Public celebrations of Eid al-Adha will go ahead across Bradford following the lifting of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions, today.
England has entered step four of the Government’s Coronavirus roadmap plan, with rules on social distancing and large gatherings relaxed, amongst others. There are now no limits on how many people can meet, with the “1 metre plus” rule removed except in some places like hospitals and passport control when entering. There is also no limits on guest attendance at weddings and funerals, no limits on people attending concerts, theatres or sports events, and no restrictions on communal worship.
Last year, public Eid al-Adha celebrations were cancelled across parts of England, including Bradford, a mere few hours before plans were to go ahead, due to a swift change in local lockdown rules. The restrictions also meant that separate households were not allowed to meet in each other’s homes.
People were angry, rightly so, at the last-minute cancelled celebrations, with food prepared and gifts already bought for children for Eidee. Speaking last year, Bradford Council of Mosques President Zulfi Karim, said: “Imagine it’s Christmas and you get this bombshell? Coming together of friends and family is actually a major part of the day of Eid – it’s a sharing of food and gifts and coming together.” Easing restrictions in time for the public celebration of Eid al-Adha is important for the transition “back to normal” and for a sense of community.
Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, is the second of two official holidays celebrated within Islam, the first being Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast” which marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha celebrates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God’s command.
In the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for four days. In the international calendar, the dates vary from year to year, shifting approximately 11 days earlier each year. This year it lasts from the evening of Monday 19 July to the evening of Friday 23 July.
Eid al-Adha also falls in line with Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and of supporting their family during their absence from home.
Adli Wahid.
As of 12 June 2021, the Saudi authorities announced that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, pilgrims from outside the Kingdom would not be permitted to enter Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj in 2021. Hajj rites will be limited to 60,000 pilgrims who already reside in the Kingdom. Those wishing to perform Hajj must be between 18-65 years old and comply with health and vaccination requirements.
Last year, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah advised Muslims to postpone their pilgrimage until the pandemic was mitigated. However, the Ministry opened up Hajj to people of all nationalities residing in Saudi Arabia, with foreigners banned from attending to ensure pilgrims’ safety and prevent the transmission of Covid-19.
A spokesperson for Eid in the Park, held by IslamBradford, one of the largest open-air Eid-prayer events in Bradford, said: “It’s a relief for the community to celebrate Eid this time round with fewer restrictions, but I think we all know that we’re not out of the woods as yet.”
IslamBradford is a community organisation established in 2004 and is a local affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain. The Eid in the Park event at Infirmary Fields off Lumb Lane is one of the highlights of the calendar at IslamBradford. It is held twice a year, after Ramadan and after Hajj. The open-air Eid prayer for the entire family is not only Sunnah but is also an unforgettable large gathering attracting worshippers from all over the city.
The spokesperson also said: “We’ll be encouraging people at our outdoor prayers this year to voluntarily continue observing social contact and to minimise physical contact. God willing, the pandemic is coming to an end and back to business as usual in 2022.”
Subject to weather conditions, all brothers and sisters are welcome to join in an Eid prayer and a short khutba in English, starting at 9.30am at Infirmary Fields, BD1 2QL, between Westgate and Lumb Lane.
However, despite restrictions easing, Covid-19 has not gone away, with positive cases and hospitalisations increasing daily. In Bradford, 3,299 people have tested positive for Covid-19, up 57.7%, with 6 deaths, up 50%, from last week.
The Muslim Council for Britain (MCB) says: “Our community is proportionally less vaccinated especially as we are predominantly young (up to half of British Muslims are under 24 years old), we are also predominantly from ethnic minorities which are at the highest risk and the Indian delta variant is increasing at a very fast rate across the country.
“These factors need to be considered especially as the lifting of restrictions does not remove our responsibility as Muslims to protect each other and others from harm.”
They also said: “Whether organising multiple congregations within the mosque or a large congregation outdoors, we advise mosques to ensure an updated risk assessment in place, if outdoors get permission from local authorities, pay special attention to crowd control and management, and continue to encourage safety as the variant is still present, i.e. avoiding hugging and having good ventilation.”
When asked about what it feels like to be celebrating Eid al-Adha with other people after last year’s plans were cancelled, a member of the community said: “We are lucky that we are getting Eid just one day after the easing of restrictions. We will meet each other, eat together, gupshup after a year now.
“In the morning, I will get ready then go for Eid Prayer, will spend all day with family and late evening with friends gupshup. The following two days will follow a similar routine.”
