A tour Around Jolo, Sulu

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  Assalamu Alaykum! (Peace be with you!) I just realized... I haven't talked much about my videos about Sulu in this blog. I have a playlist which you can watch if you are interested in seeing (or maybe visiting?) my dear homeplace.  Just check it out here: JOLO, SULU PLAYLIST You can watch this instead:      Yup, that is all for today.   PS. I am mulling over the idea of transferring my blog from blogspot to wordpress...  hmmmmmm    
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Eidul Adha in Manila, Day 1

Assalamu Alaykum! (Peace be upon you all)

Last October 4, the Muslims around the world celebrated the Eidul Adha or the “Feast of Sacrifices”. We Muslims celebrate this every tenth day of Dhul Hijja, the 12th and last month of the Hijriya/Islamic Calendar. This celebration is one of the only two authentic Eids (celebrations) in Islam with the other one Eidul Fitr celebrated by the end of the month of fasting, Ramadhan [1].

So why do we celebrate this blessed day? And what do we Muslims do during these days? Again, as I always say in my posts here, I am no scholar in Islamic teachings, so I will be referring you guys to the more authentic people to answer those questions. You can learn more by going to these sites: Eid Adha QnA. Simply put, Eidul Adha is a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham, Peace be upon him) sacrifices and teachings. During this month wherein millions of Muslims visit the holy place of Makkah to perform Hajj (Pilgrimage, the 5th Pillar of Islam), those who are not able to perform it are given the chance to enjoy this blessed month through Eidul Adha. In this event, Muslims will offer sacrifices (cows, sheep, camels, etc) and distribute and share the meats (qurban) to the poor communities. This celebration lasts for 3 more days after the actual day of Eidul Adha [Source]. Again to learn more, please visit the links mentioned above :)

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Now back to us. How did I spend my Eidul Adha? As usual, being hundreds of kilometers away from my family, I have to find ways to celebrate it with my other “family” in Manila: the Muslim communities. There were a lot of plans and invitations Alhamdulillah, but I could only put myself in a single place at a time hehe. Needless to say, it is always a great blessing to have a Muslim community in a non-Muslim country/city, it might not be as great as living in a Muslim place, but it is still something to be happy about. Alhamdulillah!

I went to the Eid prayer with a Muslim brother and fellow Medstudent. We prayed at Quirino grandstand (being the closest open-field prayer area to hold the eid prayer; it is Sunnah to pray in an open field during Eid [2], [3]).

Quirino Grandstand where we prayed.

  
Saw this carabao statue somewhere after the prayers. Nope unfortunately we cannot sacrifice this one, it's pretty hard and not edible haha.


Yeah, compulsory selfie after Eid prayer 
After the prayer and sermons, we met with other Muslim friends from our alma mater, I was the only Tausug in their company, but I have lived in Marawi for 4 years and I have met them during those days, so it was not a big deal :) We went to this Meranao family who hosted a simple yet delicious meal to us starving ones haha. I missed Meranao foods so it was great to be able to taste their spices once again. After that we parted ways, my friends went to visit their friends and students (some of them are professors already), and I went to visit my fellow Tausug brothers in Markaz Dar Attazkiyyah in Morayta.  


And lunch was satisfying :P Alhamdulillah
(sorry, no Qurban yet)
I arrived in Morayta a little late for their Eid Activity. I later learned that they have organized some parlor games for the brothers and sisters after Eid prayer. Too bad (or maybe it was actually a blessing) that I came late to watch it (or forced to participate in it) haha. Anyway, I went on greeting and hugging my fellow Muslim brothers whom I have not seen for some time. I have been busy (?) in the past months I was not able to attend to their activities :( We then had lunch later on, jampacked with intellectual and inspirational discussions with our Amir/Leader (which I enjoyed very much). It was also then that I was told that I will be one of the Emcees (Master of Ceremonies) in an Islamic Symposium on Monday. Of course, I accepted. It’s been awhile since my last MC experience.


I went home after some time, had some rest and phoned my family in Sulu, and I ended the day by watching one Independent Film in Cinemalaya hosted by Salinlahi in UP Manila (which will be another discussion). 

 So that’s how I spent my first day of Eidul Adha :) 

Salam kasilasa!
-Anakiluh,MD

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