Sacrifices...

I started writing various bits of this piece some time back and never really got round to post it. Each time I came back to it, I thought of little bits to add to it and before long, the whole piece was a jumble of thoughts and ideas. Then last week with Eid, the subject of sacrifice came up yet again and I thought of this writing again. Anyway I've had to almost re-write this to make some sense of it but in essence the original bits are still there in all the right places. Some bits I discarded since I couldn’t even remember why I had made notes on. But don't you just love it when things seem totally incoherent and you have a bit of a shake-up and voila it all fits in. I had that with my bedroom a few weeks ago, everything was just all over the place and I got sick of trying to sort stuff out. I was moving one thing from one place and putting in on to another. In the end I just thought, pull it apart and start all over again!


Anyway back to this topic of sacrifice. What does it mean, to sacrifice? ....Does it mean one thing for one person and something completely different to another person? Commonly sacrifice is associated in the giving of something, food and object or such. This takes me to the one important topic on sacrifice and associated directly with Eid that has just passed.

In our house we have offered the sacrifice at Eid Al Adha for as long as I can remember. My parents have always been good to show us Eid Al Adha in its true spirit. Aside from the beauty and spiritual benefits attained from it as adults, it is also a learning phase for our children, for they need to understand Islam and the best way to this is to practice the religion. There needs to be signs. Its little point in saying well you do this, this and that if you are Muslim. They need actions and they do say that actions speak louder than words. That's right folks actions speak louder than words. Thankfully my nieces are absolutely full of questions, they are the most inquisitive of children, that's what I love about children, they are just truly amazing, you can sit with them for hours and have a mountain of patience talking to them, knowing that every answer will be followed by yet another question and never getting fed-up. Children are my favorite of people!

Anyway the sacrifice of Eid, Qurbani to some, to others Udhiya, is an act performed for the sake of Allah and a truly amazing form of worship. What better way to attain the reward from Allah and have the pleasure of eating from a sacrificed animal? Salah is the greatest form of worship but for the worship concerning wealth, sacrificial act on Eid Al Adha holds great reverence as the original will for the sacrifice was for a soul, the soul of Ismail peace be upon him, at the commandment of God to Ibrahim peace be upon him. Imagine having to sacrifice your son, your beloved son. Ibrahim was ready to do this without a glimmer of doubt. Can we ever reach to the level of faith and fortitude as of Ibrahim? Allah tested Ibrahim's faith and he, Ibrahim never waivered, willing to carry out the sacrifice of his son, but once his submission had been tested, the body of Ismail was replaced with an animal which Ibrahim sacrificed. Even Ismail was happy for his father to carry out this commandment from Allah; he too was firm and resolute. From then onwards all able Muslims were to perform this act. The sacrifice is an act of total submission to God, that you obedient to Allah and his commands, and that we are slaves of Allah, should we not then surrender to Him? Ibrahim never questioned why he must sacrifice his son. That is a true philosophy of sacrifice, to give without question.

This takes me to my more general idea on sacrifice in our worldly lives. How many of us have made sacrifices, little sacrifices to even bigger ones. How many of us make true sacrifices, give up for the sake of others? Many of the times I find something hurts deeply to give up, but you still do for the sake of others around you. These are worldly matters and they bear resemblance on you character depending on how you handle things. We sacrifice, time, wealth and even love.

There are times when we want to achieve something, the most difficult of decisions need to be made, and usually at those times we have to make sacrifices. Sadly many people don't make sacrifices. They want everything, no matter what or who get's hurt in the process. But life is about others, not just about one or two people you chose.

Did you sacrifice for another or did you give up in a self-seeking way? Whatever the answer to this question, just remember someone, somewhere may have gotten hurt in the process and that is something no one should have to live with.

If you make a sacrifice, make it genuinely and most of all don't tread over things or people that you pass in getting where you need to get to :)

Aisha