Mystic Mantra: A feast of sacrifice

The sole purpose of celebrating Id-ul-Adha in Islam is attaining piety and spiritual purification. The Quran elucidates it: “It is neither their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him”. It further explains the objective of this occasion as “(so that) you may glorify God for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do right”. However, in stark contradiction to this Quranic injunction, a common perception is prevailing among people. That is — animal sacrifice is the only objective of Id-ul-Adha. But the truth is that eating meat is not compulsory in Islam. A Muslim must not be necessarily non-vegetarian. A strictly vegetarian person can equally be a very good and devout practitioner of Islam. It is stated, in very clear terms, in the Quran: “Eat of the good things we have provided you.”

This is self-explanatory in the above verse that non-vegetarianism is not obligatory in Islam. The matter of one’s choice with regard to eating food is left to his/her discretion. Nevertheless, the Quran enjoins Muslims to have only the halal (pure and clean) in all food items, including the meat. This is what so many verses in the Quran exhort. For instance, “O ye who believe, fulfil all obligations. Lawful for you are the animals of grazing livestock except for that which is recited to you (in this Quran) — hunting is not permitted while you are in the state of ihram. Indeed, Allah ordains what He intends.”

Qurbani or animal sacrifice on the occasion of Id-ul-Adha is aimed at recalling the two Prophets’ undying spirit, unwavering will and a deep conviction of sacrifice. Hazrat Ibrahim set out to offer his only son, then, Hazrat Ismail as a sacrifice for the sake of God. However, when both were wholly ready to submit to God’s will, a sheep was put in the place of Ismail. This spiritual transformation in the life of the two revered prophets is the hallmark of their infinite devotion and complete submission. This is the core essence of why Muslims the world over still celebrate this occasion.

On Id-ul-Adha, they are reminded of the divine example to emulate in a deeper and broader sense, not just in the ritual of animal sacrifice. In order to serve the real purpose of Id-ul-Adha, all acts of sacrifice, submission and remembrance need to be exhibited. The “sharing tradition” runs high in this Id. Muslims go as far as distributing several kilos of meat to the poor families so they may not remain hungry during three sacred days of Id-ul-Adha. But Islam requires from us to show the real sprit of generosity throughout the year so that not a single member of our society may starve or die poor.