The term Dhul Hijjah is derived from the Arabic words Dhul Muqaddin meaning “God is Greatest” and Haqda meaning “veneration”. It is a Muslim religious ceremony in which a man or woman gives thanks to God for all the good things he has created. It is a time of meditation and worship, to praise God. This happens when a person offers worship to God. This is considered an etiquette that is practiced by some Sikhs (Sikh men and women) in India.
There are different versions of how this tradition was started. Dhul Hijjah: Some say that it is a tribute given by a brother to his sister after her groom’s death. The brother then keeps the bride and takes her to his house and then performs the rituals that are believed to be the taking of seven vows. Some versions also tell that it is performed after the death of the groom. However, both are equally significant.
The actual date and time for the actual ceremony vary for each and every religion and region. However, in India and Pakistan it is usually held on the day of D-Day, which is one of the two Hindu festivals. The groom’s family usually invites all the brothers, who are related by blood or marriage, to offer their condolences to the sister and perform the seven vows, which is a prayer to God.
The main purpose of this ritual is to give thanks and praise to God. In fact it is a time of happiness and joy in Islam because one vows to protect her from all evil The bridegroom and his family bless the bride with water and take seven grains of sand, which is the number of grains that would be produced after the creation of the world. After blessing her with sweets, the brother wraps her in a saree which is the Indian traditional wedding dress.
After this the brother leads the bride to the house of the groom and performs the seven vows, which is a goodbye to his former lover and a hello to his new one. On the way to her house he stops at a place called the masjid, which is a prayer place for Muslims. Then he performs two rounds of prostration in front of her. The act of prostration is meant to signify that he now belongs to her, and they will be joined in matrimony.
Another interesting story about the actual meaning of Dhul Hijjah is when I was living in Pakistan and my sister and I were very close. One day she came to see me in the hospital. She told me that she had been waiting for her brother to come for the Dhul Hijjah ceremony since she was a small girl. She said her brother had told her that he would bring her a beautiful woman to marry if only she attended the ceremony. So on that very day, she made her brother promise her that he would do just that.
I suppose in the traditional sense, it is meant to symbolize the joining of two families. I wonder what thought went into the decision to have it during the wedding? Was it just a cheap way to make the wedding more extravagant? Did the brother think it would be a good opportunity to show off in front of his friends? Or was it something more?
There is one thing we can be sure of though. The wedding ceremony itself is a beautiful and sacred one. The only true way to show our love for our brothers in Islam is by making sure we observe all the traditions and rituals they follow. And on that very day, at Dhul Hijjah, the ceremony is performed exactly as it is supposed to be. That’s why I believe it truly is an intended meaning of the event, and not just something you read in a book or hear on a car commercial.
10th of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims perform Qurbani in the Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim (A.S). They sacrifice the animals and divide the meat among poor people and their relatives. Qurbani continues for the next three consecutive days. That’s one reason that Muslims wait for this month. They make get to gether and enjoy these days with their family and friends.
