Learning sacrifice and love from Eid Al-Adha

JESSICA AYA HARN

Eid Al-Adha, one of the holiest holidays in Islam, is the celebration of Prophet Ibrahim’s devotion and love towards God, as shown in his willingness to even sacrifice his own son for Allah. Before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son however, God provided a sacrificial lamb instead, saving Ibrahim’s son and rewarding him with love and mercy.

Muslims around the world therefore celebrate Eid Al-Adha as the end of the Hajj pilgrimage in a commemoration of devotion and worship to Allah. Animals are sacrificed in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s own offer of sacrifice, with one third of the animal given to charity, another third to family, friends, or neighbors, and the final third towards one’s own home.

Although Eid Al-Adha is a time for family gatherings, community worship, and communal acts of charity, many Muslims, including myself, find Eid Al-Adha a time for solitary spiritual reflection. In remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice and devotion towards God, Eid Al-Adha can be an important time for deep personal reflection.

With the stories of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice and the thought of millions of Muslims making the pilgrimage of Hajj, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. What have we done in our lives to compare to the sacrifice that Ibrahim made to Allah? Are we truly being proactive in our actions as Muslims, or have we simply become compliant Muslims, who may only do the physical acts of worship but are lacking in the spiritual devotion towards God?

He [Ibrahim] said, ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the people gone astray.'”

[Quran 6:77]

By understanding why Prophet Ibrahim made the sacrifice, and why millions of Muslims sacrifice so much to go on the pilgrimage of Hajj, we can try to increase our own daily sacrifices in our devotion towards God. The simple reason why Prophet Ibrahim was able to so willingly sacrifice his own son was because of his love for Allah. His love for Allah is arguably the strongest reason why he was rewarded so much by God with the sparing of his son. The millions of Muslims who also make the annual pilgrimage of Hajj do this not because it is forced, but because this is one of the greatest acts of love one can do for Allah.

Without a deeply conscious love for God, no amount of sacrifice will ever be sufficient. Being proactive in your love and fully understanding and feeling your love for Allah can come in many forms. It can be simply reflecting and thinking. It can be reading Quran. It can be going into nature and wondering at the miracles of Allah. It comes in an infinite number of ways, which allows us no excuse to not live our lives in full love and devotion towards God.

Once this level of conscious love for God becomes a part of your spirituality, the sacrifices you make for Allah will flow naturally. No sacrifice can be made without love. And because each sacrifice you make, whether it be small or big, is coming from a place a love, this in turn becomes a holy act of devotion and worship towards God. That is what Prophet Ibrahim taught us, and that is what symbolizes the pilgrimage of Hajj every year.

We called to him, ‘O Abraham, You have fulfilled the vision.’ Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations: ‘Peace upon Abraham’. Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.”

[Quran 37:104-110]

So this Eid Al-Adha, let it be a time for charity, celebrations, and acts of worship. But let it also be a time for quiet reflection and remembrance to strengthen our love for God. Without this core strength, of being conscious in our love for Allah, we can never hope to live our lives as truly submitting Muslims. May we all be blessed this Eid, and inshallah find the strength and love to live full and spiritual lives.

The Abrahamic Hajj (1)

As you know the sacred month of Zil-Hijjah has started.

It is the month in which God has decreed the Hajj pilgrimage to His Symbolic House, the holy Ka’ba in Mecca, for those who have the financial means to afford the journey and are in sound health to perform the rituals. Thus, this year also devotees from all over the world have converged on the Land of Divine Revelation, Hijaz, to perform the annual Hajj, which provides a beautiful example of university in diversity of the Ummah which is made up of Muslims from all over the world, speaking different languages, having different colour of skin, of different features, and of different ethnicities, as well as various strata of society. The unifying factor for humanity is undoubtedly monotheism that reflects the power, glory, and unity of Muslims.

The following is the first episode of an interesting series on this occasion titled: The Abrahamic Hajj.  

Prophet Abraham (PuH) has a special place among the prophets, to the extent that God Almighty has expressed his name 69 times in the holy Qur'an spread over 25 Surahs and has highlighted his outstanding merits by introducing them as the salient features that Muslims and monotheists should follow. And on the commandment of God Almighty, Abraham, along with his firstborn son, Ishmael formalized and institutionalized the annual Hajj after rebuilding the holy Ka’ba, the first ever structure built on Planet Earth by the Father of the human race, Adam, and which was ruined during the great deluged that submerged most of the world in the days of Prophet Noah (peace upon them).

He was commanded to announce the performance of the Hajj in the wilderness of the then remote town of Mecca, and when he asked God that who will hear his voice, he was told that even those who are yet to be born till the end times, and who will answer his call.

His call thus ricocheting the mountains of Mecca echoed around the world and penetrated the layers of time, from which came voices of the faithful, unheard by normal human ears, Labbaika, Allahumma Labbaik. It means “here I am O Lord, here I am”.

"Labbaika Allahumma Labbaik, Labbakia La sharika laka Labbaik. Innah hamda wan ne’mata laka  wa’l-mulk.La Sharika lak"

What you heard was the “Talabiyya” which the pilgrims recite while performing the Hajj rituals. When translated from Arabic into English, it means: “Here I am my Lord. Here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Indeed the praise, grace, and the kingdom are for You. You have no partner.”

These are the words of monotheism chanted by millions of pilgrims coming from all over the world to Mecca, of different ethnicities, and speaking different languages. But this superficial diversity, there is unity of purpose and goal for the faithful who join each other to move towards a single sacred spot, as if pulled by a magnet. This is what the Last and the Greatest Messenger of God, Abraham’s illustrious descendant, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), has taught the Muslims by reviving the rituals which by the command of God, his Iconoclast ancestor had conveyed to humanity. It is a call that emanates from the depth of the hearts of the believers responding to Allah's call. 

Among all acts of worship, the Hajj enjoys a special status. It is one of the pillars of Islam and it is among the most glorious manifestations and symbols of Islam. The Hajj pilgrimage is held in Mecca in the month of Zil-Hijjah and its specified days, and at the specified spots, whereas the other acts of worship can be performed anywhere. The Hajj instills in us the characteristics of faith, resolve, patience, endurance, selflessness and devotion for attaining proximity to God the Almighty Creator. While performing the Hajj, the pilgrims unshackle all chains of attachment to the world and its pleasures. What matters is the proper cognition of God, and this could be achieved by developing the true cognition of one’s own self. The Hajj is indeed a spiritual journey, which has its own unique conditions. The pilgrim should first make the sincere intention of undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage solely for the sake of God through repentance and imploring forgiveness for the sins committed. Another condition is to repay the loans and restore to the owners, if property has been seized from them. The Khoms and Zakat that are due and pending, ought to be paid. We come across many hadith where it is said that God might forgive the violation of His rights, but will not forgive the violation of the rights of others, unless that person who has been wronged first forgives. Thus, the means of the Hajj journey should be procured through legal and lawful means.

In Surah Ma’edah, ayah 97, the holy Qur’an says:

“Allah has made the Ka’ba, the Sacred House, a [means of] sustentation for mankind”

This ayah refers to the gathering of Muslims from all over the world in one place, regardless of the colour of skin, ethnicity, language spoken, or social ranks. It is a chance to get familiar with the problems of each other, and to exchange views on commerce, cultures, technology, and politics. The Hajj and its rituals thus create social amity and solidarity among Muslims, and there is no difference between the rich and the poor. According to the holy Qur’an, eligibility for performing the Hajj, and of assuming responsibility for custodianship of the holy Ka’ba, is of prime importance. God warns the incompetent in ayah 34 of Surah Anfaal:

"Its custodians are only the Godwary, but most of them do not know."

The Hajj pilgrimage is indeed a grand display of unity in diversity. Thus, once the Hajj pilgrimage becomes a factor of unity and understanding, it removes distances and brings hearts closer to each other. In other words, the spirit of Hajj ought to create profound development not only for an individual but also for the social life of Muslim communities. The Hajj pilgrimage is a collective or mass form of worship, for; it is the Will of God to inculcate consciousness amongst Muslims through it. The pilgrims to the House of God can benefit from the various aspects of the Hajj, since this grand pilgrimage benefits the whole Muslim world.

In this regard, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has said: “The Abrahamic Hajj is the same as the Mohammadi Hajj, in which the movement toward unity is the essence of all ceremonies and rituals. The Abrahamic Hajj inspires Muslims to set aside differences by solidifying their ranks through circumambulating the holy Ka’ba, the pivot of monotheism that negates all forms of polytheist and atheist tendencies. In short, the Hajj purifies the pilgrims and provides opportunity for rejuvenation of the life of the Ummah, if the rituals are properly observed in the genuine Abrahamic and Mohammadi manner.”

The Father of Monotheistic Faiths

‘Abraham-Ibrahim, the friend of God, stands as a figure of friendship between faiths’, says Frank Gelli

Biblical Stained Glass Window As the Hajj – the great annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah – unfolds, a gigantic, majestic figure offers himself for reflection. Not just for Muslims but for other fellow monotheists, the Christians and the Jews. Ibrahim-Abraham is part of their shared, sacred heritage. Surely that is something to rejoice about. Friendship and harmony between believers in God is a duty. Despite being common to each faith, however, this Abraham-Ibrahim also poses some challenges because our Scriptures and traditions do not all understand him in the same way. For Muslims, Abraham is first and foremost a Prophet but for Christians and Jews, he is not that but a Patriarch: the father and ancestor of the chosen people. (Not that he is always quite exemplary. For instance, in Genesis, he lies to his wife Sarah. What to make of that?) The Hajj refers to various tests and trials endured by Abraham and his family. For example, in chapter Al-Anbiyaa the Qur’an describes Abraham breaking idols into pieces. No such episode is mentioned in the Torah, the five Books of Moses, although rabbinical traditions agree with the Qur’an. The New Testament Letter to the Hebrews in a long chapter also alludes to Abraham’s vicissitudes, though not to any smashing of idols. Abraham is The New Testament Letter to the Hebrews in a long chapter also alludes to Abraham’s vicissitudes, though not to any smashing of idols. Abraham is par excellence the father of faith. Note that Hebrews state that his sufferings were ‘for the sake of Christ’, the Messiah to come, something with which Muslims could hardly agree. Furthermore, the Book of Genesis understands Abraham’s family in a way not acceptable to Muslims. The Patriarch’s legitimate son is Isaac, whereas Ishmael, the ancestor of the Arabs, though not of all Muslims, is the slave woman Hagar’s son. St Paul in Galatians argues theologically from this fact, in a way not conducive to interfaith happiness. The two women for him stand for two antagonistic, opposing covenants. Above all, in Islam the Prophet Abraham witnesses to tawhid, the absolute unity of the Godhead. Many Christians, by contrast, have interpreted the three men who appear to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre in Genesis, 18, as divine emissaries, angels, and as anticipations of… the Trinity! A doctrine which to Muslims and Jews is like a red rag to a bull. A bit discouraging? Professor Jon Levenson of Harvard University attributes the intellectual popularity of the notion of ‘Abrahamic faiths’ to the French Orientalist scholar and priest Louis Massignon. A man of deep spirituality and yearnings, Massignon was obsessed with discovering the Christ of Christianity in Islam – a search bound to be fruitless, although his massive study of the mystic al-Hallaj remains of interest. Levenson, a Jew, does not pull any punches. For him, he seems to be saying, Abraham belongs primarily to Judaism. His genuine religious universality is therefore in doubt. Any attempts to exclusively appropriate the Patriarch by other monotheistic faiths are distortions of the true Abraham of the Jewish Torah. Hence they are illicit or misguided, he argues in his book, ‘Inheriting Abraham’. Victorian stained glass window showing Abraham dropping a knife on the command of an angel just as he was about to sacrifice his son to please God. Levenson is a bit unfair to Massignon. Whatever his motivations (clearly, he hoped eventually to usher Muslims into Christianity) he founded a mystical community of prayer and worship, the Badaliya, whose aim was to celebrate the points of similarity between Cross and Crescent. Abraham conceived as common patrimony of all the three faiths fitted into his scheme. Besides, all of Massignon’s statements about the Prophet Muhammad were profoundly positive. More, Massignon actually wrote that the divine inspiration suffusing the pages of the Bible is also present and active in the Qur’an. You can hardly imagine a more sympathetic approach by an orthodox Christian and priest. Back to Abraham. One or Three? Jewish, Christian or Muslim? Which faith can properly claim him for itself? I submit that is the wrong question. When years ago I took part, along with Rabbi Wittenberg and various Imams, in the Ahl al-Ibrahim programme on al-Mustakillah Arab TV channel, I never tried to insinuate that the Abraham of the New Testament is the only and exclusively right portrait of the noble champion of faith. Instead, I was most interested in learning from my fellow speakers. Nor does it trouble me that the Abraham idol-breaker of the Qur’an is not exactly replicated in my Holy Scriptures. The point is that destroying idols is a meritorious task. Many Christian Saints have indeed done the same, such as St Boniface, who in Germany cut down an oak sacred to the pagan god Thor. Boniface is rightly honoured for that. Abraham, the friend of the One True God, would not have done less. Back in 2010, I happily signed a ‘Resolution to Safeguard Our Common Values and Communities’, a document put forward by a gathering of scholars of the ‘Three Abrahamic Faiths’ who met at the Islamic Centre of England in Maida Vale. We were affirming our common religious grounds and solidarity against the injudicious initiative by an ignorant individual in the US who wanted to publicly burn copies of the Qur’an. Attacking so brutally the holy text of one of our faiths was an attack on us all, we declared. So, perhaps, here is a possible, key meaning of Ibrahim-Abraham for sincere and devout monotheists, especially in this month of Dhu’l-Hijjah. In a society in which increasingly the idea of the Holy, its symbols and representatives are daily insulted and vilified, the goodly Patriarch, the friend of God, the father of faith, stands, as firm as a rock, as a model, a spiritual source of encouragement and strength. ‘Be friends!’ God’s friend is urging us.