Eid Al-Adha
A Message for All Abrahamic Faiths
The Festival of the Sacrifice appears to the casual observer to be a
fun day with no strings attached. There is no month-long fast before
it, as with `Eid Al-Fitr. However it provides a serious reminder to
every believer about the true meaning of belief: the trust, love,
gratitude, and obedience owed by all of us to Allah Most High. `Eid
Al-Adha celebrates a story common to Jews, Christians, and Muslims,
one I first learned as a little girl at my church Sunday school. It
is the story of a brave father and brave son, whose faith, trust, and
love for God were put to the supreme test. Every believer who hears
this story is given pause for thought. How strong is our faith? How
much are we prepared to sacrifice for our Lord and Sustainer?
Peace and Good Will
This year the Festival of the Sacrifice falls in the week between two
highlights of the English year: Christmas and New Year. At the same
time, the Jews also are celebrating the festival of Hanukkah, in
commemoration of the rededication of the temple to the One God, after
it had been cleansed of the Greek idols that had desecrated it. For
the English, Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus (peace
be upon him), is a time to think of others and visit relatives and
friends, share gifts and good wishes, and indulge in all sorts of
special foods.
Many argue that Christmas has become an excuse for greed,
drunkenness, and materialism, that remembrance of Jesus (peace be
upon him) is eclipsed by the remembrance of Father Christmas.
However, the idea of a season of peace and good will is certainly
something that Muslims can approve of. British children up and down
the country even dress up like Palestinians when they act out the
traditional Nativity plays. On New Year people make New Year's
Resolutions, intentions to change themselves for the better by being
kinder or healthier and so on. Is not the correction of intentions an
Islamic duty? A festive season that encourages neighborliness and
generosity and good intentions can go a long way to keeping spirits
up when days are short, cold, and gloomy.
As someone with many Christian relatives to visit at this time, I
feel that my schedule this year is even more tightly packed than
usual now we are squeezing `Eid in the middle as well. I even fear
that `Eid Al-Adha is going to be somewhat overwhelmed this year by
all the Christmas spirit. My children have received so many presents
and chocolates already this year that I fear they may well push
further treats aside . or maybe not!
Concept of Sacrifice
As I talk with Muslim friends with roots in Muslim countries about
the nature of `Eid, it becomes clear that in England the central
focus of `Eid Al-Adha has been lost - the sacrifice itself. I have
listened with interest to descriptions of the way in which the animal
intended for the `Eid sacrifice is cared for tenderly and fed choice
food to fatten it up, of how it becomes a loved member of the family.
On the big day, it is garlanded with red cloth and flowers and
paraded through the streets prior to being sacrificed. The importance
of the love and care given to the animal beforehand was emphasized to
me because it is important that the sacrifice is of something that is
loved and valued. It also shows the Islamic teaching of kindness
shown to all creatures. Influenced by materialist values acquired
while studying economics, I also pondered on the monetary value of
the animal. It could be a bit like sacrificing one's BMW X5 - but
rather more useful because of the value of the meat to feeding the
poor.
However, English towns and by-laws are not congenial to the home
rearing of `Eid animals, so English Muslims tend to send their
qurbani money (money paid for the sacrifice, which brings one close
[qurb] to Allah) to pay for a sacrifice abroad to feed Muslims in
need, or they order their meat in advance from the butchers, and in a
neighborly gesture distribute that around friends and relatives.
Other customs, however, remain the same, like the habit of dressing
up in new clothes. Kind friends have just given my children some new
shalwar-kameez (Pakistani style shirt and trousers) so they too will
have something sparkly and gorgeous. Pakistani friends tell me of a
traditional breakfast dish made from vermicelli called semia. Often
children receive money, and of course, `Eid is a day for visiting
family and enjoying good food. I was told by one lady of an
interesting "fusion food" that her family sometimes make on `Eid if
they feel like something a bit different - Asian-style fish and chips
cooked in a spicy gram batter.
Abrahamic Faiths
I asked my 10-year-old daughter what she knew about `Eid Al-Adha. She
told me the story of Abraham, and then she added, "But I thought
sacrificing animals was pagan and Islam was against such things."
However, the Qur'an gives us the answer when it tells us [theirflesh
and their blood do not reach Allah, but it is the devotion from you
that reaches Him] (Al-Hajj 22:37). The Qur'an also tells us to use
some of the meat to feed the beggar and the supplicant. My daughter
then remembered another story involving sacrifice from the Gospels,
which she had heard at school. I think the Feast commemorating the
father of the Abrahamic faiths is a fitting occasion to mention this
Christian parable involving the same theme of a father, a son, and a
sacrifice. The story is one of the best-known parables attributed to
the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), the story of the Prodigal Son.
The story concerns a man who had two sons. One son was a spendthrift
and a waster who demanded his inheritance early and left home to
spend it. He soon lost all his money and was reduced to such
difficult circumstances that he ended up being a pig herder. However,
he decided to return home to his father, unsure of what sort of a
reception he would receive. His father welcomed him with open arms
and ordered the fatted calf to be killed. The brother who had been
dutiful and stayed with the father became angry that his undeserving
brother should receive such an honor. But the father told him that he
should be merry and glad because his brother was safe after being
lost and feared dead.
It is agreed upon by all three Abrahamic faiths that Abraham had two
sons, one the father of the Israelites and one the father of the
Arabs. When, as a result of the patient delivery of the noble message
of the Qur'an by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the sons
of Ishmael rejected idolatry and returned to the pure monotheistic
faith of their father Abraham, this was surely, according to the
parable of the Prodigal Son, an occasion for great rejoicing by the
sons of Isaac, and indeed all followers of the Abrahamic faiths,
including the non-Semitic nations that had embraced Abraham as their
spiritual father. Sincere devotion to the One True God is the message
of `Eid Al-Adha to all of us - Jew, Christian, or Muslim.
Halima Columbo embraced Islam in 1990. After obtaining a bachelor's
in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University, she
worked as a researcher in local community and economic development,
with a particular interest in holistically interpreting and managing
social change.
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