Southland Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha - Chicago Sun-Times

BY MATTHEW BRUCE Correspondent November 6, 2011 10:58PM

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Worshippers wait to start prayers during an Eid Al-Adha holiday service Sunday at the American Islamic Association Mosque in Frankfort. The holiday recognized the trials of Abraham, a prophet in Islam. Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media

Updated: November 7, 2011 2:06AM

Area Muslims gathered at a Frankfort mosque Sunday morning to celebrate a major Islamic holiday.

Eid al-Adha, known as the festival of sacrifice, is a religious occasion celebrated across the world on the 10th day of the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

An estimated 2,500 Southland Muslims took part in a special service Sunday at the American Islamic Association mosque, 8860 W. St. Francis Road.

"This is an opportunity for community members to come together and meet each other," said Khalid Mozaffar, the mosque's director of communication outreach. "It creates the community for sisterhood, bonding, and all the kids enjoy that kind of thing."

The day is a commemoration of the story of Abraham, a prophetic account found in the Quran — the central religious text of Islam. The story of God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his son also appears in Christian and Jewish religious teachings.

Eid al-Adha is the second annual Islamic holiday of the year. The other, Eid al-Fitr, marks the end of Ramadan — the Islamic month of fasting.

Sunday's ceremony at the 6-year-old mosque included a special prayer and sermon during the worship hour, and a meet-and-greet session afterward for parishioners to visit one another.

The service is generally followed up with family gatherings and dinners, which include gifts for children.

"It's so nice, not just because there are a lot of families here, but the younger generation's also here," AIA advisor Shun Haque said. "People who are like 2, 3, 4, 5 — who weren't even born at the time that we moved out here — their parents have started coming here. So it's built a community environment all itself."

The event also included a celebration of the Hajj, the holy trip to Mecca that all Muslims are required take at least once in their lifetime. Several members from the Frankfort mosque who are making their journey to the holy city this year were remembered during the service.

"It's a culmination of our faith because we're supposed to do the pilgrimage," said Richton Park resident Amy Chaaban, who converted to Islam more than 30 years ago. "Even if we're not on the pilgrimage ourselves physically, we can try our best to be there mentally. Also it's a time of family, a time of rejoicing."