The Christian Council of Ghana has sent well wishes to Muslims across the country on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

As Muslims in Ghana and across the globe celebrate the festival on Friday, September 1, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, has called for “sustainability of interfaith harmony by various religions including Christians, Muslims, traditional religion practitioners and political leaders”.

Also called the “Sacrifice Feast”, Eid al-Adha is the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year.

It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God's command. Before he could sacrifice his son, God intervened by sending his angel Jibra'il (Gabriel), who then put a sheep in his son's place.

In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: the family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbours; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy.