Festivals: Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Adha and Ashura
Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Adha and Ashura are three of the most widely observed festivals in the Muslim calendar. Id-ul-Fitr marks the end of the Ramadan fast, and Id-ul-Adha marks the end of Hajj and commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, is observed differently by Sunni and Shi'a Muslims: Sunni Muslims typically fast, recalling Musa being saved from Pharaoh, while Shi'a Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali at the Battle of Karbala. All three festivals follow the lunar Islamic calendar, so their dates shift each year against the solar calendar used in Britain.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the definitions of Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Adha and Ashura, and when each falls in the Islamic year.
- Learn what Muslims typically do to mark each festival, including prayers, charity and shared meals.
- Learn why the Islamic calendar is lunar and how this makes festival dates shift each year against the solar calendar used in Britain.
- Learn the scriptural and historical reasons each festival matters, including relevant references from the Qur'an and hadith.
- Learn how Ashura is marked differently by Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, and why the two traditions understand the day differently.
- Practise 'explain two reasons' answers using a point, a development and an accurate reference to a source of authority for each point.
Worked example
Explain why the date of Id-ul-Fitr falls on a different day of the British (solar) calendar almost every year, and state one effect this has on Muslims living in Britain.
- State that the Islamic calendar is lunar, made up of 12 months of about 29 to 30 days each, giving a year of approximately 354 days.
- Compare this with the solar calendar used in Britain, which has approximately 365 days in a year.
- Work out the difference: 365 minus 354 is approximately 11 days.
- Explain that because the Islamic year is about 11 days shorter, Id-ul-Fitr falls roughly 11 days earlier each year when measured against the British calendar.
- State the effect: over a cycle of about 33 years, Id-ul-Fitr moves through every season, so British Muslims sometimes fast through long summer days and sometimes through short winter days.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Religious Studies exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
The table below shows the British-calendar date of Id-ul-Fitr in three recent years: 2022 - 2 May; 2023 - 21 April; 2024 - 10 April. (a) Calculate the number of days by which the date of Id-ul-Fitr moved earlier from 2023 to 2024. (2) (b) Explain, using the nature of the Islamic calendar, why the date of Id-ul-Fitr moves earlier like this each year. (2)
Give two ways an employer in Britain might reasonably accommodate a Muslim employee who needs to take part in an Id prayer or celebration, and explain why offering this accommodation could be seen as supporting religious freedom.
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