Muslims to celebrate Eid al-Adha on June 16

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The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) has announced that June 16 will be the day to celebrate Eid al-Adha.

Ahead of the festival, Sheikh Ziyad Swaleh Lubanga, the director of sharia at UMSC, has called upon Muslims to prepare animals for slaughtering.

Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha to honour the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his only son, Ismael, as an act of obedience to God.

After accepting to sacrifice his son and his son also accepting to be sacrificed, God instead provided the prophet with a lamb to slaughter in his son’s place.

In commemoration of this intervention, animals are ritually sacrificed by Muslims around the world on Eid al-Adha, one of the two blessed Eids that Muslims celebrate.

For Eid al-Adha, the Islamic teachings dictate that part of the meat is for the family that offers the animal while the rest of the meat is distributed to the less privileged.

Sheikh Imran Ssali, the secretary for religious affairs at UMSC, said that Muslims can also slaughter in groups subject to conditions.

He guided that the slaughtering of animals is done after Eid prayers lest it remains a normal slaughter. 

“Please, avoid slaughtering animals before Eid prayers because that would be contrary to the Islamic teachings."