Day of Sacrifice: Eid Adha

Assalamualaikum & good day...

Less than a day left, until Eid Adha is celebrated in Jogja, & probably not long after that in Muslim worlds at large, & wherever there are pockets of Muslims worldwide.

For the uninitiated, Eid Adha is one of the main Islamic festivities, celebrated every Islamic year, on the 10th day of the final month of the year, Dzul Hijjah. It is celebrated to commemorate the sacrifice made by the Prophet Abraham.

Abraham was willing to kill his own son, Prophet Ishmael (Ishmael then was a young boy of about 10), when ordered so by Allah, & Ishmael also displayed true faith when he was also willing to be sacrificed.

Along the way to the sacrificial site, Satan disguised himself as humans, trying to waylaid the Prophets, trying to convince them to disobey Allah's orders. But the Prophets never waver in their faith. Nor in their conviction.

However, when Abraham's knife was already at Ishmael's neck, an angel came with a qibash. (a type of sheep). It turned out that Allah was testing Abraham's faith & piety to Allah, & Allah gave the qibash to Abraham, & ordered him to kill it in Ishmael's place.

Thus, Eid Adha is celebrated with the underlying theme of sacrifice in the name of Allah.

It is also encouraged (sunat) for Muslims to sacrifice four-legged farm animals (cow, goat, sheep, camel, etc. but not pigs, which can't be consumed by Muslims) on Eid Adha, or in the space of three days after Eid Adha, & the meat from the sacrifice is given to the poor & the needy.

Traditions hold that Islam considers Eid Adha as even bigger in terms of significance than Eid Fitr (celebration after finishing the fasting month). However, in Malaysia & perhaps Indonesia, Eid Adha is generally celebrated with less fanfare than Eid Fitr. This is a sad thing, really, as we Muslims should at least elevate Eid Adha's status to where it rightfully belongs.

Many Muslims also seemed to forget the theme of sacrifice. IMO, Eid Adha is more than just the special morning prayers, more than just sacrificing animals & giving meat to the poor (although these actions themselves are virtous). Eid Adha is about your willingness to let go of something you really cared, something you really liked, letting them go because you want to obey Allah's orders.

It is also about sacrificing certain things to achieve something, such as reducing your play time for your studies, so that you will learn more & become a better person.

It is also about your willingness to go the extra mile in whatever endeavours.

Have a Happy Eid Adha, everyone....

Wassalam....