Dear Ali: My firm serves a number of individuals from the Gulf. We recognise and respect our clients, and would like to wish them well on the upcoming occasion of Eid Al Adha. What’s the best way of doing this and when would it be appropriate? LX, Beijing, China
Dear LX: First of all, thank you for showing so much support and respect towards our culture and a special religious occasion.
During Eid, we usually spend time with our family and close friends, but co-workers and colleagues may also participate in the celebration by wishing each other a happy and blessed Eid, offering gifts, such as chocolate, or even sending “Happy Eid” greeting cards and messages via email. It has also become a trend for people to greet each other via text message, but it’s still appreciated coming from our expat and non-Muslims colleagues and friends.
To express your respect to clients from the GCC, you may send a simple email or an e-card with an Eid Al Adha congratulations message. It will be positively noted and certainly appreciated by them and may even help earn you more trust as a business partner. Also, an official letter with congratulations on the occasion of the Eid Al Adha from a general manager of the company would bring more respect and appreciation from Muslim employees, and therefore produce more cooperation and reliability in the future.
You may include any message that wishes prosperity, peace and happiness, such as: “We wish you a blessed and prosperous Eid Al Adha”; or “Wishing you happiness and joy on the festive occasion of Eid Al Adha”; or simply “Eid Adha Mubarak”. The best time to do it is just before the Eid holidays or on the first day of the festival.
There are many other ways to express an Eid greeting, but these are the most popular. It will make us happy if you greet us on these very special days. Say it or write it – it’s up to you. But trust me, It will definitely make our day, as receiving Eid congratulations means a lot to us.
Dear Ali: Can you explain the Adha story, the upcoming Eid and the significance of the occasion? DS, Dubai
Dear DS: It’s described in the Quran along with the teachings of Prophet Mohammed that it’s a duty of every Muslim – and part of the five pillars of Islam – to go on the Haj pilgrimage at least once during their lifetime, unless they are unable to for financial, health or psychological reasons. When this ritual is practised, a festival takes place to celebrate and show appreciation to Allah for his blessings to the pilgrims – it’s considered the second major Eid after Eid Al Fitr, which takes place after the holy month of Ramadan.
The pilgrimage enables Muslims from every part of the world and all backgrounds to come together in the spirit of worshipping God. Millions will gather for the same ritual.
In terms of Eid and its significance, it’s a celebration of the command given by Allah to the prophet Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismaeel to Allah. Before Abraham sacrificed his son, God sent the angel Gabriel to offer Abraham a sheep instead, which was a message that Abraham did not need to sacrifice his son.
That became part of the Haj process – all Haj pilgrims would make a sacrifice, while other Muslims would buy a sheep or goat to sacrifice – and feed the poor and offer money to those in need.
To Muslims, the two major Eids are very important and represent a new start. Many make resolutions to become better worshippers and human beings, and to get closer to Allah. To many, this Eid is also about new starts and a time to forget what’s been upsetting them and to forgive.
Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question.
