George is an American who is over 50 years old. He lives in Washington with his wife, his son, and his daughter.

When Dhul Hijja was coming near, George and his family started to follow the news closely to know when Dhul Hijja will start exactly. He watched the TV, his wife listened to the radio, and his son surfed Islamic sites on the internet … everyone eagerly waiting for any news.

When they knew when Dhul Hijja is going to start, they prepared themselves for Eid Al-Adha, which is on the 10th of Dhul Hijja, following the Day of Arafah on the 9th.

The next day, the family drove to the countryside to buy a sheep. They chose the sheep carefully, in accordance with the Islamic guidelines, in order to slaughter it on the first day of Eid.

They carried the sheep with them in the car, and on their way back, the little girl was expressing her joy for the coming Eid. She told her father: “Oh dad how I love Eid! I’ll get to wear my new dress, play with my new doll, and go out with my friends to the park. Oh how I wish all the days of the year were Eid!”.

When they got home, the wife told her husband George: "I’ve read that it is prescribed to divide our sacrifice into three parts: a third we give to the poor and the needy, a third we gift to our neighbours Elizabeth, David and Mark, and a third we eat from and save for the coming weeks."

When the day of Eid came, they were confused where the exact direction of the Qiblah was. They assumed that it’s in a certain direction towards Mecca, and that this should be sufficient.

George held the knife, placed the sheep towards the Qiblah and slaughtered it. The wife then divided the meat into three parts as they agreed.

Suddenly, George remembered something and shouted to his family: "We’re late for church! Today is Sunday, and we’ll miss the Sunday Mass!"

George never missed Church on Sunday. Rather, he always made sure to take his wife and children with him.

*****

At that point, the speaker had finished his story about George and his family. One person from the audience exclaimed: "You confused us with this story of yours!! Is George a Muslim or a Christian?!"

The speaker, Ahmed, replied: “George and his family are Christian. They do not believe that Allah is One, rather they believe He is the third of three.

They also do not believe that Prophet Mohammad – Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him – is the last and final Messenger."

Chattering and mumbling erupted among the audience, and then a voice from the crowd said: "Don’t lie to us Ahmed! Who would believe that George and his family would do all that and be Christian?! Why would a Christian perform all these rituals of Islam and Muslims? From following the news closely in order to determine the start of Dhul Hijja and the specific day of Eid, to buying a sheep from his own money, and slaughtering it as is prescribed in Islam, etc."

Ahmed said with a smile on his face: "My beloved brothers, why do you find it so hard to believe my story? Why can’t you believe that such a Christian family exist? Isn’t there in our Muslim countries a Abdullah, a Mohammed, a Khalid, a Khadija and a Fatima, who celebrate Christian or Jewish Festivals? Don’t we see Muslims celebrating New Years, Christmas, Valentines, Halloween, Easter, etc.? Why is this story so surprising then?

Why is it that we don’t see Jews celebrating our Festivals or the Festivals of the Christians?

Isn’t it because each one has his own Religion, Beliefs, and has his own Festivals?

Why were we so surprised of George being a Christian who celebrates our Eid, and are refusing of his actions, while at the same time we are not surprised of our own actions?!”

Finally, Ahmed said: “I’ve lived in the U.S. for more than ten years. I swear by Allah, I never saw a Christian or a Jew celebrating any of our Eids. Neither have I heard any of them asking about our Festivals and Celebrations. Even when I invited them for Eid al-Fitr in my apartment, no one attended when they knew it was a Religious festival. That is what I experienced during my stay in the West, but when I returned back to my Muslim country, I found Muslims celebrating their holidays.

What shall I say except: There is no power and no might except by Allah.”

References:

[1] Original Source of English translation is unknown

[2] Translation above was edited from English version found

[3] Arabic Version: جورج وإستعدادات عيد الأضحى