Prime Minister’s Eid-ul-Adha Message 2021

My fellow citizens, it brings me great joy to extend Eid-ul -Adha Mubarak to the Muslim community of Trinidad and Tobago and indeed around the world on this auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Adha.

The occasion of Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. It honours the readiness and willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his beloved son Prophet Ismail (Ishmael) without hesitation upon Almighty God’s command. While there are many lessons for us to take from this divinely inspired event, amongst other things, it is a metaphor to teach us that sometimes we are called upon to sacrifice what is most precious in our lives for the sake of Almighty God. As part of our earthly mission, we must be ready and willing at all times to sacrifice our personal desires and pleasures for a higher goal and objective. This includes the betterment of society, as Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) through his conduct demonstrated that he was willing to wholeheartedly give of himself for a higher objective.

Amongst the themes of Eid-ul-Adha, apart from sacrifice, are those of fostering brotherhood and fraternity and sharing happiness with the underprivileged sections of the society. Muslims are mandated to freely give on this occasion for the upliftment of the poor and needy and this is part of the happiness of the occasion. This is a trait that we as a nation would do well to emulate in these trying times.

Unfortunately, this year, we cannot congregate at Mosques for the special Eid prayer due to the pandemic conditions. Nevertheless, this does not stop us from still lending a helping hand to those in need around us. Let us therefore all strive to please our Creator and gain maximum rewards on this occasion.

I pray that as a nation we all have a happy and holy Eid-ul-Adha and that the lessons of this special occasion remain with us.

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