Nigerian Muslims celebrate Eid al-Kabir amid cost of living crisis

Muslims gathered for prayers in the Nigerian city of Lagos on Wednesday as they marked Eid al-Kabir, Islam’s most sacred festival.

Worshippers dressed in colourful traditional attire arrived at mosques and open prayer grounds in the early hours of the morning for congregational prayers.

The annual celebration comes amid rising food and transport costs making it difficult for some families to buy a sheep for the traditional slaughter.

Also known as Eid al-Adha, the day honours Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God’s command, before a ram was slaughtered instead.

At prayer grounds across Lagos, Muslim clerics urged Nigerians to not lose sight of the commandments of the Prophet Mohammed despite the current economic realities.

“Even though we are facing problems in Nigeria today, the rule and regulation we can follow in order to correct our mistake is for us to follow the rule and regulation of Allah by following what the Holy Quran taught us,” said Yakub Kamarudeen, a Muslim cleric.

After prayers, many Muslim families are expected to slaughter rams and share meat with relatives, neighbours, and the less privileged, in keeping with the spirit of sacrifice and charity associated with the festival.

A Muslim faithful attending the prayers, Mahammad Ahmad, said one of the important parts of Eid was to thank God “for letting us witness this beautiful day”.

The other significance, he said, was to “share love with our family, and because it's in this place that you see that you meet someone that you've not seen in a year”.

Eid al-Kabir or the Festival of Sacrifice is celebrated annually by Muslims around the world during the Hajj pilgrimage season in Saudi Arabia.