Ileya Festival is the Yoruba word for the Eid al-Adha or Eid al Kabir festival which falls on May 26 – May 27 this year, 2026, in Nigeria, and since it is celebrated for three days by the Muslim faithful, it will run till Friday, May 29th. For Muslims who are already on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, a once in a lifetime obligation for those who can afford it, the fifth pillar of Islam, the Day of Arafah falls on May 26, and it is the day after, that the faithful celebrate the Eid, the second of the two Eids in the Muslim calendar, the other being the Eid el fitr, the festival of breaking the Fast, considered the lesser eid which comes after the Ramadan. The Eid el Kabir, known as the Greater Eid is next week, the first 10 days of the Dhul Hijjah having started yesterday. It is celebrated in remembrance of the sacrifice that the Prophet Ibrahim undertook following a dream in which Allah (SWT) appeared to him and commanded him to sacrifice whatever he treasured most. Prophet Ibrahim chose to sacrifice his son Ismail in the name of Allah, but as he went to perform the sacrifice at Mount Arafat, Allah intervened and substituted the son with a ram. Prophet Ibrahim is regarded as a devoted man of faith, a seeker and speaker of truth, and a friend of the Almighty Allah. The Greater Eid is celebrated as an act of faith and loyalty in commemoration of his original example. “Indeed, Ibrahim was a whole ummah by himself devout to Allah, unswervingly upright, and he was not of the associators. He was thankful for Allah’s Graces. He selected him and He guided him to a straight Path. And We gave him good in this world, and in the Hereafter he shall be of the righteous. Then We have inspired you: “Follow the way of Ibrahim with exclusive devotion to Allah, and he was not of the Mushrikun” (Surah Nahl, 16: 120 -123). And it is further written in Surah an-Nisa, Ayah 125 that: “Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good and follows the way of Ibrahim the true in faith?”
Eid and the epidemic of empty pockets, By Reuben Abati
