Sacrifice: The spirit of Eid-Ul Adha

Sacrifice is one of the spirits of Eid-ul Adha, the only other festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide beside Eid-ul-Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan.

In the symbolic gesture to commemorate the act of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) to sacrifice his own son Prophet Ismail (AS), Muslim after animal sacrifice during Eid-ul-Adha. It is important to take lessons from all that happened to Prophet Ibrahim and implement them in one’s life rather than confine the occasion to mere animal sacrifice.

Allah says clearly in the (Quran22; 37); “their flesh and blood does not reach Allah. It is your purity that reaches Him”.Eid Ul- Adha therefore is beyond just slaughter of animals.

Eid- Ul-Adha reminds Muslims of what one basically is – a Muslim; someone who has accepted to submit his will to Almighty Allah. The occasion is a reminder that no matter what his likings and desires are, when Allah will and other comes before him, as a Muslim, it is his duty to slaughter his desires and follow what the Almighty wants from him. This perhaps can be describe as most important lesson that Muslims need to refresh with them. That you are not here to live a life you meant to, but rather kind of life Allah wants you to lead.

Many lessons can be drawn from the story of Prophet Ibrahim, His desire to sacrifice the thing he loves the most to his Lord, being the prominent one. We all love something or the other in our lives. This Eid Ul Adha is an occasion to remind us that when Allah command is placed before us, we should as Muslims sacrifice that which we love and obey the order of the Almighty.

Another important aspects to note is the way Prophet Ibrahim test ends. It ends on a good note on a typical win-win situation. At the end of it all, Prophet Ibrahim did not lose his son; and at the same time pleased his Creator.

Similarly, all the sacrifices that we may have to give for the sake of Allah in our life, are bound to end on a positive note. Allah doesn’t want us to lose, to suffer and to see us in pained. He only tests. If we continue to be steadfast in our faith in Him, he will make sure that we emerge victorious at the end of the day.

So this Eid Ul Adha, let us pledge that we will sacrifice something or the other for Allah sake apart from customary animal sacrifice. Something to do with our desires. We might not be strong Muslims as Prophet Ibrahim(s), but at least we can give it a try, beginning with a little sacrifice – sacrifice of sleep for prayers, sacrifice of an extra morsel of our favorite dish to satisfy someone else’s hunger, or anything that we like that we may have to give up to Allah. This will, in the true sense of term makes our Eid celebration meaningful.