Eid Mubarak

Two billion Muslims around the world will observe Eid-ul Adha t0day with the usual religious gaiety and fervor.

For Muslims the occasion should not be confined to the ritual of sacrificing animals only. It is essential to understand the true spirit behind the religious practice that commenced with Allah putting Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) to a most difficult trial, to test the depth of his love for, and faith in, the Almighty, by calling upon Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) to sacrifice his most beloved possession. Not only did the Prophet Ibrahim readily surrender to the will of the Almighty, Ismail, his son, also readily agreed. And the rest is known to all of us.

The infinite faith by surrendering to the wishes of Allah and the patience displayed by both the father and the son is the spirit that should be the guiding principles of every Muslim. It was this practice that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reestablished in order to inculcate in his followers the spirit of subservience to Allah, and surrender to His will. This is the foundation of the Islamic teaching of sacrifice in fulfilment of Allah's command provided in the Quran, “to your Lord turn in prayer and sacrifice.” The aim of sacrifice, like all other fundamentals of Islam, is to imbibe piety and self righteousness.

It also promotes the spirit of sacrifice for a right cause. To explicate its purpose, the Quran says, “It is not their meat, nor their blood, that reaches Allah; it is their piety that reaches Him.”

Unfortunately, it appears that we have lost sight of the true meaning of this day. The brazen display of ostentatious behaviour in competing with one's neighbour to surpass not only in size but also in the cost of the sacrificial animal does very little to uphold the true meaning of the day.

This is the day on which we should not only take a fresh resolve to be imbued with the spirit of sacrifice for the right cause, it is also an occasion on which we undertake to expurgate from within us the base elements that keep us away from the righteous path. It is a day that should be marked by austere behaviour motivated by the desire to share with the less fortunate ones.

Eid Mubarrak.