Eid-ul-Adha – A Feast of Sacrifice
Eid-ul-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) is celebrated on the tenth day of the month Dhul Hijah, the last month of lunar calander by Muslims all over the world. This day is also known as Yawmun Nahr (the day of sacrifice). It is an important act of worship and religious command from God to follow the sunnah (practice) of Prophet Ibrahim.
Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha in commemoration of the great sacrifice by Prophet Ibrahim’s(pbuh) offer of the life of his only son Ismail (pbuh) at the command of Allah. Almighty Allah just tested prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) whether his love for his son took over the commands of Allah or not. And when both father and son proved that Allah’s commands are at highest preference, Allah replaced son with a sheep and mentioned this will continue for generations. By sacrificing animals on Eid -ul-Adha, Muslims are commanded to follow Ibrahim (AS), that paragon of sacrifice in the way of Allah:
The actual purpose of the sacrifice is to create piety, devotion, obedience and submission to God as stated in Quran, My prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for almighty God alone (6:162) Sacrificing animals is mentioned in Quran, then turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (108:2). The prophet of Islam Muhammad (peace be upon him) stayed in Medina for ten years, and he always made his sacrifices during all ten years (though Hajj was made obligatory eight years later).
What finds acceptance with God is not the sacrificial animal, but our willingness and preparedness to sacrifice, His love in our hearts and our obedience to Him. Never lose sight of this root principle; never be content with 'form' without spirit; nor, though, ever give up forms. The flesh of them shall not reach God, neither their blood, but godliness from you shall reach Him (Al-Hajj 22:37).
Any act of worship without knowledge and application to real life is dangerous and will never bring happiness and peace to lives. The annual ritual of animal sacrifice in Islam has important and far reaching lessons and implications for our life. It's not just limited to slaughtering an animal. The important lesson often preached on this auspicious occasion is the willingness to give up things that are of benefit to us or close to our hearts, in order to follow Allah's commands.
Islam simply means surrender to God of your whole being, not of just some possession. Islam, in its pristine meaning, is peace. So, Allah enjoins that His servants must maintain peace wherever they find themselves. The greatest sacrifice is to the rededicate our lives to Allah, do is His biddings and love one another.
Sacrifices are essential for the development of all moral and spiritual qualities, but especially for the development of patience, endurance, perseverance, fortitude, resolve and determination. Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to.
It’s a sacrifice we have to learn for the life time from this festival of sacrifice. We should learn to overcome our selfish ways and learn to serve the humanity. Sacrifice is an intimidating word, but it is a major component of success. God wants us to give some of what we earn to help others. That’s our sacrifice. He wants us to give cheerfully, but that shouldn’t be hard. After all, He’s promised to give us what we need.
Eid-ul-Azha comes each year to give us lessons of sacrifice, obedience, discipline and sharing our blessings. But unfortunately we all have forgotten the true spirit of this festival. In addition to celebrating, enjoying and feasting this Eid, let’s vow this year to make this festival a reminder of its true essence. Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.
Let’s seize the opportunity of the Eid-Ul-Azha (Feast of sacrifice) to reflect on how the ideals and virtues of peace, harmony, brotherly love, selflessness, tolerance, honesty, fairness, justice and equity, taught by Islam and other religions to build a better nation for present and future generations.
Dear Friends Eid Mubarak ! May god bless you and your dear ones with peace, prosperity and happiness on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Adha.
