Bakrid is a big festival of Muslims all over the world. Indian Muslims have also been celebrating Bakrid with great enthusiasm. The last month of the Islamic calendar is called the month of sacrifice, it is known as Zil-Hijja and on the 10th of Zil-Hijja, Muslims all over the world celebrate the festival of Eid-ul-Azha. Eid literally means happiness, while Azha means sacrificial sacrifice. But the name Bakrid is more popular in the Indian subcontinent, which is commonly known as Eid of the Goat. In this, Muslims sacrifice a goat, but experts also consider it to be a distorted form of a word made up of the Arabic words Bakar and Eid.
Bakrid started with Prophet Ibrahim and his son
According to the belief of Islam, around 2000 BC, God’s messenger Prophet Ibrahim saw a dream for several days that he was sacrificing his only son in the path of God. Prophet Ibrahim got this son after he was more than 80 years old. Prophet Ibrahim narrates the dream to his son Ismail. The son gives his will to carry out God’s orders from the father. In this way father and son set out for sacrifice.
The message of Bakrid is unwavering faith in God and sacrifice.
Hazrat Ibrahim, in his understanding, even puts a knife to the neck of his son Ismail, but an animal is sent by God in place of the son and it is slaughtered. The biggest message of Bakrid is unwavering trust and sacrifice in God. The sacrificial meat is said to be distributed to the poor and needy which conveys the message of charity like Zakat and Khums in Islam.
Bakrid and economy
Every capable Muslim makes sacrifice on Bakrid. But sacrifice is not as necessary for every Muslim as prayer. There are about 20 crore Muslims population in India but no exact data is available regarding sacrifice. However, according to an estimate, about 1.5 crore animals are sacrificed on Bakrid. Financially strong people sacrifice many animals while poor Muslims celebrate the festival by taking part in the sacrifice of one big animal. The price of these animals varies. The price of the most expensive goat sold this year is said to be around Rs 4 crore, which had a special mark on its body.
Business worth around Rs 50 thousand crores is done on Bakrid.
The price of goats went up to Rs 50 lakh in many markets of India. These goats were heavy and beautiful goats of foreign breed. In Vadodara, a price of Rs 31 lakh was claimed for a goat named Chand. A farmer from Maharashtra had priced a goat named Crescent at Rs 15 lakh. Such big buck goats are expensive breeds weighing 100 to 150 kg. It is believed that on the occasion of Bakrid alone, the business related to animals reaches about Rs 50 thousand crores. The income of many people is linked to the sale of one animal. This includes fodder sellers, veterinary doctors, businessmen, transporters, labourers, butchers and leather traders.
Yadav in UP and Maldhari in Gujarat are ahead in animal husbandry.
States like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar are doing well in animal husbandry. In UP, a large number of Yadavs, Gurjars and small farmers are involved in animal husbandry. Rabari, Raika and Maldhari communities in Rajasthan are traditionally associated with animal husbandry. In dry parts of Rajasthan, animal husbandry is an important source of employment for farmers. In Kutch and Saurashtra of Gujarat, Maldhari community is also associated with animal husbandry industry.
Goat farming business is booming
The business of goat farming is also flourishing in other states of the country. Generally, people of all communities in India are associated with animal husbandry. But in rural areas, small farmers, backward classes, Dalit communities and tribal people depend more on animal husbandry. In this way, people of all religions and communities connect with Bakrid directly and indirectly.
Bakrid related activities continue throughout the year
Although Bakrid is celebrated for one day but the process of sacrifice continues for many days. But market experts believe that activities related to Bakrid continue without any stop throughout the year. Lakhs of farmers and cattle herders rear goats, sheep and other animals throughout the year. In this way, Bakrid plays an important role in the economy of India.
Also read- How is Bakrid different from other Eids? know
