Syed Ashraf Ali
One of the two great festivals in the Islamic calendar, Eid-ul-Azha brings for the Muslim world divine blessing, joy and happiness, and Allah’s Mercy and Reward through sacrifice, patience and constancy.
Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated on the 10th of Dhul-Hijja through immolation and prayers in memory of the glorious sacrifice of the Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them) and shows the way in which both father and son cheerfully offered to suffer any self-sacrifice, however painful or difficult, in order to obey Allah’s Command.
The word Eid in Arabic means ‘joy.’ But Eid-ul-Azha is certainly not an occasion for immoderate gluttony. It is a solemn, sacred festival which enables a banda to enjoy through azha — sacrifice and surrender, resignation and renunciation, selflessness and total submission to the Will of Rabbul Alameen.
Celebrated concurrently with the slaughtering of the animals in Mina by the Hajis and the days of Tashriq in the auspicious month of Dhul-Hijja, Eid-ul-Azha is also known as Eid-al-Kabir or “the Great Festival.” Some also call it Eid-ul-Qurbani or the “Sacrificial Feast,” and “Yaum an-Nahr.” In Bangladesh and Paschimbanga it is also known as Kurbanir Eid.
Sacrifice has always played a significant role in the chequered history of mankind. Sacrifices have been made to get rid of natural calamities like flood and cyclone and earthquake, to evade famine, to solicit rain, to stop volcanic eruptions, to win wars, to allay tyranny, to appease or eulogise gods and goddesses.
Human sacrifices have indeed been made by various nations in various forms and for various purposes since the dawn of civilisation. The glorious and inimitable attempt of Hazrat Ibrahim Khalilullah to slaughter his son Hazrat Ismail Zabihullah (pbut) as a sacrifice in obedience to God’s Command, however, stands unique in the annals of history. Never, never indeed, on the clay of this cold star has any other father tried to slaughter his own son with his own hands, and in full senses, simply to obey the Master’s Command.
It was indeed a momentous occasion when two men, with concerted will, “ranged themselves in the ranks of those to whom self-sacrifice in the service of Allah was the supreme thing in life.” The glorious incident, which took place in Mina some 3,800 years ago, commenced a new era in religious history. It teaches us the very essence of our religion that the keys of life and Death, and the mysteries of everything around us, are in Allah’s Hands; that our honesty, determination and upright conduct are not matters of policy or convenience; that no task or responsibility, however difficult or heavy a burden it may be, is greater than what we can bear. It teaches us, in the words of the Holy Quran, that “short is the enjoyment of this world: the Hereafter is the best for those who do right.” It teaches us that a Muslim does not live with his body, but he lives with his spirit. It teaches us not to love life over much, seeing that we must one day part with it. It teaches us to face death with resignation.
The historic incident in Mina, wherein a ram was sacrificed in lieu of a human being, put an end to the horrible system of human sacrifice which was common among most ancient people. The world today stands indebted to the righteous Patriarch and his dedicated son for their noble example in uprooting the age-old savage custom.
Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid-ul-Azha every year and hundreds and thousands of sheep, cows, goats and camels are sacrificed on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijja in the name of Allah. Unfortunately, however, very few of us celebrate this auspicious occasion in a befitting way. Very few realise that Rabbul Alameen does not need the flesh and blood of the animals. What He asks for is the Taqwa and not lives in a physical sense. Sura al-Hajj in the Holy Quran declares very clearly: “It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches God, it is your piety that reaches Him. He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify God for His guidance to you. And proclaim the Good News to all who do right.” It is not the singer but the song that matters.
It is very clear that what Allah, in His infinite Mercy, desires from the bandas on this sacred occasion is giving of our whole being to Him. It is by the mention of Allah’s name that an animal is sacrificed. The utterance of the Quranic verses affirms and asserts over and again: “Truly my prayer, and my sacrifice, my life and my death, are all for God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.” It is not an empty mention of a word that Muslims make, the very hearts of the momens tremble at the mention of the Holy Name. Each and every Muslim sacrificing an animal should bear in mind if he can sacrifice an animal over which he has full control for a particular period of time, how much more necessary it is that he should lay down his life in the Way of Allah, Who is not only his Master but also his Creator and Sustainer.
It will indeed be a sin if we forget the supreme sacrifice made by the Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (pbut), buy an animal, slaughter it just for the sake of fun and gourmandism, and celebrate this auspicious day through mere pleasure and gaiety, extravagance and dissipation, unbridled merry-making and uncouth entertainment. No Muslim, nay, no human being, has any right to humble the unparalleled sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim and his son (pbut) by equating it with the mere slaughtering of an animal with no taqwa behind it. We will certainly insult those salts of the earth if we celebrate Eid-ul-Azha only through expensive clothes and delicious dishes, and not through prayers and penance, sacrifice and benevolence.
Allah has very kindly given us power over the brute creation and permitted us to eat their meat, but that too if we pronounce His Holy Name at the solemn act of taking the animal’s life. Through this solemn invocation are we reminded that wanton cruelty is not in our thoughts and is never permitted in Islam. Nor does the Most Perfect Deen of Allah permit extravagance or wastage, arrogance or cruelty in the name of religion on any occasion, Eid-ul-Azha is the system of denying ourselves the greater part of the food derived from the sacrificed cattle for the sake of the poor brethren; our symbolic act finds practical expression in benevolence, and that exactly is the sublime message that Eid-ul-Azha conveys.
The writer is a former Director General, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh.
Source: The Daily Star