Today is Eid al-Adha, the major Muslim holiday commemorating Abraham’s devotion to God.
It’s been a busy day for the millions of Muslims in Mecca performing the Hajj pilgrimage. On this day they circle around the Kaaba seven times. After leaving the Grand Mosque, they hurl pebbles at each of the three Jamrah walls — walls meant to represent Satan — while walking eastward on the path toward Mina, an area nicknamed the “City of Tents” because of all the pilgrims sojourning there.
Outside of Mecca itself, Muslims around the world are likewise commemorating Abraham’s act of obedience. Countless Muslim families, among those possessing means, have had animals slaughtered — typically a goat, sheep, cow or camel — to imitate the slaughtering of the ram which had been sacrificed in place of Abraham’s son. A portion of the meat, in such cases, is intended to be donated to those in need.
The Quran, unlike Genesis, never specifies which son of Abraham was called to be sacrificed. Islamic scholars generally think that son to have been Ishmael, rather than Isaac. Isaac, the father of Jacob (Israel), is indeed recognized as a prophet in Islam. But it’s Ishmael who happens to be
