ISLAMABAD, Jan 20: President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have felicitated the nation and the entire Muslim Ummah on the occasion of Eidul Azha and called upon the rich to follow the great tradition of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and share their joys with the poor segments of society.

In his separate message, the president said Eidul Azha is celebrated in the spirit of a living tradition of submission and obedience to Allah, set by Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) who, bowing himself to the will of Allah Almighty, offered the sacrifice of his son, Hazrat Ismail (AS).

He said Islam is a religion which stands for blessings, brotherhood and guidance and forbids all forms of tyranny. "We should not shy away from offering any sacrifice for promoting the real values and true traditions in the light of lofty and enlightened teachings of Islam," he remarked.

President Musharraf said: "We should purge ourselves of forces pursuing the so-called personal, sectarian, ethnic and regional interests and also shrug off the wrong, unrealistic attitudes."

He added: "We should use the spirit of sacrifice for development and uplift of the nation and the Muslim Ummah as well as for the betterment of the entire humanity, and this is the essence of Islamic injunctions and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)."

Last month, he said, the tsunami calamity devastated coastal areas of South East Asian countries, claiming lives of hundreds of thousands of people and rendering still more people homeless.

"It is our religious and moral obligation that we extend our generous support to vulnerable brothers, sisters and children," he remarked. The president said that the underlying objective behind the tradition of sacrifice set by Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) is that the affluent people be considerate towards, and take care of, the deprived, the poor, and deserving segments of society."

The rich should share their joys with the poor and "we should also remember our Kashmiri and Palestinian brothers in our prayers", he added. "May Allah Almighty shower real joys of Eid ul Azha upon us, and enable to understand the great virtue of sacrifice in its right perspective as well as benefit us with its hidden blessings and rewards," he prayed.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the most important point to look into on this auspicious day was that we could not get blessings of Allah Almighty by spending money only. Allah did not need blood and meat of sacrifice but He wanted to induce tolerance among the people through this noble act.

The sacrifice of Hazrat Ismail (AH) was the best example of sacrifice for mankind. "We need to direct our spirits of sacrifice towards progress, development and betterment of our country, because this was an important element of the teachings of Islam," the message said.

The success of humanity lay in brotherhood, love for each other and tolerance among people. Conflicts between people were destructive for humanity, he said. The prime minister said it was the responsibility of everyone to take care of all the Muslims and non-Muslims, in accordance with the Islamic teachings and discharge all religious and moral duties, providing help to the weaker segments of society.