, which signifies the completion of the Holy Month of Ramadan (which was celebrated in May this year); and Eid-ul-Adha, the greater Eid, which follows the completion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, at the time of Qurbani (sacrifice).

Eid al-Adha literally translates as “Feast of the Sacrifice”. This is because it honours the famous story of the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim – known in the Christian Old Testament as Abraham – to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. Eid ul-Adha celebrates the time when Ibrahim had a dream which he believed was a message from Allah asking him to sacrifice his son Isma’il as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey Allah and spare his son. At the very point of sacrifice, Allah replaced Ismail with a ram, which was to be slaughtered in place of his son. This command from Allah was a test of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness and commitment to obey his Lord’s command, without question. Therefore, Eid-ul-Adha means the festival of sacrifice.

To remember Ibrahim’s story, Muslims ritually sacrifice animals – normally sheep, goat, lamb, cow or a camel – on Eid al-Adha. A third of the meat is consumed by the family who perform the sacrifice and the rest is given to the poor.

The purpose of sacrifice in Eid al-Adha is not about shedding of blood just to satisfy God. It is about sacrificing something a Muslim loves in order to advance the festival’s message. It is also about donating to the poor and sharing meat with them as they usually don’t have access to meat throughout the year. Not all Muslims sacrifice an animal themselves. They can buy special meat from shops and donate that. Or they can donate money to charities that give special meat to others. Muslims also give money to charity so that poor people can celebrate too.

All these ways honour the story of Ibrahim. Taking care of others is a very important part of being a Muslim.

Eid ul-Adha is a public holiday in Muslim countries. In 2021, Eid ul-Adha will begin on the evening of Monday 19 July and end on the evening of Friday 23 July.

Muslims wish each other as Eid Mubarak (which means have a blessed Eid) on Eid days.

Ramadhan Kareem – 30 days of Ramadhan part 3

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In addition to our recent post about Ramadhan we are releasing posts to recognise the three categories of blessing over the 30 days of Ramadhan. Post contributed by Hasan Gilani.

Days 20-30

This is called Nijaat, meaning ‘salvation.’ These are also known as the Days of Seeking Refuge. This final stage of the month is about seeking sanctuary from the fires of Hell. Fasting itself is said to be a shield from Hellfire that’s as effective as any physical shield used in battle.

And the dua for this part of the month is…

‘O Almighty Allah, save me from the fire of Hell.’

These last ten days of Ramadhan are very significant as they are when Laylat al-Qadr takes place. Variously translated as Night of Power, Night of Destiny and other names, it commemorates the night when the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Although the prophet did not mention a specific date for the Night of Power, he did say to “seek it in the last 10 days on the odd nights.”

So Laylat al-Qadr is thought to fall on one of the odd-numbered nights in the final ten days of Ramadhan.

Many Muslims take part in the practice of Itikaf, which means staying in the mosque for several days and devoting themselves to secluded worship, away from the distraction of all worldly affairs.

Ramadhan Kareem celebration image of two hot cups for coffee and a bowl of dates shown against a golden background with a crescent moon on the top-right of the image

Easter for Orthodox Christians

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Post contributed by Fr Ian Wallis, Faith & Spirituality Advisor, Orthodox Church

Easter is more properly known as ‘Pascha’ in the Orthodox Church because the early Church used languages – e.g. Aramaic, Greek, Latin – where ‘pascha’ was the accepted translation of the Hebrew word, ‘pesach’ (= ‘passover’) and the conservative nature of the Church has kept the use of this term.

‘Pascha’ survives in English usage as an adjective, as in a ‘Paschal Candle’, which in many Western churches is a special candle that is blessed at Easter, and then subsequently plays a part in the rite of baptism.

The apostolic preaching interprets the death and resurrection of Christ as a new passover for humanity: ‘For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’ (1Corinthians 5, 7,8 AV)

The date of Passover/Pesach (as computed by Jewish authorities) was also instrumental in determining the date of the Christian feast of Pascha: the churches were agreed about this although they did not all celebrate Pascha on the Sunday following Pesach.

When the rabbinic authorities (towards the end of the second century CE) established a new way of computing the date of Pesach – one that specifically disregarded the date of the spring equinox – many Christians questioned the propriety of computing the date of Pascha using a revised date of Pesach i.e. a date computed by a method that was not in use at the time of Christ.

As the Church did not have an agreed method for computing the date of Pascha, it fell to its meeting (known subsequently as the ‘First Ecumenical Council’) at Nicea in 325 CE to decide (amongst other things!) two key elements in the method, as follows:

  • Pascha should be celebrated on the same Sunday by all churches;
  • And the Sunday of Pascha must be the first after the full moon following the spring equinox.

In more recent centuries, the different dates for Easter/Pascha in the Church came about when the Church in the West adopted the New Style/Gregorian Calendar; and the difference arises specifically in fixing the date of the spring equinox, which is a more astronomically correct calculation underlying the Gregorian Calendar. The whole Orthodox Church keeps to the Old Style/Julian Calendar (when computing the date of Pascha) and employs – what has been referred to as – a ‘notional equinox’.

Even before the Gregorian Calendar was adopted, the Church’s forms of worship in the West had developed along different lines from those to be found in the East; and although the basic structure of the eucharist and other services is similar, the style of the ceremonial used in the Orthodox Church is markedly different from that in the Western Church.

Ikon showing Christ in the centre of the image, Adam is shown on his right and Eve is shown on his left, he is surrounded by the diciples and rocks to show Christ's resurrection and emergence from the cave

A traditional ikon for Pascha representing Christ’s resurrection

Outside of church, Orthodox Christians celebrate Pascha in accordance with a variety of local traditions, mainly to do with those foods that should have been abstained from in the Lenten fast, such as eggs, cheese and meat. ‘Pascha’ is also the name given in Russian usage to a special form of cheesecake, which is a key element of their Paschal breakfast.

Ramadhan Kareem – 30 days of Ramadhan part 2

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In addition to our recent post about Ramadhan we are releasing posts to recognise the three categories of blessing over the 30 days of Ramadhan. Post contributed by Hasan Gilani.

Days 10-20

The second set of 10 days is called Maghfirah, meaning ‘forgiveness.’ So these are also known as the Days of Forgiveness.

This is the time when Muslims ask for forgiveness and peace from Allah.

They should apologise for all their mistakes, change their ways and forgive those who have done them wrong.

The dua for this Ashra is:

‘I ask forgiveness of my sins from Allah who is my Lord and I turn towards Him.’

Ramadhan Kareem image showing a golden coffee pot, a bowl of dates, coffee cups and a decorative crescent moon against a golden background

Ramadan Kareem – 30 days of Ramadhan

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In addition to our recent post about Ramadhan we are releasing posts to recognise the three categories of blessing over the 30 days of Ramadhan. Post contributed by Hasan Gilani.

Days 0-10

The first ten days of Ramadhan are also known as the Days of Mercy. This is called Rehmat, meaning ‘mercy of Allah.’

This is the time when Muslims seek mercy and blessings from Allah.

The dua for this part of the month is:

‘O My Lord forgive and have Mercy and you are the best of Merciful.’

In line with these prayers and the meaning of this Ashra (10 days), Muslims display mercy through acts of charity, by treating others well and helping people whenever they can.

A crescent moon symbol with lanterns and stars hangind from it is shown on a purple night sky background with the words Ramadan Kareem

Fasting for Orthodox Christians

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Contributed by: Fr Ian Wallis, Faith & Spirituality Adviser, Orthodox Church

The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church is a body with a long history, and a wide geographical spread. It should, therefore, not be at all surprising that there are (and always have been) differences of practice within it; and that applies as much to the practice of fasting, as it does to the practices of prayer, and worship, that accompany it: what is said here about fasting can only be taken as a general guide.

‘Fasting’ is commonly understood as going without food for a limited period of time, but the Orthodox Church more usually employs the term (in the church calendar) as days when Christians should abstain from certain types of food and drink: this means that on ‘Fast Days’ it is customarily understood that meat and fish (including any sea creature with a backbone) should not be eaten, neither should eggs and dairy products, nor olive oil (other vegetable oils are often substituted) and wine (usually understood as including all alcoholic beverages) should not be consumed.

However, the Gospel teaches Christians that fasting should be done in secret (Matthew 6:16-18) it is better to break the fast than to draw attention to the fact that you are fasting. In particular, when eating with people who are not keeping the fast, Christians are encouraged to be careful to eat what they are given, and also to provide for others a choice of food i.e. no one should be forced to fast.

In Britain, there is a long history of Catholic practice, and substituting fish for meat on Fridays is a well-known custom. However, the Orthodox Christian wider form of abstention (outlined above) is not so well-known, and neither is its extension to include most Wednesdays throughout the year. Similarly, Lent (or the ‘Great Fast’) is relatively wellknown as a period of abstention in preparation for Easter (or ‘Pascha’) but not the fast before Christmas (or the ‘Nativity’) sometimes called the ‘Philip Fast’ (because it starts on 15th November, which is the day following St Philip’s Day). Even less well-known are the fasts in the summer: one before the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (29th June) and one before the Dormition (or Falling-Asleep) of the Most Blessed Virgin (15th August). The Orthodox Church’s calendar tells us when these fasts begin and end (including a number of days not mentioned here) and also those ‘Fast Days’ when fish, wine or oil are allowed.

The Gospel teaches Christians that fasting together with prayer can be of great effect (Matthew 17:21) and the change of diet is offered as a help to prayer. Prayer can be understood as a way of releasing our spirit to love others: if you have loved and served your family, your friends, your neighbours, and your enemies, you have kept the fast.

Birds eye view of a glass of water a crucifix and a slice of break

Photo by Kamil Szumotalski on Unsplash

Holy Week Blog: Easter Sunday

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Today is the final day of our daily blog posts for Holy Week

Thank you for joining us and we hope that you have found these posts helpful and informative.

Contributed by Christian members of the Faith and Spirituality Team.

As soon as the Sabbath was over, at dawn, the women gathered to return to Jesus’ tomb with the intention of anointing his body and wrapping it in a shroud. But when they got to the tomb, they discovered it had been opened. Jesus was not there! The accounts of this discovery vary in the different gospels. Mark tells us the women saw a young man dressed in white, who told them to go tell the disciples that Jesus had been raised from the dead and they were terrified; Matthew’s gospel tells us first an angel appeared to the women and then Jesus himself, telling them to go tell the disciples. In Luke’s two men appear to the women and tell them to go tell the others and much later Jesus appears to them all; and in John’s gospel there is quite a bit of toing and froing, with Mary Magdalene first discovering the empty tomb, returning to get two disciples to have a look. They can’t figure it out and leave. Then as she stands weeping at the tomb, Jesus appears to her. What actually happened we will never know. But in the days to follow, in various ways, people thought they saw him and they seemed to know that Jesus was still with them; and in this knowledge their sorrow turned to joy and they knew they were forgiven for the ways they had let Jesus down. You can read these accounts in the final chapters of each of the gospels.

Christians today believe the resurrection of Jesus was all about the power of love. Jesus lived a life of complete love and his continuing presence in the lives of those who follow him reveals that love is so powerful nothing can defeat it, even death. Resurrection also points to a basic principle of life: good can come out of even the most tragic of circumstances. Dawn follows even the darkest of nights.

In churches, Christians will celebrate with singing, music, shouts of “Christ is risen! Alleluia!” and with joy unbounded! From the Iona Community’s Stages on the Way:

A Prayer for Easter Day

Lord God,
Early in the morning
when the world was young,
you made life in all its beauty and terror;
you gave birth to all that we know.
Hallowed be your name.

Early in the morning,
when the world least expected it,
a newborn child crying in a cradle
announced that you had come among us,
that you were one of us.
Hallowed be your name.

Early in the morning,
surrounded by respectable liars,
religious leaders,
anxious statesmen
and silent friends,
you accepted the penalty for doing good:
you shouldered and suffered the cross.
Hallowed be your name.

Early in the morning,
a voice in a graveyard
and footsteps in the dew
proved that you had risen,
that you had come back to those and for those
who had forgotten, denied and destroyed you.
Hallowed be your name.

This morning
in the multi-coloured company
of your church on earth and in heaven,
we celebrate your creation, your life,
your death and resurrection,
and your love for us and all the world.

So we pray,
Bring new life,
where we are worn and tired;
New love,
where we have turned hard-hearted;
Forgiveness,
where we feel hurt and where we have wounded;
And the joy and freedom of your Spirit,
where we are prisoners of ourselves.

Thank you God,
that dawn comes after darkest night
and we can begin again. Alleluia!
Amen

Painting of Jesus tomb at dawn. Mary Magdeleine is shown in awe at finding the tomb empty and only emitting light. Trees are shown in the background. Painting by Shirley J. Veater

Easter Dawn II. Painting by Shirley J. Veater

The material from Iona comes from Stages on the Way, 1998. Copyright(c) WGRG, Iona community, Glasgow Scotland. wilgooselscotland. Reproduced with permission.

Artworks by Shirley Veater used with grateful thanks. www.shirleyveaterdesigns.co.uk

Holy Week Blog: Saturday

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Blog posts will be released each day until Easter Sunday 4 April

Contributed by Christian members of the Faith and Spirituality Team.

Saturday

Saturday was the Sabbath, a holy day of rest. The disciples were shattered, shocked, heart-broken, terrified, inconsolable. They were probably in hiding. But all the men would have felt guilty. They had not defended Jesus or stayed with him; they were not at the cross to witness his death; they did not help take his body down. Only the women had stayed and observed and wept; and they had seen where his body was taken. Mark tells us nothing about this long sad day.

Some Christians will hold a vigil through the night. Others will spend the day decorating their church with flowers, as if anointing the body of Christ and in preparation for the morrow.

Holy Week Blog: Good Friday

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Blog posts will be released each day until Easter Sunday 4 April

Contributed by Christian members of the Faith and Spirituality Team.

Friday

Jesus was held in the high priest’s house overnight and the interrogating was brutal. In the morning he was taken to the Roman Governor, Pilate, who also interrogated him. He did not find Jesus guilty of much except perhaps self-delusion; but the crowd had been whipped up to demand the death penalty. Pilate conceded and sent Jesus to be crucified. As Jesus was now a capitol prisoner, the soldiers treated him with the utmost severity and mocking him as a self-styled King, they made a crown out of thorns and squeezed it onto his head. He was then made to carry the cross from the prison to a hill outside the city, called Golgotha. He was nailed to it and it was erected, Mark tells us at 9am. Two others were crucified at the same time. Jesus died at 3pm. While on the cross he was goaded by the crowd; but his response was to ask God to forgive them, for they did not know what they were doing. After he died, his body was taken down and put into a newly made tomb and the tomb was sealed. The whole story can be found in Mark, chapter 15.

Good Friday is the most solemn day in the Christian calendar; it is only “good” because Easter Sunday will follow. It is observed by Christians in many ways. The most common is to gather at mid-day for an afternoon of prayer, music, reflection, concluding at 3.00pm when people leave in silence. From the Iona Community’s Stages on the Way:

It was on the Friday
that they ended it all.

Of course,
they didn’t do it one by one.
They weren’t brave enough.

They did it in crowds…
in crowds where you can feel safe
and lose yourself,
and shout things
you would never shout on your own,
and do things
you would never do
if you felt the camera was watching you.

It was a crowd in the church that did it,
and a crowd in the civil service that did it,
and a crowd in the street that did it,
and a crowd on the hill that did it.

And he said nothing.

He took the insults,
the bruises,
the spit on the face,
the whips on the back,
the curses in the ears.
He took the sight of his friends turning away,
running away.

And he said nothing.

He let them do their worst
until their worst was done,
as on Friday they ended it all.
And they would have finished themselves
had he not cried,
“Father, forgive them.”

And begin the revolution.

Painting showing three women standing at the foot of Jesus' cross. Craggy moutains are depicted in abstract in the background with a red/orange sky. Painting by Shirley J. Veater.

Women at the foot of the cross. Painting by Shirley J. Veater

The material from Iona comes from Stages on the Way, 1998. Copyright(c) WGRG, Iona community, Glasgow Scotland. wilgooselscotland. Reproduced with permission.

Artworks by Shirley Veater used with grateful thanks. www.shirleyveaterdesigns.co.uk