Eid el-Adha 2023- 1444h

Eid El-Adha June 28, 2023

From Samaa to the big family of CCMW on the occasion of the Hajj season. With Love, and Best wishes. 

As salam Alaykum:

As we witness the 10 blessed days of the month of Zul Hijja 1444 Hijri, Muslims around the world anticipate with joy and excitement, Eid Al-Adha, the second major Islamic celebration, coinciding with the 28th of June, 2023. In particular, those performing the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mekka, will be also enjoying the exhilaration of having fulfilled one of the five pillars of Islam. 

“Announce to the people the pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every deep and distant highway that they may witness the benefits for them and celebrate (praise) the name of Allah (God) in the well-known days over the sacrificial animals He has provided for them. Eat thereof and feed the poor in want. Then let them complete their rituals and perform their vows and circumbulate the Ancient House”. Quran, Surat 22:Ayat 27-29

In this article, I wish to reflect on one aspect of the social experience of the pilgrimage: the encounter, not to say, the discovery of the diversity of the Muslim Ummah as the Hajj brings together worshippers from around the globe. If in the West, we still find that being Arab implies being Muslim, and Muslims are Arabs only, this article demystifies this stereotype and goes beyond with the facts: https://wisconsinmuslimjournal.org/https-themuslimvibe-com-community-10-beautiful-facts-on-muslim-diversity-around-the-world/

This begs the question of how Islam spread from Mekka, where our beloved Prophet, Peace be upon him, started his call to the rest of the world. I would take the liberty of translating DAW’A as an invitation to Islam, however, others have the opposite view. This is a very complex and polarizing issue. The following article sheds some light on recent research. https://gordonnickel.substack.com/p/expeditions-and-battles?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Also, how our religion spread outside the confines of Saudi Arabia with what is known as the Foutouhat (literary the opening) under the reign of the Ommiad and beyond. 

In the case of North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco), Brahim El-Guabli, Assistant Professor of Arabic Studies and specializing in Amazigh culture, at Williams College, Massachusetts talks about the fierce resistance of the indigenous inhabitants, the Amazigh, to the invasions of the Muslim Arabs. However, over time, North Africa converted to one of the most predominantly Muslim areas of the Ummah. El-Gaubli also points out how in other parts of Africa, Islam has blended with local cultures and traditions, a fact that increases its appeal but also raises tensions with groups that claim to be fighting to implement “true Islam”, like the case of Boko Haram, in Nigeria.

Even if we accept as reliable the studies/opinions of those who advance that Islam was spread by the sword, we observe that nowadays, the most populous Islamic countries are in Asia where no Muslim soldiers went. Rather Islam was transported through traders and grew mainly through marriages. 

As the following video points out Islam, almost invisible 40 years ago, is presently the third religion in the States, and the second in Europe with an estimated 25 million adherents as explained in the following video by John Esposito, Professor of Islam, at Georgetown University and one of the leading US scholars on the subject.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-ciTQHRPZ4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-ciTQHRPZ4

Also, recently, we consider with a sense of pride the growing number of new adherents to Islam from Japan to Latin America. This is proof that above all, the appeal of the universal values of Islam, like honesty, generosity, caring and sharing with others, were and continue to be the strongest argument for embracing our faith. 

And to witness this tremendous diversity of ethnicity, languages, wealth and social standing, united by one creed, is an incredible experience! So, for those of us who haven’t performed yet the Hajj, there is no better time to plan for next year, Insha Allah.

Meanwhile, I wish you a blessed Eid with your family and loved ones.

Samaa welcomes comments at samaa.elibyari@gmail.com.