NORTHRIDGE : Muslims to Gather for Rites at CSUN

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Muslims in the San Fernando Valley will gather on a lawn at the Cal State Northridge campus early Saturday morning to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice associated in Islamic tradition with the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Prayers will begin at 7 a.m. on the university’s Engineering Lawn, according to Hasan Mulla, president of the sponsoring Islamic Center of Northridge.

Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son as a test of the patriarch’s loyalty to God--a story found also in the Hebrew Bible.

The event is one of only two holidays on the Islamic calendar, the other being Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy city of Islam, is one of the five pillars of faith for Muslims, who are expected to make the ritual journey at least once in their lifetime.

The stories of Abraham and his family are associated in Islam with places on the pilgrims’ route in and around Mecca.

A larger gathering of Muslims will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Saturday morning, but as many as 3,000 are expected to attend the outdoor ceremony in Northridge, Mulla said.