Eid al-Adha and its connection with Hajj

The relationship betweenEid al-Adha and Hajj is a hotly-debated issue
among Muslims all over the world. A small minority of Muslims argue
that Eid al-Adha must be celebrated a day after the Wuquf of Arafah in
an attempt to centralize Islam and dictate the Islamic calendar from
Makkah. The majority argue that Eid al-Adha is not linked to the Day
of Arafah or rituals of Hajj but is a separate Islamic event.
Therefore Eid al-Adha must be observed in accordance with local moon
sighting. Here is the simple evidence to support the majority view of
the Ahl Sunna.
1. When Eid al-Adha and Hajj were initiated.
The Prophet (PBUH) initiated the two Eids after observing that the
inhabitants of Madinah celebrated their two local festivals. He
introduced the two Eids as the alternative Islamic festivals. The
Hadith recorded by Abu Daud reports:
"Anas ibn Malik reports that the Prophet came to Madina and saw they
hadtwo days of festivity. He asked, 'What are these two days?' They
said, 'Weused to celebrate these days in Jahiliyya. The Prophet (PBUH)
said, 'Allah has replaced them with better two days: theday of Fitr
and the day ofAdha."
There are some reports that the Prophet (PBUH) offered the first Eid
prayer at Madinah in the first year of migration. The more authentic
and widely accepted report, on the other hand, indicates that the
first Eidprayer was observed in the second year of the Hijrah.
Hajj, on the other hand, was made obligatory in the ninth year of
Hijrah. The Prophet sent Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) as
the head of the Hajj convoy in this year . If Wuquf of Arafah (Hajj)
and Eid al-Adha were so closely intertwined then they would have been
ordained by Allah and the Prophet simultaneously.
2. Hajj Date Confirmation
The Prophet (PBUH) connected Eid al-Fitr withthe completion of the
month of Ramadan, namely the first day of Shawwal. Eid al-Adha was
connected with the 10th of Zil-Hajjah. There is no report that the
Prophet (PBUH) ever triedto find out the day of Hajj or Arafah during
his stay in Madinah in an effort to make Eid al-Adha coincide with day
of Arafah or Hajj.
During the time of the Prophet (PBUH) it was possible to travel
between Makkah and Medinah with ease within ten days. The Prophet
(PBUH) never dispatched anybody to find out exactly when was the day
of Arafah so as to connect the Eid with Arafah. It was quite possible
for him to find out when the Moon of Zil-Hajjah was sighted in Makkah
as the Hajj was performed on the 10th ofZil-Hajjah. Ten days were
sufficient to establish theexact sighting date in Makkah. This
historical fact proves that the day of Arafah is not directly
connected with Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha is connected with the 10th of
Zil-Hajjah and not withthe observance of Hajj.
3. After Hajj became obligatory.
Even after the Hajj was made obligatory, Eid al-Adha remained an
independent institution. There is no report that the Prophet (PBUH)
madeany conscious effort to find out the Day of Arafah or to correlate
Eid al-Adha with the Day of Hajj or 10th of Zil-Hajjah in Makkah. Had
it been a significant religious issueto link the Adha with Hajjthen
the Prophet (PBUH) would have made efforts to search for the Day of
Arafah in Makkah. Instead he went with thelocal sighting of Madinah.
4. Practice of Muslims since the Prophet's (PBUH) time
The Muslim Ummah for the last fourteen centuries has been following
this tradition of separating the Adha from Hajj. History tells us that
no Caliph or scholar has ever tried to search for the Day of Arafah in
Makkah and connect Eid al-Adha with it. Actually doing so would have
been an unsurpassable challenge as Islam is spread across the world
and it would have causedundue hardships for the Ummah. That is why the
classical jurists have not worried about this issue at all. They seem
to be content with the local moon sighting and connecting Eid al-Adha
with the locally agreed upon 10th of Zil-Hajjah, rather than Makkan
10th of Zil-Hajjah.
5. Differences between those performing Hajj and those who are not
The scholars of Islamic Fiqh have clearly established a distinction
between the rules and rituals of the Hujjaj (pilgrims) and rules and
rituals for the non-Hujjaj.
For instance Mina is actually classed as part ofMakkah and falls
within its city limit. As such Eid al-Adha is Wajib (incumbent) upon
all those in Mina and yet no Hujjaj who is present in Mina on the
tenth of Dhul-Hijjah offers the Salah of Eid-ul-Adha. If Eid al-Adha
was the celebration of Hajj and was so closely linked then one would
expect the actual people who have performed this spiritual journey to
offer the Salah of Eid-ul-Adha -but they do not.
Furthermore, the sacrifice of Eid-ul-Adha is Wajib (incumbent) upon
all those who posses enough wealth to satisfy the least condition of
Nisab. However, such a sacrifice is not required by the Hujjaj in Mina
according to most Fuqaha (jurists). The sacrifice made by the Hujjaj
is not the result of them being Sahib-al-Nisab but rather by them
combining umrah with Hajj in the Hajj of Tamattu or Qiran. If the
Umrah is not combined with Hajj, then even this sacrifice is not
required.
Conclusion
Unity in the Ummah does not come from centralization. Hajj is the key
pillar of Islam and an event of great power and spirituality but this
isfor the Hujjaj (pilgrims) who are actually performing the Hajj in
Makkah and the surrounding areas. It is clear that no attempt wasbeen
made to directly intertwine Hajj and Eid al-adha in Islamic
history.Eid al-Adha should be marked on the locally agreed upon 10th
of Zil-Hajjah rather than Makkan 10th of Zil-Hajjah.