Spiritual 'sacrifice' on Eid- ul-adh'ha

In verse 120 of Surah Nahl of the Holy Qur'an, God Almighty says: “Surely Abraham was an exemplar, obedient to God and upright; and he was not of the polytheists.” We also read in verse 4 of Surah Momtahanah or the Examined One: “Indeed, there is for you an excellent exemplar in Abraham and those with him when they said to their people: surely we are clear of what you serve besides Allah, and enmity and hatred have appeared between us and you forever until you believe in Allah.”

As is clear the Words of God are self-explanatory concerning the monotheistic stature of Prophet Abraham (Peace be upon him), and the annual Hajj pilgrimage that reaches its climax amidst the celebration of Eid al-Adha or Eid Qorban, the Feast of the Sacrifice. The Hajj is undoubtedly the glorious manifestation of monotheism, universalized by Abraham on God’s command after he and his firstborn son, Ishmael, were ordered to rebuild the ancient edifice of Adam, the Holy Ka’ba, which was in a state of ruin in the wilderness of Mecca following the deluge of the days of Prophet Noah (Peace be upon him).

When God asked him to proclaim the pilgrimage for mankind he wondered who will come to the remote wilderness of Mecca, but was told that people will come from all over the earth, from every beaten track, on various means of transport. Today, millions of people from around the world pour into Mecca, almost the year round, peaking during the annual Hajj, to tread in the footsteps of Abraham and to circumambulate the Ka’ba, the focal point of monotheism.

They ritually stone the symbolic satans at Mena and they sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow or camel, on the 10th of Zilhijja in commemoration of Abraham’s sacrifice of Ishmael that was miraculously substituted by the command of God with a ram before the anxious father’s knife could reach the patient son’s throat. As God Almighty says in verse 107 of Surah Saaffaat: “And We ransomed him with the Great Sacrifice.”

The Muslims are proud to call themselves as heirs of Prophet Abraham in view of the fact that the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny), was the direct descendant of Prophet Ishmael and revived for mankind the forgotten Abrahamic legacy. This is an excellent heritage indeed, but are the Muslims, especially the Hajjis, truly observing the example set by that Immortal Iconoclast, who in his youth had smashed the idols of Babylon and underwent the ordeal of fire that miraculously turned into a garden to the horror of that hegemonic tyrant Nimrod?

Are they really aware of the Great Sacrifice that ransomed Ishmael in antiquity? The questions are worth pondering on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, which ought not to be a mere soulless ritual. A true adherent of the School of Abraham cannot submit to each and everyone, especially the satanic and hegemonic Nimrod-like powers of the day, and then call himself a Muslim by paying lip service to Islam on the assumption that he or she recites the Qur’an, performs the Hajj, and prays punctually facing the Ka’ba. No, the Hajj and Eid al-Adha have a greater message.

They want us to be free persons in the service of God only. The might and grandeur of the godless cannot overawe us. We should turn over the folios of history to see the fate of those who opposed monotheism. There are no signs today of the elaborately carved and richly decorated temples of Babylon built by the powerful who toyed with the life of human beings, while Abraham’s simple cubed-shaped structure, stands majestically in Mecca.

To remember willingness of Hazrat Ismael and Hazrat Ibrahim to offer sacrifice. Earlier Hazrat Ibrahim a.s. - by command of Allah, had taken little son Ismael and his wife Hajira to wilderness. Water finished, she ran for water between mountains Safa and Marwa. Miraculously water came from under feet of son. Later, Hazrat Ibrahim would see dream repeatedly he was sacrificing son Ismael. Son said ok, do what God said. In those days human sacrifice was tradition. At right moment, Hazrat Ibrahim was stopped. They had already shown sacrifice in wilderness.

Not only this, a great Prophet PBUH was to be born in Ismael’s lineage, he too was to offer great sacrifice for faith. Eid ul Adha commemorates all of this philosophy. To commemorate God’s mercy, and acceptance of the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael’s sacrifice…(Just a quick note, the Quran does not mention which son of Abraham was involved in this event, however most Muslim scholars believe it was his eldest son Ishmael, so I will be going with that.) What was that sacrifice you ask? According to Islamic tradition, God ordered Abraham in a dream, to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a means of testing his faith.

In the Quran, there are many examples of God testing prophets, not only as a “test of faith”, but also to provide as lessons for the reader. Abraham told his son about the dream, asking his opinion. However, as Ishmael was a prophet as well, he knew his father’s vision must have a divine purpose, and he was prepared for the sacrifice, rather than opposed. When Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, God called out to him, giving him glad tidings of his fulfillment of the sacrifice, and instead of Ishmael, an animal was placed by God and sacrificed instead.

Muslims celebrate the faith and willingness of these two prophets, who were willing to make such a valuable sacrifice for God; and, the mercy of God, who would not let a father sacrifice his son for his sake. Every Eid ul Adha, Muslims sacrifice something of theirs in the name of God, for example, charity is very common, and more popularly known, many Muslims who can afford it, sacrifice an animal, and divide its meat among the poor and relatives. These acts remind Muslims of Abraham’s sacrifice and God’s mercy. Eid Mubarak!