The Ahmadiyya community is different from other Muslim communities, because they believe the messiah has come in the person of Mizra Ghulam Ahmad. They believe God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious war and institute justice and peace.
Source/Credit: Record-Journal staff
By Kimberly Primicerio | October 17, 2013
MERIDEN — Members of the Baitul Aman “House of Peace” Mosque in South Meriden gathered to celebrate its biggest holiday of the year, Eid al-Adha, Wednesday morning.
Muslim families arrived at the mosque ready to celebrate the holiday known as the “festival of sacrifice.” The festival commemorates the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son at God’s command. The holiday also comes at the close of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Women and men went into their separate halls for prayers and sermons before having a celebratory luncheon.
“It’s a period of remembrance,” said Zahir Mannan, the mosque’s outreach director. “There’s a lot of prayer and thanksgiving.”
The day also reminds Muslims the importance of sacrifice and their gratefulness to God.
Because Ibrahim didn’t have to sacrifice his son, he sacrificed a lamb instead, Muslim families sacrifice an animal earlier in the morning. It can be a goat, lamb, cow or camel. They then give a third of the food to the poor.
“We make sure they have food to eat,” said Talhaht Mannan, vice president of outreach for the women’s auxiliary. “There’s a lot of giving.”
Baitul Aman has been in South Meriden for about seven years, Mannan said. It has about 200 members, he said.
The Ahmadiyya community is different from other Muslim communities, because they believe the messiah has come in the person of Mizra Ghulam Ahmad. They believe God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious war and institute justice and peace.
After a period of prayer, mosque member Ahmad Kusi, led a half-hour sermon. Members sat in chairs or crossed-legged on the floor. Kusi gave a prayer in Arabic before translating it into English.
Kusi said Muslims gathered to remember the occasion and Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice. He reminded the group of young boys and men to continue to pray daily.
Once the sermon was over, men prayed to themselves and quickly got up to exchange handshakes and hugs with others. They began preparing the hall for a potluck lunch.
“This is a major holiday,” said Mahmood Qureshi, mosque president. “We celebrate the sacrifice together and make sacrifice for the sake of God.”
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kprimicerio@record-journal.com (203) 317-2279 Twitter: @KPrimicerioRJ
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