Greetings on the holy festival of Eid-ul-Adha. Four thousand years ago, the compassionate story of sacrifice began, giving way to Eid-ul-Adha celebrations. Listen to the prophet in Ganderbal telling the story of Eid-ul-Adha. The Feast of Sacrifice as it is called it is the second and the largest of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice one of his sons, either Ishmael (Ismail) or Isaac (Ishaq), as an act of obedience to God’s command. However, before Abraham could sacrifice his son in the name of God, and because of his willingness to do so, God provided him with a lamb to sacrifice in his son’s place. In commemoration of this intervention, animals are ritually sacrificed. Part of their meat is consumed by the family that offers the animal, while the rest of the meat is distributed to the poor and the needy. The festival of Eid-ul-Adha epitomises the noble values of sacrifice, trust and forgiveness. On this joyous occasion, let us all firmly resolve to strengthen the bonds of fraternity and build a peaceful, harmonious and progressive society.