'We hope this season brings you joy': Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha

Muslims worldwide are celebrating Eid al-Adha, an Islamic religious festival that commemorates Prophet Abraham's faithfulness to God after being tested with the unfulfilled command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

The holiday also marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.

"Wishing our Muslim friends a blessed, peaceful and happy Eid Mubarak" Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George said in a post to his Twitter account on July 20. "We all can draw inspiration from the values of empathy and compassion that are celebrated during #EidAlAdha. We hope this season brings joy and peace to you and your family!"

Omid Safi, a professor of Islamic studies at Duke University, explained the holiday to USA Today. 

“Since the notion of sacrifice initially referred to sacrificing that which is precious (thus the test of offering one’s child to God), there is a longstanding Muslim tradition of taking the sacrifice at the symbolic level, implying that the real sacrifice is not the killing of an animal, but rather sacrificing one’s own egoistical desires," Safi said.

Mohammad Hassan Khalil, a professor of religious studies and director of the Muslim studies program at Michigan State University, also discussed the holiday with the newspaper. 

"Since this holiday overlaps with the pilgrimage or the Hajj to Mecca, which takes place in Saudi Arabia, many people will look to Saudi Arabia to determine the timing of this holiday," Khalil said. "In Saudi Arabia, there will usually be a select group of people looking for the new moon."

Traditionally there is a large communal prayer as part of observance, but that is complicated by COVID-19. 

"Each community is different. Some communities may cancel the prayer, some may hold it outdoors with social distancing, while others may hold it indoors, and so on," Khalil said.

When Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha varies by country. In the U.S., it takes place the evening of July 19.