Muslims Should Consider the Essence of Sacrifice Rather Than the Ritual at Eid ul Azha
By Dr. Mike Ghouse, New Age Islam
03 August
2020
On Friday,
July 31, 2020, over a billion and a half Muslims around the world, will be
slaughtering millions of goats, camels, and cattle to carry out Abraham's
tradition of sacrificing the symbolic lamb.
Abraham_Standing_Next_to_Altar_Of_Sacrifice_001.jpg (434 × 500 pixels, file size: 76 KB,
MIME type: image/jpeg)
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Is there an
alternative to the ritual of slaying animals on Eid Al-Adha, the festival of
sacrifice? The answer is yes!
Rituals are
the pathways to accomplish milestones of peace for oneself and with what
surrounds one; life and environment. None of us can escape from the ceremonies.
Each of us instinctively follows certain routines, from waking up to the time
we go to sleep. Whether we shower, eat breakfast, go to the office, or gym, we
follow the rituals.
Prophet Abraham sacrificing Photo / author
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The essence
of Islam is to create cohesive societies where every human feels secure about
his/her faith, race, religion, region, or ethnicity. It is time for Muslims to
consider the essence of sacrifice rather than the ritual itself.
Real
sacrifice requires us to give up some of what is dear to us. It is about
parents going to sleep without food but feeding their kids; it is clothing
their kids while waiting to get their own. In the case of extremities, we would
instead get the bullet and save our loved ones, we are willing to rescue an
individual from a freezing lake risking our own lives, and even strangers do
that.
A thousand
years ago, a man's assets were made up of his goats, camels, and cattle. The
ultimate sacrifice one would make was to give away his precious assets in
gifts. Today, the most cherished possession is money, and people must be
willing to part some of it to give the ability to the receiver to spend on
his/her critical needs.
One of the
examples set up for guidance was the test of Abraham's faith, love, and
devotion to God, which humans do routinely, "If you love me, you would do
this for me." A simple assurance would suffice, be it your fiancé, spouse,
kids, siblings, or parents.
It was
Abraham's turn to face the command of God to sacrifice his son. Upon hearing
this, he prepared to submit to God's will and places his son on the block.
Right at that moment, a lamb appears as an alternative. Then God revealed to
Abraham that his "sacrifice" has already been fulfilled.
Does God
Want Animals to Be Sacrificed?
Not at all.
Qur'an, Al-Hajj 22:37 (The Pilgrimage) is clear: "Never does their flesh
reach God, and neither their blood. It is only your God-consciousness that
reaches Him. It is to this end that we have made them subservient to your needs
so that you might glorify God for all the guidance with which He has graced
you. And give thou this glad tiding unto the doers of good."
The act symbolizes our willingness to give up a part of our bounties to strengthen and preserve the web of the universe and help those in need. We recognize that all blessings come from God, and we should open our hearts and share with others.
What Would
You Sacrifice Instead?
It is
customary for Muslims to sacrifice an animal on the day of the Hajj, a symbolic
representation of Prophet Abraham's act. What are our alternatives?
We can put
that money to a different use that will do greater good like lending to a
street hawker who can sell things from a cart and take care of his family or a
single mom who can weave baskets or make sweaters to take care of her family.
The beauty of this practice is you can make the same money repeatedly work for
the common good. Muslims call it Sadaq-e-Jariah, which is continual
giving.
Dr. Nauman
Anwar: "Sacrificing animals without making a public spectacle is still a
good idea, as long as no wastage of the meat and hides occur. Many Muslim
countries have a lot of poverty, and if the meat reaches the deserving
population, it will help improve the nutritional status of the poor.
Let your
single sacrifice multiply rather than the one-time sacrifice of animals.
Prophet Muhammad had emphasized service to fellow humans as the highest service
to God. Quran (4:152) says, if you are kind to your fellow humans, which is my
creation, you will earn my grace regardless of your faith.
Honouring
Police, Firemen, And Soldiers
Every day
our police officers and firemen risk their own lives to protect ours, our
freedom is protected by our men and women in the uniforms. I urge fellow
Muslims to stop and salute every one of these men and women, honouring them for
their love for humanity. Better yet, call the firemen, policemen, and let them
know that as a Muslim you appreciate their sacrifice, and this festival is
about appreciation for such sacrifice.
I did that
in Louisville; within minutes, the officer had emailed the article to his
fellow officers, appreciating the Muslims.
Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) had said the least you can do as a charity is to smile and appreciate
the otherness of the others.
You can
wish your Muslim friends by saying, Eid Mubarak, Eid Saeed, Happy Eid, Happy
Festivities, etc.
Dr. Mike Ghouse is the founder and president of
the Center for Pluralism. He is a speaker, thinker, author, community
consultant, pluralist, activist, newsmaker, and an interfaith wedding
officiant. Mike is deeply committed to Free speech, Human Rights, and Pluralism
in Religion, Politics, Societies, and the workplace. His latest book, the
“American Muslim Agenda” is available on Amazon, Kindle, and the bookstores. He
has dedicated his life to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic
solutions to the media and the policymakers. More about him at
www.TheGhousediary.com.
Original
Headline: Should Muslims sacrifice cattle on Eid-al-Adha?
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/muslims-consider-essence-sacrifice-rather/d/122533
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