The True Spirit of Sacrifice

As this month Muslims all over the world will celebrate Eid ul Adha, also known as Eid of sacrifice, we present a series of blogs on sacrifice and what it really means to followers of the Islamic faith.

Tahira Chaudhry, London

We make sacrifices daily as we balance our options and decide what we want. Our sacrifices are dictated by what is important to us.  Sacrifice for our family, friends, sacrifice for what we want to achieve and for our priorities. And we know that to be successful in what we hope to achieve those sacrifices are necessary.

Life’s struggles are humbling but we should not want to wait until our awareness of the frailties of life teach us harsh and painful lessons. We live in an era of knowledge, where the wealth of knowledge available means we can learn not just from our own experiences but from others on an unparalleled scale and one never seen before. So, we should summon the courage we need and become ready for true sacrifice. The one sacrifice which will reap the most benefit.

As Muslims around the world will celebrate the festival of Eid-ul Adha is a few days, let us remind ourselves of the exemplary act of sacrifice this Eid commemorates. Muslims believe that when commanded by God the Prophet Abraham, peace be on him, was willing to sacrifice his nearest and dearest – his son. True wealth is in relationships and the most important of all relationships is our relationship with God. Prophet Abraham, peace be on him, knew this, and it was why he was able to agree to sacrifice his son, his dearest for the sake of God.

Eid ul Adha marks the completion of the pilgrimage of Hajj. Pilgrims and Muslims all over the world offer the sacrifice of an animal. Muslims reflect over Prophet Abraham’s (peace be on him) willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. So, what is this odyssey of sacrifice and what does it really mean?

This specific act of sacrifice is a reminder to the person offering it to make every effort to be righteous. Righteousness is the essence of Islamic teachings, and it is a reminder that one should be ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of God; a reminder that faith must always be given precedence over worldly affairs. Eid ul Adha is an occasion on which Muslims are encouraged and reminded to make every kind of sacrifice for the spiritual, moral, social and economic uplift of mankind.’[i] For us a lesson to learn is that albeit beyond our understanding at times, our steadfastness in the face of trial is what will ensure our success in life and ‘to increase the level of our faith is the lesson that Eid ul Adha gives us.’[ii]

Although as always, many animals will be sacrificed at Eid ul Adha, and meat distributed to poorer members of society, this is and will be symbolic and not the real sacrifice. True sacrifice is one which ‘draws our attention to the sacrifice we must make within.’[iii] Righteousness is also a state where we make every effort to adopt the highest standard of morality and then we persevere to constantly improve. Our efforts every day are to improve and to do good. Good or bad, time always passes, not standing still for anyone or anything so sacrifice is another reminder to us to live a life which brings us peace, a life of righteousness and a life worth living.

Ahmadi Muslim women make a pledge that as members of the Ahmadiyya Community we will be ready to make every sacrifice for the cause of faith.  Giving priority to our faith in fact means that all those things and people that are dearest to us come under the shade of the protection that this sacrifice grants us. The shade of God and that is a shade which will make our hearts content and bring our souls, our very beings that very peace which only those know who have had the good fortune to be blessed with it.

[i] Alislam.org, Eid-ul-Azha, Editorial, Review of Religions, July 1990

[ii] Alislam.org,  What to learn from Eid-ul-Adha, The Weekly Al Hakam, August 16, 2019

[iii] Alislam.org, Righteousness- The true essence of Sacrifice, July 21, 2021