Muslims all over the country today celebrated Aidiladha on a moderate scale, but with a sense of gratitude and the spirit of sacrifice.

They attended prayers at mosques and surau and slaughtered animals such as cows and goats to mark the festival of sacrifice which comes at the end of the annual Haj pilgrimage.

Prime Minister Najib Razak joined more than 10,000 fellow Muslims at Aidiladha prayers at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.  

Najib, who was attired in a pink ‘baju Melayu’, was accompanied by inspector-general of police Ismail Omar as he arrived at the mosque at about 8.30am, and was greeted by the grand imam, Ustaz Ehsan Mohd Hosni.

After the prayers, Najib shook hands and exchanged Aidiladha greetings with fellow Muslims who had lined up to greet the prime minister.

Najib, accompanied by Ismail, also sprinkled scented water on the grave of his father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, at the National Mausoleum at the mosque, and recited prayers.

During the celebration of Aidiladha, Muslims commemorate and remember the trials of Prophet Ibrahim.

One of the prophet's main trials was to face the command of Allah (God) to kill his only son.

When he was prepared to submit to Allah's will, Allah revealed to him that his "sacrifice" had already been fulfilled and that his love for Allah superceded all others.

In Perlis and Kedah , the festival comes at a time when some 70,000 people are putting their houses in order in the wake of the massive floods earlier this month which had driven them to relief centres.

They are grateful though that they did not have to celebrate the occasion at the relief centres.

Sacrificial slaughter

In Selangor , Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor attended Aidiladha prayers at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in Shah Alam, along with more than 10,000 people.

Also in the congregation were Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and several state executive councillors.   

Twenty-nine head of cattle had been donated, including by the sultan and the state government, for sacrificial slaughter.  

The sacrificial slaughter of six cows was conducted at the Shah Alam district police headquarters in Section 11.

Projek Lintasan Shah Alam Sdn Bhd (PLSASB) also conducted the sacrificial slaughter of four cows at the An Nur surau in Taman Sri Lembayung, Section 25, and distributed the meat to nearby residents.  

In Kelantan , the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra Sultan Ismail Petra, attended Aidiladha prayers at the Muhammadi Mosque in Kota Baharu and exchanged greetings with the people at the Istana Balai Besar adjacent to the mosque.

The Tengku Mahkota is scheduled to hold a sacrificial slaughter of animals at the Kompleks Islam Jubli Perak Sultan Ismail Petra in Panji at 10.30am tomorrow.

 

The Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V, is in Mecca to perform the Haj, along with Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed.

In Perak , the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, attended Aidiladha prayers along with more than 3,000 people at the Sultan Azlan Shah Mosque in Ipoh. The Raja Dihilir of Perak, Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa, and several members of the Perak royal household also attended the prayers.

Also in the congregation were state executive councillors, state secretary Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim and heads of government departments.

Perak Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir is in Mecca for the Haj pilgrimage and is expected back on Nov 23.

The state government held a sacrificial slaughter of three cows and two buffaloes, organised by the Perak Foundation, at the residence of the menteri besar in Ipoh.

- Bernama