“And perhaps if he’s moving so slowly and he’s taking so long. It’s because he is forming something so breathtaking and beautiful. It cannot be rushed. He is in the process of forming a masterpiece”.
The Principles of sacrifice in Islam and its rules are mentioned in Holy Quran as well as in the authentic books of Hadith (Sayings of Prophet Mohammad SAW).
In the holy book, the eve of sacrifice, known in common parlance as Eid-ul-Adha, has been elaborated through the reference of one of the most beloved prophets of Allah, Hazrat-e-Ibrahim (AS).
Hazrat-e-Ibrahim (AS) has been among one of the five Prophets known as Ul-ul-Azm Prophets – Prophets on whom divine texts were revealed. While Prophets Noah (AS), Moosa (AS), Eesah (AS), and Muhammad (SAW) were revealed with full-fledged text, organised later on in book shape, Hazrat-e-Ibrahim’s was, however, revealed upon Scrolls or Saheefas.
These scriptures are considered part of religious scriptures of Islam and are believed to have contained the revelations Ibraham (AS) received from Allah, which were written down by him as well as his scribes and followers. They are now generally believed to have perished over the course of time and are considered a lost body of scripture.
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) obeyed the commandments of Allah with patience. Allah distinguished Ibrahim (AS) first in the Qur’an with the title of Khalilullah (an intimate friend of Allah). The great acts of worship in Islam, such as Hajj, Umrah, Day of Arafah, Eidul Adha, Al-Udhiyyah, and Ayyamut Tashriq, etc. only emanated from Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his family.
But, most of us do not really understand what Ibrahim (AS) went through before he became prominent in the sight of Allah to the extent that he occupied the aforementioned position in Islam and was made Imam (leader) for mankind in line with the Qur’an.
It has been narrated that Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) was about 86 years old and Hazrat Hajira was also an old aged woman but when Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) prayed humbly in the court of Allah, Allah Almighty blessed him with righteous children that set a strong precedent than ever for all those to come.
Apart from other religious reasons here too, through this incident, Allah Almighty intended to teach a lesson to the children of Adam especially to sterile parents, as there are many married couples in the society who are deprived of the blessing of children and they may have gone through so many treatments in their desire to become parents, and now they are living a life of despair.
However, what transpired from the life of Ibrahim (AS) is that we ought not to despair, and always be steadfast in the trials of Allah Almighty. Hazrat Abraham (AS), despite his old age kept asking sincerely and Allah the Almighty endowed him with virtuous and obedient offspring.
One will find many such mentions in the authentic history books including that of Hazrat Zakariya (AS). Eisha (Al yashbi), wife of Hazrat Zakariya (AS) was barren and both had grown old and apparently had lost the possibility of having children at that age, but when Hazrat Zakariya (AS) saw Hazrat Bibi Maryam with unseasonably high-quality blessings, he thought to himself. Is it difficult for him to bear children when my Lord can bear fruit without time?
The desire for children gave Hazrat Zakariya (AS) the courage to raise his hands in front of Allah Almighty and then this prayer came on his lips involuntarily, “O my Lord! Give me righteous children from yourself. Verily, You are the Hearer (and Acceptor) of supplication” (Surat al-Imran, 38). Allah, the Lord of Glory, accepted the prayer of His Beloved Prophet and commanded the angels to go immediately and give glad tidings of a son to his righteous servant Zakariya (AS). He was still standing in the synagogue when the angels called out, “(Zakariya ) Allah gives you the glad tidings of Yahya.”
Those who do not have children bear the pain of deprivation of this blessing every day but they should not give up hope. Always pray in the court of Allah and the almighty will surely accept your prayers. Just do not despair!
By the command of Allah, glue blossoms in the dust, and those whom Allah has exalted with this blessing should train their children properly because parents are the first School of their children.
What children learn from their parents till the age of puberty lasts for a lifetime. Only when you are righteous, will your children join the ranks of righteous children.
This is the law of nature. A broken branch never produces fruit. The Purpose of sacrifice according to the Book of Life, the Qur’an, is to pave the way for sacrificing one’s life for the sake of Allah Almighty.
This is to sacrifice one’s life and property for the sake of Allah. And the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, was commanded: “Say My prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”
I take this occasion to exhort my fellow Muslims not to throw the animal skins on roads and should instead use them after tanning. Once we litter these skins and other animal parts in public places, it becomes a cause of inconvenience to people, besides casting a negative impact on environment.
If one is not interested in tanning , then still such leftover parts should be disposed of at proper places to avoid any nuisance for the fellow beings.
And last but not least is time to remind ourselves that this all is a religious obligation and demands no showoff.
One would expect from all those observing the sacrifice not to upload videos on social networking sites while slaughtering sacrificial animals.
Aubaid Ahmed Akhoon, Sr Edp Head and Counsellor at DD Target PMT Parraypora Kashmir
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.