The deeper you reflect on the Islamic rituals, and their meaningful messages, the more you recognize how subtle, and well-thought-out this religion is for human nature. In fact, every act in Islam deals with one of the depths of the human soul, guiding the one to be truly heedful, and to grow in discipline and self-purification.
Among those inspiring rituals are those of Eid Al-Adha, which means (the Sacrifice Celebration); it is happily celebrated by the Muslims all over the world. That Eid is associated with sacrificing a Qurbani/an animal for the needy to eat. This sacred ritual is a symbol for a touching, sacrifice story behind, with a powerful message of letting go! Let’s have a closer look at some key points:
Table of Contents
The Sacrifice Story of Ibrahim, And Ismail:
Prophet Ibrahim was a really loving father to Prophet Ismail, who was such an obedient, dutiful son. Their strong relationship with each other was exceptional, yet their love, trust, and submission to Allah, The Almighty, was above all!
As the test is meant to be hard and challenging, Allah tested their utter submission to Him, by commanding Ibrahim to slaughter his own son, Ismail, to teach them, (and us) to let go of the most cherished for the sake of Allah, proving the absolute obedience, and unwavering trust in Allah and His decrees.
As memorialized in the Qur’an, both of Ibrahim, and Ismail succeeded at that great test, and showed their incomparable submission to their Lord, by obeying the divine command, and being steadfastly ready to sacrifice for Allah’s sake:
قَالَ يَـٰبُنَىَّ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ فِى ٱلْمَنَامِ أَنِّىٓ أَذْبَحُكَ فَٱنظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ ٱفْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ ١٠٢
[Abraham said, “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I ˹must˺ sacrifice you. So tell me what you think.” He replied, “O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.”] [As-Safat: 102].
The Divine Sacrifice:
While Ibrahim was about to slaughter Ismail, as commanded in his vision, Allah The Almighty called him to stop, as both had already passed their test of submission to The Lord by their actual readiness to do whatever Allah asks them:
وَنَـٰدَيْنَـٰهُ أَن يَـٰٓإِبْرَٰهِيمُ ١٠٤ قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ ٱلرُّءْيَآ ۚ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ١٠٥ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَهُوَ ٱلْبَلَـٰٓؤُا۟ ٱلْمُبِينُ ١٠٦ وَفَدَيْنَـٰهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍۢ ١٠٧
[We called out to him, “O Abraham! You have already fulfilled the vision.” Indeed, this is how We reward the good-doers.That was truly the revealing test.And We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice.] [As-Saffat: 104-107].
It is the story behind the Muslims slaughtering a Qurbani in Eid Al-Adha; it is to recall that great sacrifice that Allah ransomed Ismail with, because of their proven submission to Allah, by their letting go of what they dearly love, only for the sake of Allah; That elevated them to be a memorable example to follow, and kept their honorable mention alive, until the Day of Judgement.
The Lesson of Letting Go:
Some may mistakenly think that Allah The Almighty put Ibrahim, and Ismail in that really hard test, for His own sake; no, Allah, The Almighty, needs none of that. He is The Self-Sufficient, and above all! Nor He needs us to sacrifice the Qurbani, for sure!
Rather, it is all about the piety and purification all this brings us, for which Allah guides us, through that way:
لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ٣٧
[Neither their meat nor blood reaches Allah. Rather, it is your piety that reaches Him. This is how He has subjected them to you so that you may proclaim the greatness of Allah for what He has guided you to, and give good news to the good-doers.] [Al-Hajj: 37]
The fact is that the test was actually for our own good, for us to learn a very crucial lesson of letting go!
Our sacrifice of what we love the most for the sake of Allah is the purest and the highest level of submission to Allah, not only what we love, but what we are attached to, or addicted to, in life, even if it is our bad habits that we can’t easily quit, our ego, our enjoyment, our grudges, etc.
Eid Al-Adha is a reminder of our chance to detach ourselves from all earthly attachments, and to only attach and submit ourselves to The Almighty Creator! It is a symbolic ritual to spiritually break free from our obsessions, and to grow in faith, and certitude of Allah’s will and wisdom in all of His decrees.
How to Make This Eid a Personal Moment of Cleansing?
With no doubt, everyone has his own attachments and obsessions in life. Without noticing, they cause us to get deviated, overwhelmed, and hindered, and our priorities get upside down!
This Eid is such a great chance to detach, and cleanse yourself from your mental obsessions, and spiritual impurities, and to attach to your Lord with a peaceful mind, and devoted heart; here are some practical steps to consider and take:
1- Reflect on what you are so attached to, like:
Is it your family? Your career? Your ego? Your bad habit that you can’t quit? And so on. It is key to define your obsessions first.
2- Reflect on the Relationship with the creator
Think about ‘to what degree’ you are attached, and how that affects your relationship with your Lord, hindering you from totally submitting to the Lord.
3- Imagine getting tested
Imagine getting tested concerning your obsession; how would you react? Would your reaction reflect your submission to Allah’s will, then?
4- Recall the righteous’ reactions
Recall the righteous’ reactions, when they got tested about what they love the most, and how they obeyed, trusted, and submitted to Allah’s wise will, like: When Ibrahim was asked to sacrifice Ismail, and when Musa’s mother was asked to throw Musa as a baby in the river, and how all that turned out to be for their own good, purity, and glory!
5- Allah is the only true Owner of all
Realize that Allah, The Almighty, is the only true Owner of all, and He is the One Who gives us what we seem to ‘have’ in this life. At any time, He can take what He gave, and even His taking is for our good.
So, we should ultimately live by that believer’s mindset, not to attach to any worldly matter that can be a barrier between me and my Lord! It is crucial to always keep in mind that we, ourselves, belong to Allah, and to Him, we all return.
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Conclusion:
Muslims all over the world share their own sacrificed Qurbani with others, purifying themselves from selfishness, prioritizing obeying Allah’s command, seeking His forgiveness, and thanking Him for His grace upon them.
Yes, Eid Al-Adha is a heart-melting joy echoed all around with takbir, yet, it is an opportunity to pause to think about our stand of submission to our Lord. This Eid is full of inspiring messages to learn by heart that we need to let go of things, for the sake of Allah, and certainly trust Him, as He is The Wise, and The All-Knowing of what is better for us.
