Skip to main content

Reality of sacrifice in Eid-al-Azha: No fantasy in the symbolic act in Islam


By Dr MA Rashid*
The companions of Prophet Hazrat Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam (Peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “What is this sacrifice(Qurbani)?” He answered that it is the Sunnah of your father Hazrat Ibrahim Alaihissalam(Peace be upon him).” This historic Qurbani incident took place about five and a quarter thousand years ago in “Mina” near “Khana-e-Ka’aba” located in Mecca, a desert region of Arabia.
This touching event will keep the faith fresh and remain enlightening and memorable for the Muslim community throughout the life.
Sacrifice is very important among different forms of worships performed for Allah. The reason for this is that Hazrat Ibrahim Alaihissalam was the most beloved prophet of Allah. Allah himself conferred upon him the title of “Khaleel”, which means an intimate friend. This incident of the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim Alaihissalam provides an example of a practice which show unlimited and superlative love for Allah.
Hazrat Ismail(Peace be upon him) was the only and very beloved son of Hazrat Ibrahim Alaihissalam and the only support of old age. Allah wanted to see and show people that the love of Hazrat Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) is more towards his son or more towards Allah.
It may be noted that Hazrat Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) offered many sacrifices in the love of Allah, but Allah wanted special sacrifice in His love instead of these sacrifices. In Surah Saaffaat, lines 101 to 107 of the Holy Qur’an, the significance of the sacrifice is presented in such a way that “And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah), so look what you think!” He said: “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha’ Allah (if Allah wills), you shall find me of As-Sabireen (the patient ones).”
Finally when both of them surrendered themselves (to Allah) and Ibrahim Alaihissalam laid the son on the floor (so what must have been the scene at that time, think!) and we called him saying, “O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)! Verily! Thus do We reward the Muhsinoon(those who do righteous deeds)”. Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial and We ransomed him(Ismail(Peace be upon him)) with a great sacrifice (i.e. a ram);And We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among generations (to come) in later times. Peace be upon Ibrahim”. The great sacrifice refers to an animal(sheep), which was then presented by the Angel of Allah to Hazrat Ibrahim Alaihissalam in order to sacrifice it in lieu of the son. It was embellished with the words of a great sacrifice as it was the ransom of the faithful, patient and brave son of Ibrahim Alaihissalam. That is why this Sunnah(practice) of Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) was called “Sunnat-e-Jaariya”(perpetual way) and was ordained forever for the generations to come.
According to historians, the incident took place on the hill of “Mina” near Mecca where Hajj pilgrims offer sacrifices on 10th Zilhajj(12th Month of Hijri calendar). In exchange for Hazrat Ismail Alaihissalam, the horns of teh animal that was sacrificed, were safely kept in Khana-e-Kaaba till the time of Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair(Allah be pleased with him). This incident of Qurbani is given special place in “Manaasik-e-Hajj”(Hajj rites).
In Arabic, “Azha” refers to the sacrifice of a legitimate animal. Selling animal for sacrifices brings many benefits to cattle rearers. The cattle business fetches a significant amount of money for the cattle roarers from rural areas. This promotes animal husbandry. Especially the animal vendors of Qurbani get a big relief for many economic problems.
Thus from this organic and natural management; according to the principles of remittance, wealth reaches every corner of the country to livestock owners and capitalists do not have a means of accumulating money.
Apart from this, we should also pay attention to aspects of sacrifice. This kind of sacrifice from Hazrat Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) was not demanded spontaneously by Allah but his whole life has been devoted to the sacrifices and is also memorable.
For the sake of Allah, he was deprived of parents’ love and affection, their wealth, amenities and comforts. Hazrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) was also deprived of the support of family and relatives and prospect of priesthood. He had to leave his beloved country. The Nimrood, (the king of Mesopotamia) threw Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) for his love of Allah.
In the desire and emulation of Allah, he had to leave his beloved wife and the only son in a barren desert and go to other countries to introduce the way of Allah.
When this child grew up, Allah ordered Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) to sacrifice the son by putting knife over his neck and leave all the support of the world and become a “Muslim Haneef” to present a complete depiction of Islam. The line#131 of Surah Baqrah of the Holy Qur’an states that “when his Lord told him to be a Muslim (obedient), he said without hesitation, I became a Muslim of Rabbul Alameen(the sustainer of the universe)”. Islam means absolute obedience, complete surrender and true loyalty.
Therefore, this unique sacrifice can only be done by one who is truly a follower of Allah in his whole personality and in his entire life, who is loyal to Him in every sphere of life and who has surrendered everything to Allah.
If our life is not a testimony that we are Muslim and loyal slaves of Allah and we have not devoted our whole life to Allah, then the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim cannot be refreshed by just sacrificing the animal. At the time of the sacrifice, it is said that “In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest, O Allah, accept this sacrifice on my behalf, just as you accepted the sacrifice of your friend Ibrahim(Peace be upon him) and your beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammed(Peace and blessings be upon him)”. Subsequently, in Surah Hajj, line 37 of the Holy Qur’an, it is said that “neither the flesh nor the blood of the sacrificed animals reaches Allah but your Taqwa(piety).”
This is the essence of Taqwa and sincere obedience is the soul of sacrifice. Only the sacrifice offered to Allah attains the status of acceptance which the people of Taqwa present with His passion. These feelings of Taqwa are not created merely by saying “I am a Muslim of Rabbul Aalameen” or praying whenever you wish, fasting in Ramadan and leaving afterwards, doing any specific work of Islam and then leaving, committing Shirk(assigning partners to Allah) in conduct and affairs, immorality, fraud, falsehood, false evidence etc. or spend life in an arbitrary way or waste the life and strength, abilities in such acts like suicide, murders, and expect from Allah that He will accept the sacrifice of our Eid-ul-Azha? Which is absolutely uncertain.
Similarly, there is no exemption like symbolic sacrifice in this sacrifice in the same way that we do not behave symbolically in transactions, buying, selling, catering, marriage, but in exchange of money and checks or couple of bride and groom are seen in the marriage. So, no kind of symbolic sacrifice can be imagined in Islam.
—
*Homeopathy doctor and active social worker based in Nagpur

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das  The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.
Post a Comment
»

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman*  The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.
Post a Comment
»

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra   There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.
Post a Comment
»

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.
Post a Comment
»

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.
Post a Comment
»

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra   A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.
Post a Comment
»

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta   We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.
Post a Comment
»

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor*  Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.
Post a Comment
»

Bangladesh alternative more vital for NE India than Kaladan project in Myanmar

By Mehjabin Bhanu*  There has been a recent surge in the number of Chin refugees entering Mizoram from the adjacent nation as a result of airstrikes by the Myanmar Army on ethnic insurgents and intense fighting along the border between India and Myanmar. Uncertainty has surrounded India's Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project, which uses Sittwe port in Myanmar, due to the recent outbreak of hostilities along the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Construction on the road portion of the Kaladan project, which runs from Paletwa in Myanmar to Zorinpui in Mizoram, was resumed thanks to the time of relative calm during the intermittent period. However, recent unrest has increased concerns about missing the revised commissioning goal dates. The project's goal is to link northeastern states with the rest of India via an alternate route, using the Sittwe port in Myanmar. In addition to this route, India can also connect the region with the rest of India through Assam by using the Chittagon...
Post a Comment
»