Joint Eid Al-Adha in Sacramento
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Joint Eid al-Adha or the “Feast of Sacrifice” prayers were held on Thursday, September 24 th at the Jackson Sports Academy, McClellan Park where more than 4000 people gathered to mark the occasion with the largest Eid congregation in the region. This was a true community effort where three mosques namely Masjid Ibrahim, Masjid As-Sabur and SALAM plus the Tarbiya Institute decided to come together and have one Eid. And as an expression of a “division of labor” of sorts the Takbeerat were delivered by Imam Luqman of Masjid Ibrahim, the prayers were led by Imam Kashif of SALAM and the post-prayer Khutba was delivered by Imam Azeez of the Tarbiya Institute. It was a “win win” situation for all as this turned out to be a really diverse and colorful event, the second part of which, a community celebration, was held at the nearby McClellan Conference Center.
During his pre-prayer comments, Imam Luqman reminded us that the first Eid prayers were observed by slaves in this country, an important point to ponder over whenever there is a discussion about Islam in America. And Imam Azeez during his Khutba not only asked for prayers for people suffering around the world but included words of appreciation on the blessings which we as a community continue to enjoy in this country.
The success of the day was continued at the grand celebration after prayers where hundreds of families gathered together to enjoy halal ethnic foods (Pakistani-Afghan-Mexican-Middle Eastern) the outlets of which all had long lines of people in front of them buying their delicious cuisine. The kids also had fun consuming cotton candy and taking advantage of the jump houses. And there were some diverse products for sale including halal vitamins, ethnic fashions and jewelry, and even some small items that the SALAM Weekend School was selling to support a fundraiser.
One way to overcome community differences is to celebrate them together. One hopes that such events will continue to unify Muslims from diverse ethnic backgrounds, races and sectarian divides, as we all collectively pray for peace in our world. A late “Eid Mubarak” from Sacramento, California!
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