Lagos state experienced a halt to Sallah festivities and continuous rain on Saturday, which prevented most Muslims from leaving their homes and causing them to miss Eid prayers.
The second and largest of Islam’s two major feasts is Eid al-Adha. It celebrates the Prophet Ibrahim’s readiness to obey Allah’s instruction by offering his son Ismail as a sacrifice.
Salat al-Eid, or the Eid prayers, are the Islamic tradition’s holy holiday prayers.
Eid, which in Arabic means “festival” or “feast,” is a time when Muslims gather with their families and the greater Muslim community to celebrate.
The majority of Muslims chose to stay at home due to the rain, while those who chose to attend prayers—which are typically done yearly in an open field or space—did so inside mosques in the state’s Ikeja region.
As a result of the rain, Muslims were unable to participate in traditional activities including open cooking, ram slaughter, and other pomp that usually accompanies Eid celebrations.
According to reports, the rain that began early on Saturday compelled the Muslim communities in the state’s Berger, Ogba, Ikeja, Alausa, Maryland, Fadeyi, and Yaba to pray in different community mosques.
Those who attend the Eid prayer at the Ogba Oluwole Central Mosque were forced to pray inside the mosque because of the rain.
“We had to abandon the open space and resort to the mosque because of the rain. The prayer even started by 9:30 am because people were also delayed by the rain before getting here,” one of the Muslim faithful said.
In the meantime, several devout Muslims in the state’s Epe region claimed they were able to witness the Eid prayers in a public venue at around 10 am. However, it was said that the region was where the rain began.
The Muslim community reportedly comes out in large numbers to carry out the Islamic rites, according to a source who attends the Eid prayers at Jamahtul Islamiyat, Epe, in Alaka Street, Epe.
She said, “There was no rainfall in this area and people came out to pray in our communities. However, the rain started around 12pm after we all got back home to begin the cooking for the Sallah celebrations.”
The Imam of the Alausa Secretariat Community Central Mosque, Imam Gafar, stated that the rain on Eid day was a gift from the Almighty when asked about its importance.
“It (rain) is a blessing from God and the Muslim ummah (community) should be happy about it and not downcast,” he said.
He stated that Muslims who missed the Eid prayer are allowed to offer their own prayer at home with their families, but they are not allowed to say the “khutbah” (sermon or command).
“In the case where the rain prevented the whole community from observing the Eid prayers, they are permitted to pray the next day. But if the community Imam led the Eid prayer in the mosque, those who missed it are allowed to pray at home without the sermon,” he said.
The Hajj, or pilgrimage, of Muslims from all over the world to the Holy City of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, is completed or capped off by the Eid al-Adha (feast of sacrifice).
Every year on the tenth day of Dhul Hajja, the twelfth month of the Hijra Calendar, the Islamic lunar calendar, it is observed.
One of Islam’s two (major) feasts or holidays is eid al-adha; the other is eid al-fitr. Muslims all across the world celebrate it, and non-Muslim nations acknowledge it as a national holiday.
