Eid al-Adha is connected with Hajj

What is the relationship of Eid al-Adha with Hajj? This has become a debated issue among some Muslims. Some Muslims say that Eid al-Adha must be celebrated a day after the Wuquf of Arafah. Others argue that Eid al-Adha is not linked to the Day of Arafah or rituals of Hajj but is a separate Islamic institution and it must be observed in accordance with local Moon sighting. Following are some of the most significant arguments of both groups. 

The contemporary scholars who claim that Eid al-Adha is not connected with Hajj and relate it directly to the local Moon sighting argue that al-Adha, like Eid al-Fitr, was instituted by the Prophet (PBUH)Hajj institution. The Prophet initiated the two Eids after observing inhabitants of Madinah celebrate their two local festivals. He (PBUH) instead institutionalized the two Eids as alternate Islamic festivals. The Hadith reports:

“Anas ibn Malik reported that in pre-Islamic Jahili period people (in Madinah) used to celebrate two annual days of festivity. When Prophet (PBUH) came to Madinah he said, “you used to have two days of celebration, Allah (SWT) has replaced them with better two days: the day of Fitr and the day of Adha.”

There are some reports that the Prophet (PBUH) offered the first Eid prayer at Madinah in the first year of migration.

&Abu Bakr al-Jazairi also maintains that the Eid institution was inaugurated in the first year of Hijrah.

The more authentic and widely accepted report, on the other hand, elucidates that the first Eid prayer was observed in the second year of the Hijrah. Imam Nawawi,

Ibn Hajar and many other known authorities have maintained this point of view. Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani explains:

Mulla Ali Qari, the author of Mirqat, further explains that the first Eid prayer initiated in the second year of Hijrah and personally lead by the Prophet (PBUH) was the Eid al-Fitr.

Sulayman al-Jamal, like many others, maintains that Eid al-Adha was also institutionalized in the 2^nd year of Hijrah.

Hajj, on the other hand, was made obligatory in the sixth year of Hijrah. Some scholars argue that Hajj^th or 9^th year of Hijrah. Al-A’yni narrates: was initiated even later than that perhaps in the 8

Imam al-Nawawi also reports that Hajj was promulgated in sixth of Hijrah or in the ninth of Hijrah

The initiation of these two important institutions of Islam at two different timings, in view of the first group, illuminates the fact that the two Islamic institutions are not intertwined. They are separate entities.

Secondly, the Prophet (PBUH) connected Eid al-Fitr with completion of the month of Ramadan i.e., the first day of Shawwal, while Eid al-Adha was connected with the 10^th of Zil-Hajjah. There is no report that the Prophet (PBUH) ever tried to 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. The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have regularly slaughtered the sacrificial animals during his ten year’s stay in Madinah, as Tirmidhi reports:

In spite of the fact that Tirmidhi has accepted the report as “Hasan”, some Hadith authorities have questioned the authenticity of this report.

Mubarakpuri observes that Hafiz Ibn Hajar has also mentioned this Hadith without going into depth of it. But Mubarakpuri also declares Tirmidhi’s report as week.

It is an established fact, as seen above, that the Prophet (PBUH) along with Muslim community of Madinah was regularly celebrating Eid al-Adha and sacrificing animals. He 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 10^th of Zil-Hajjah. Ten days period was sufficient to figure out exact sighting date in Makkah. This historical fact, to the scholars who argue complete separation of Eid al-Adha and Hajj, proves that the Day of Arafah is not directly connected with Eid al-Adha. To them Eid al-Adha is connected with the 10^th of Zil-Hajjah and not with observance of Hajj. The Muslim scholarship agrees that the day of sacrifice is 10^th of Zil-Hajjah as is usually prescribed in the books of Islamic Fiqh:

The Day of Arafah is connected with actual 9^th day of Zil-Hajjah.

The authentic Prophetic Ahadith connect act of sacrificing with the month of Zil-Hajjah also. For instance Imam Muslim narrates:

 “On the authority of Umme-Salama that Prophet (PBUH) said, “When you see the Moon of Zil-Hajjah and if you intend to make sacrifice, hold off cutting your hair and clipping your nails”.

The Prophet (PBUH) also promulgated Eid al-Adha rules without any reference to the rituals of Hajj or Arafah as the following Hadith shows:

The first thing to be done on this day (first day of Eid al Adha) is to pray; and after returning from the prayer we slaughter our sacrifices (in the name of Allah) and whoever does so, he acts according to our Sunna (traditions) and whosoever slaughters before the prayer then his performance of the rite is nullified and he has presented just the meat to his family."

Narrated Jundab: On the day of Nahr the Prophet (PBUH)… said, "Anybody who slaughtered (his sacrifice) before the prayer should slaughter another animal in lieu of it, and the one who has not yet slaughtered should slaughter the sacrifice chanting Allah's name on it."

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "Whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, he just slaughtered it for himself, and whoever slaughtered it after the prayer, he slaughtered it at the right time and followed the tradition of the Muslims."

Thirdly, even after the Hajj was made obligatory, Eid al-Adha remained the same independent institution. There is no report that the Prophet (PBUH) made any conscious effort to find out the Day of Arafah or to correlate Eid al-Adha with the Day of Hajj or 10^th of Zil-Hajjah in Makkah. Had it been a significant religious issue to link the Adha with Hajj then the Prophet (PBUH) would have made efforts to search for the Day of Arafah in Makkah. Instead he went with the local sighting of Madinah.

Fourthly, the Muslim Ummah for the last 14 centuries has been following this tradition of separating the Adha from Hajj. The 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 and would have caused undue hardships for the Ummah. That is why the Classical jurists seem to be 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 10^th of Zil-Hajjah rather than Makkan 10^th of Zil-Hajjah. The Muslim historians narrate incidents which clearly show that quite often the Eid days were different in different localities and, that very often these days were different from the days of Arafah and Eid in Makkah. For instance Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani reports that the Hujjaj performed their Adha prayer on Saturday while the Caliph himself along with the local community performed Adha prayers on a Friday.

Fifthly, that Ibadat are connected with specific timings. For instance, the Day of Arafah is required to be observed on the 9^th of Zil-Hajjah and act of sacrifice on the 10^th day of Zil-Hajjah or during the rest of the days of Tashreeq. Nobody is permitted to intentionally do Wuquf of Arafah before or after the 9^th of Zil-Hajjah and the sacrifice before the 10^th or after the 13^th of Zil-Hajjah. There are exceptions for unintentional mix up. The Hanafi jurist Abu Bakr al-Kasani explains the point in the following words:

Sixthly, the scholars of Islamic Fiqh have clearly established a demarcation line between the rules and rituals of Hujjaj (pilgrims) and rules and rituals for the non-Hujjaj. For instance Maulana Abdullah Saleem contends that “The salah of Eid-ul-Adha is wajib (incumbent) upon all those Muslims who live in such towns where the salahs of the two Eids and Jumma are correct according to the specifications of the towns given by fuqaha (jurists). Mina satisfies such specifications, yet, it is not wajib (incumbent) upon those hujjaj who are present in Mina on the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah to offer the salah of Eid-ul-Adha even though Mina has been known to be a part of Makkah and within its city limits from the beginning.”

He further argues that “The sacrifice of Eid-ul-Adha is wajib (incumbent) upon all those who posses enough wealth to satisfy the least condition of nisab (those who are sahib-al-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 caused by 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. In Maliki school of thought, it is required that the one making the sacrifice for Eid-ul-Adha must not be a Hajji (pilgrim), even though, he may be Makkan.”

He gives another example of how the Hajj rituals are different from the set of Eid al-Adha rituals. He states that “If an individual is not able, monetarily, to give the ritual sacrifice of tamattu and qiran, then he will fast for ten days in lieu of the sacrifice. As it has been stated in the Quran: “he must make an offering such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he should fast three days during the Hajj and seven days on his return, making ten days in all....” (2:196) Whereas, if a non-Hajji is unable to give the sacrifice, he is not obliged to fast for ten days or give any other expiation, making the ritual of sacrifice of Hajj given by the pilgrims separate from the sacrifice of Eid-ul-Adha.”

Maulana Abdullah Saleem explains that the place itself is factor for Hajj while not for Eid al-Adha. “The sacrifice of Eid-ul-Adha may be performed anywhere, however, the sacrifices of tamattu and qiran can only be given within the limits of Haram.”

He concludes that “Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha and their respective sacrifices are two separate and independent forms of worship. One is neither contingent nor linked to the other.” 

The bottom line for this group is that Hajj and Eid al-Adha are two separate Islamic institutions and intertwining and entangling them would violate the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), Consensus of the Ummah and geographical as well historical realities. Mufti Taqi Usmani argues that doing so, “is in total disagreement with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah, and with the Shari'ah position recognized throughout the centuries. This is an unprecedented view which has never been adopted by any of the Muslim jurists during the past 1400 years, and it has a number of intrinsic defects and anomalies…”

They maintain that Muslims all over the globe, just like Eid al-Fitr, should follow their local sighting and celebrate the Eid al-Adha according to their local 10^th day of Zil-Hajjah.

Discussion of these arguments:

The concept of Eid and annual festivity was present in the Arab society before the advent of Islam in Arabia. The Qur’an has also used this term in connection with Prophet Jesus’ nation.

Said Jesus the son of Mary: "O Allah our Lord! send us from heaven a Table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a solemn festival (Eid) and a Sign from Thee; and provide for our sustenance, for Thou art the best sustainer (of our needs)." (Al-Maidah:14)

The linguistic meanings of Eid denote something annually or most frequently returning, something that harbingers joy and bliss, as al-Zurqani explains:

The Hajj in itself is a very deep rooted ancient institution. The Qur’an clearly states that Prophet Ibrahi’m was asked to make the call for Hajj.

"And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men; they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; "That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name of Allah, through the Days Appointed, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat ye thereof and feed the distressed ones in want. "Then let them complete the rites prescribed for them, perform their vows, and (again) circumambulate the Ancient House." (Al-Hajj:27-29)

In fact quite a number of the Qur’anic exegetes argue that the Hajj was initiated by Adam (PBUH). It is also historically known that the institution of Hajj was connected with the sacrificial acts of Prophet Ibrahi’m and included animal sacrifice as well as Wuquf at Arafah. The Polytheists of Makka were revered throughout Arabian Peninsula mainly due to their being the custodians of  Ka’abah and rituals of Hajj. The Qur’an did not abrogate all the rites of Hajj which were historically performed by the Polytheists from the times unknown. Contrary to that, the Qur’an retained many of these practices though modifying them in accordance with the essence and philosophy of Islamic Shari’ah, as al-Bukhari reports:

The Qur’an itself indicates that modification:

Imam al-Qurtubi puts the point in the nutshell by stating that the addressees of these Qur’anic verses were the polytheists:

It is also a known fact that the Polytheists of Makka used to leave for Mina on 8^th of Zil-Hajjah and used to call it the day of al-Tarwiyah. They used to stand at Arafah on 9^th and do their sacrifices on 10^th of Zil-Hajjah. Although it is known also that due to internal fighting sometimes the month of Zil-Hajjah was itself changed or prolonged, as some of the Qur’anic exegetes elaborate in explaining the following verse.

“Verily the transposing (of a prohibited month) is an addition to Unbelief: the Unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year, and forbidden another year, in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by Allah and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But Allah guideth not those who reject Faith.”(Al-Towbah:37)

Mujahid explained the verse by observing that the Polytheists used to offer pilgrimage two years in row in a specific month and then move to the next month. The Hajj this way was actually done in months other than the month of Zil-Hajjah. The Hajj coincided with the month of Zil-Hajjah when Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) in the 9^th year of Hijrah led Muslims in the Hajj.

Contrary to that Burhan al-Din al-Biqa’ee, the author of Nuzam al-Durar, after a detailed research, concludes that Hajj was never performed except in the month of Zil-Hajjah. That was the case even before the advent of Islam. He also gives the logical reasons for naming the month of Hajj with Zil-Hajjah.

The above discussion proves that the month of Zil-Hajjah took its name from the institution of Hajj itself. The name goes far beyond in the history long before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Therefore, it is an undeniable historical reality that the institution of Hajj, its fixed days, months, most of its rituals such as circumambulation around the Ka’abah, standing in the plain of Arafat, at Muzdalifa, stoning the Jamarat, sacrificing the animals and even Takbeerat (supplications) were institutionalized long before the Prophet (PBUH). Though many of these rituals were over time changed in essence as well as spirit and, in their current forms were quite different from the original teachings of Prophet Ibrah’im (PBUH). The Prophet of Islam (PBUH) purified these rituals and brought them in line with the true spirit of Abrahamic traditions. That is perhaps the reason that the Qur’an did not have to explain many details of the Hajj rituals as they were quite known to the local Arabs of the Prophetic times. For instance the Qur’an talks about the months of Hajj without stating which months they are.

“For Hajj are the months well-known. If any one undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj and whatever good ye do, (be sure) Allah knoweth it. And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, O ye that are wise!” (2:197)

Imam Qurtubi observes this fact by stating that Allah SWT did not specify the Hajj months because they were already known to the Arabs:

The Prophet (PBUH) never had to introduce the concept of Day of Arafah, Day of al-Nahr or sacrifice, the Days of Tashreeq or Takbeerat. He did not need to explain to his Disciples when to perform these Hajj rituals. I do not recall seeing anything in the Hadith where the Prophet (PBUH) had to connect the Day of Arafah with the 9^th of Zil-Hajjah or the Day of Sacrifice with the 10^th of Zil-Hajjah. These were the facts known to his audience. Only the Qura’nic exegetes and Classical jurists explained these dates (while explaining the Day of Arafah or the Day of al-Nahr) that they occurred on the 9^th and 10^th of Zil-Hajjah consecutively.

We know for fact that the Prophet (PBUH) used to perform Hajj and Umrah even before receiving the revelation. He also performed Hajj and Umrah after receiving the revelation while in Makka before his migration to Madinah. Muhammad al-Kharshi reports that al-Marwi maintained that the Prophet (PBUH) performed all the Hajj while staying in Makka.

Salah al-Din al-Safdi reports that the famous narration from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (PBUH) performed one Hajj and four Umrahs accounts for the Prophetic Hajj and Umrahs performed after the migration to Madinah. That report does not preserve the numbers of Hajjs and Umrahs performed before revelation or while at Makka:

Ibn Kathir also maintains that the Prophet (PBUH) must have done multiple Hajj before migration to Madinah.

Moreover, the concept of the month of Ramadan and worship in it was also prevalent in the Pre-prophetic Arab society. Actually the Prophet (PBUH) used to worship in the Cave of Hira long before receiving the Qur’anic revelation and that occurred mostly in the month of Ramadan. That is where the first Qur’anic revelation came and the Qur’an makes it abundantly clear that the Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan.

Safi al-Rahman Mubarakpuri has calculated the precise date and day of the first revelation and proven that it was 21 day of Ramadan, August 10 of 610 AD.

The authors of Seerah also prove that the Prophet (PBUH) used to worship in the Cave of Hira in the month of Ramadan.

There was a brief period of pause in the revelation after the first remarkable encounter with Jibreel. The revelation resumed again at the end of the month of Ramadan on the first day of Shawwal, as Safi al-Rahman Mubarakpuri maintains:

It is important to note here the final sentence of this quote from Mubarakpuri. He is giving a possible explanation for the Prophetic choice of the first day of Shawwal as the day of festivity of Eid al-Fitr. Although the fasting of the days of Ramadan were made obligatory for the Muslims at large in the 2^nd year of Hijrah, the Prophet (PBUH) himself used to utilize the month of Ramadan for multiple acts of worship long before its prescription for the general Muslim consumption. The month of Ramadan was connected with the revelation of the Qur’an, with the annual Prophetic devotional retreat to the Cave of Hira. The first of Shawwal was also very significant for the Prophet (PBUH) as the day of joy and happiness when he was combined with his family after month long absence and solitary retreat.

These historical facts throw sufficient light upon the reasons why the two specific days of the year were institutionalized as the days of Eid festivities for the Muslims. The Prophet (PBUH) did not initiate these two Eid days out of the blue. He seemed to be basing their initiation on the seasons of Hajj and Ramadan. Many Classical jurists have noted this subtle relationship between the season of Hajj and the two Eids. For instance, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, observing this connection, settles nothing short of ascertaining that both the Eids are directly connected with the season of Hajj itself.

Ismai’l al-Haqqi, the author of Tafseer Ruh al-Bayan also illustrates the philosophy behind these two days of Eid and links them directly to Hajj.  

He further connects these two days of Eid with the eschatological concept of Akhirah.

We can argue now that the two Eids are not solely independent institutions but are closely related and absolutely connected with the other obligatory pillars of Islam such as fasting and Pilgrimage to Makka. The Prophet (PBUH) was guided by Allah SWT to pick up these two specific days because of their intrinsic relationship with two of the most significant acts of Islamic worship. The Muslim community was at a loss to observe fasting in Makka due to severe physical persecution. Most of them were hiding their Islam as a result of multiple layers of abuse not confined only to physical and mental torture. The Prophet (PBUH) instituted the month of fasting in accordance with the Divine commandment as soon as the circumstances permitted him to do so in Madinah. Fasting of the month of Ramadan, Zakat al-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha were prescribed almost at the same time in the 2^nd year of Hijrah, as already noted above. Hajj could have not been prescribed as it was connected directly with the places such as Ka’akbah, Arafat and Muzdalifah. Those places were under the authority of aggressively hostile Polytheists. Islam did not require Muslims things that were beyond their control. The Prophet (PBUH) performed Umrah during the Hudaybiyyah incident even before the Hajj was made obligatory. Presently, Hajj is obligatory while Umrah is just a Sunnah.  

Such an understanding of some of the Classical scholars that the two Eids were prescribed to celebrate the seasons of fasting and Hajj is supported by the sequence of the Qur’anic verses in Surah al-Baqarah. The sequence starts with the verses of fasting and ends with the verses of Hajj. It starts with:

 “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint.” (2:183)

Then it goes to the issue of Moons. 

 “They ask thee concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for pilgrimage. It is no virtue if ye enter your houses from the back: it is virtue if ye fear Allah. Enter houses through the proper doors: and fear Allah: that ye may prosper.” (2:189)

Then the Qur’an goes straight to the rituals of Hajj and Umrah.

“And complete the Hajj or Umra in the service of Allah, but if ye are prevented (from completing it), send an offering for sacrifice, such as ye may find, and do not shave your heads until the offering reaches the place of sacrifice. And if any of you is ill, or has an ailment in his scalp, (necessitating shaving), (he should) in compensation either fast, or feed the poor, or offer sacrifice; and when ye are in peaceful conditions (again), if any one wishes to continue the Umra on to the Hajj, he must make an offering such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he should fast three days during the Hajj and seven days on his return, making ten days in all. This is for those whose household is not in (the precincts of) the Sacred Mosque, and fear Allah, and know that Allah, is strict in punishment.” 

“For Hajj are the months well-known. If any one undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj and whatever good ye do, (be sure) Allah knoweth it. And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, O ye that are wise!”  

“It is no crime in you if ye seek of the bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage). Then when ye pour down from (Mount) Arafat, celebrate the praises of Allah at the Sacred Monument, and celebrate His praises as He has directed you, even though, before this, ye went astray.”

“So when ye have accomplished your holy rites, celebrate the praises of Allah, as ye used to celebrate the praises of your fathers, yea, with far more heart and soul. There are men who say: "Our Lord! Give us (Thy bounties) in this world!" But they will have no portion in the Hereafter.”

Finally these verses culminate in the Takbeerat of the Days of Tashreeq.

“Celebrate the praises of Allah during the Appointed Days. But if anyone hastens to leave in two days, there is no blame on him, and if anyone stays on, there is no blame on him, if his aim is to do right. Then fear Allah, and know that ye will surely be gathered unto Him.”
 

Furthermore, almost all of the rituals and rules of Eid al-Adha are directly related to and actually derived from the rituals of Hajj. The Qur’an actually addresses the Hujjaj in the first place and ordinary Muslims perform these rituals following the rules connected formerly with the Hujjaj. For instance the months of Hajj mentioned in the Qur’an start with the first day of Shawwal and end with the 9^th day of Zil-Hajjah.

Imam Shafa’ee tells us the precise beginning and the ending of the months of Hajj.

Hajj is not completed without staying at Arafah. Non-Hujjaj fast that day so as to share the blessings of that international Muslim gathering.

The commandment of sacrifice is also originally addressed to the Hujjaj and secondarily to the Muslims at large.

Al-Budn mentioned in the Qur’an is actually the camel or any other permitted animal taken to the Ka’abah for sacrifice. 

The sacrificial camels We have made for you as among the Symbols from Allah: in them is (much) good for you: then pronounce the name of Allah over them as they line up (for sacrifice): when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat ye thereof, and feed such as (beg not but) live in contentment, and such as beg with due humility: thus have We made animals subject to you, that ye may be grateful.

Imam Qurtubi observes that the original address is to the Hajj. The ordinary Muslim is asked to perform the sacrifice so that they can share the reward of Hujjaj gathered in Mina. 

Even the Takbeerat of Tashreeq are originally addressed to the Hujjaj. The ordinary Muslims follow the Hujjaj in these rules. Many Classical jurists have peculiarly noted this connection between the rituals of Eid al-Adha and rituals of Hajj. 

Ibn al-Arabi also observes that the original addressee of the Qur’anic injunction is the pilgrim and then all the Muslim Ummah: 

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah makes a significant observation that the sacrifice of Hujjaj in Mina is the foundational principle to be followed by non-Hujjaj Muslims all over the world. That is why the Day of Sacrifice in Mina is termed by the Qur’an as the bigger Eid and the Hajj al-Akbar because it combines the sacred Eid time with the sacred place:

The famous Hanbali Jurist Hafiz Ibn Rajab explains the relationship of Eid al-Adha prayer with the movement of Hujjaj from Muzdalifah to Mina. He reports that this is the position of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal that the common Muslims are to follow the movements of Hujjaj in Makka and do the Eid prayer within the time frame when the Hujjaj are throwing pebbles at Mina.

Imam al-Bhaghawi states that the Muslims all over the globe are to follow the timings of Hujjaj in the Takbeerat of Tashreeq. This is the position of Ibn Abbas, Malik and Shafa’ee. 

Imam al-Sarkhasi reports that Imams Shafa’ee and Abu Yousuf were of the same opinion about the timings of Takbeerat.

I have brought these multiple quotes from authoritative Hanafi, Shafa’ee, Maliki and Hanbali sources to make the point that these juristic authorities are united in their understanding that the Eid al-Adha rituals such as the Eid Prayer, act of sacrificing the animals and even the Takbeerat of al-Tashreeq are in subordination to the acts of Hujjaj. Therefore, the claim that the Eid al-Adha is an absolutely independent Islamic institution totally disconnected and detached from Hajj and fully self-regulating by all means is far from the truth. It seems altogether otherwise. The Eid al-Adha is conventionally attached with the institution of Hajj. It is precisely the imitation and reminiscence of some of the acts of the final Pillar of Islam called Hajj. It is as much connected with the sacred place as with the sacred time.

The classical Hanbali scholar Mansur bin Yunus al-Buhuti also maintains that Eid al-Adha is connected with the place and the time.

The first ten days of Zil-Hajjah are the most sacred days of the year.

Ibadah in these ten days is more rewarding than even Jihad.

The act of fasting in these days is also rewarded manifold.

There can not be any doubt that the enhanced reward in these days is connected with the international gathering of Muslims in Hajj. The Hajj culminates in the Day of Eid. That is why Muslims all over the globe are asked to participate in that so that they might get the reward of such a big Muslim gathering and share their supplications. The fasting of the Day of Arafah is also connected with the Wuquf of Arafah. Non-Hujjaj are encouraged to fast that day so that they can share supplications of the Hujjaj. The Pilgrims are not encouraged to fast on the day of Arafah. Actually majority of the jurists forbid pilgrim’s fasting so that Hujjaj can focus upon their supplications. The non-Hujjaj are encouraged to fast that day by the Prophet (PBUH) himself.

Due to such a connection, some jurists have permitted special gatherings in the Masajid to commemorate the Wuquf of Arafah and join in the supplications. Ibn Abbas was the first one to initiate that.

During these ten days of Zil-Hajja, the rituals of Hajj and the acts of Hujjaj take precedent over every other act of worship in the vicinity of Makka. There is almost a kind of consensus among the Muslim jurists that the Day of Arafah and the Day of Eid al-Adha will be when the Hujjaj will stay in Arafat and when they will slaughter their animals. Some scholars maintain that this rule is specific to the Hujjaj. The others argue that this is generic rule which applies to all the Muslims.

This rule is applied even if the Hujjaj made a mistake and stood at Arafah on a wrong day say a day ahead or later that real 9^th of Zil-Hajja.

Imam Muhammad bin Hasan al-Shaybani, the renowned student of Imam Abu Hanafi, states that the Imam’s decision is carried even if the person saw the new Moon with his own eyes and the 9^th of Zil-Hajja according to the actual sighting was different than the day of AArafah announced by the leader:

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah narrates that there is no difference of opinion among the jurists that the month of Eid al-Adha should be observed in unity. No jurist has ever allowed that those who sighted the Moon should go by their sighting and celebrate the Day of Arafah according to the actual sighting or slaughter the animals according to their actual sighting. They must go with the majority of Muslims.

Following the Hajj authority or the Imam of Hajj will exonerate the Muslims from any mishap in the Hajj or the celebration of Eid.

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali goes further than that. He, like many other Hanbali, Maliki and Shafa’ee jurists, concludes that the Day of Eid la-Fitr is not the exact day of the first of Shawwal and the Day of Arafah is not the exact day of the 9^th of Zil-Hajjah but what was accepted and celebrated by the Muslims. Likewise the Day of Eid al-Adha is not the exact day of the 10^th of Zil-Hajjah but the day when the Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha to the best of their knowledge and understanding that that day was the day of 10^th of Zil-Hajjah even if it was proven to be wrong.

It should be abundantly clear by now that the Eid al-Adha is not divorced from the Wuquf of Arafah and the Hajj as some of the contemporary scholars usually contend. They are mutually well connected. The two Eids were not prescribed out of the blue but were intertwined with the completion of the month of Ramadan and the Hajj, the two pillars of Islamic devotional system. The Prophet (PBUH) linked the new month with the actual sighting of the new Moon as it was the only authentic source available to confirm the new month at that time. He did not depend upon the news of sighting of Zil-Hajjah in Makka for the first 8 years of Hijrah as the Ka’abah was under the occupation of Makkan Polytheists and they were not very careful about the precise Hajj dates. Following the Makkan lead would have meant nothing to the Prophet (PBUH).

There is a report that the Prophet (PBUH) used to send the sacrificial animal to Makka from Madinah.  

The last Hajj of the Prophet (PBUH) was the Farwell Hajj. The Seerah writers tell us that he left Madinah on the Saturday, five days left in Zil-Qa’adah. They agree that he (PBUH) arrived in Madinah on Sunday, four days passed in Zil-Hajjah. He spent 8 nights on the way.

The sighting of Madinah either coincided with the sighting in Makka or somehow the Prophet (PBUH) knew the true dates of Makka as A’isha says that the Prophet (PBUH) with his Companions left Madinah watching or communicating with the Moon of Zil-Hajjah meaning going parallel with the Moon.

It is a reality that the Muslim community all over the Muslim globe has been going with their local Moon sighting and local days of Arafah and Zil-Hajj. That was the case mostly because there was no way for the Muslims to figure out when the Wuquf and Hajj was performed. The Shari’ah did not require Muslims to explore the true date of Hajj and Arafah because the Shari’ah would not require something beyond human capabilities or things causing hardship to the Ummah. But it is clear that wherever Muslims could figure out the real Day of Wuquf they had preferred to fast on that day and sacrificed the animals on the next day. The reason might be that the increased reward is more connected with the international gathering of the Muslim community and with performance of the fifth pillar of Islam rather than the 9^th day or 10^th day of Zil-Hajjah itself, as shown above.

It is important to notice here that there is no clear text from the Hadith which can require binding Eid al-Adha for the entire Muslim community with the acts of Hajj but, there are plenty of indirect references in the Qur’an and Sunnah that connect this act of festivity with the acts of Hajj and Wuquf, as seen above. Contrary to this, there is no text whatsoever, neither in the Qur’an, Sunnah nor in any authentic classical book of Fiqh which remotely indicate that the Prophet (PBUH), his Companions or any Muslim jurist has ever required to knowingly go against the known day of Arafah at Arafah as announced by the Hajj authority. The Day of Arafah is when the Hujjaj stand at Arafah. This is clearly stated by the Hadith and universally accepted by jurists of all schools of thought. The increased reward is linked with the Day of Arafah and not with the 9^th of Zil-Hajjah.    

Hajj is an expression of Muslim unity and power in addition to being a source of many spiritual reminders. It has a political as well social tone to it. This aspect can be fulfilled only if the Muslim Ummah is united in observing it especially once it has become possible to know in advance when the Hajj is going to be performed. Going with the Hajj is more beneficial (Maslahah) than opposing it due to an unintentional mistake or a wrong Ijtihad on part of the Saudi Hajj authorities.