Blog Details
Love lies at the root of sacrifice. Eid ul-Adha (feast of sacrifice), also known as Baqr-Eid, commemorates the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. But actually it marks the divinely inspired sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) in the path of his divine love. When he was asked to sacrifice something which is most precious for God’s pleasure Ibrahim willed to sacrifice his most beloved possession; his son -Ismail who was born when both them were in their old age. In early life Hazrat Ibrahim and his wife spent without a child. Following their constant prayers for a child, Ismail was given birth like a miracle. Even then, Ibrahim submitted his will to sacrifice his beloved son for the pleasure of God.
On the other hand Allah (God) accepted Ibrahim’s sacrifice and submission but put a sheep in place of Ismail. Thus, Hazrat Ibrahim’s devotion and complete submission to the will of God is the core value that we need to emulate during this Eid. This requires from the Allah’s followers to inculcate compassion for the mankind in their infinite devotion for Allah. This is the reason the people of Muslim community are exhorted to sacrifice and distribute the halal (permissible) meat to those who cannot afford their meals.
Though the real essence or significance of this festival does not lie in the meat, flesh or blood. It is rather righteousness and piety— which has to be attained through the spirit of devotion and sacrifice. It is clearly mentioned in The Holy Qur’an that their meat will not reach to Allah, nor will their blood, but what will be reaching to Him is piety from you.
Hence Baqr-Eid gives a three-fold message to us: piety, charity and equality between the rich and the less fortunate or underprivileged in our society.
At the end of the Hajj pilgrimage, Prophet, along with his devout companions (Sahabis) would abundantly donate food items to the needy. Thus, most significantly, this fest evokes deep concern for the needy and hungry people .It offers our Muslim brothers and sisters an opportunity for internal deliberations on the plight of the poor and the destitute, imbuing them with the spirit of generosity, compassion and care for the poor. In fact, this is the core philosophy behind this feast of sacrifice — Eid al-Adha. Sacrifice nourishes and increases one’s divine faith and strength. It transforms our belief into a living reality.
So on behalf of TurnstoneGlobal we are sending our best wishes to all our Muslim brothers and sisters around the world to celebrate this day by spreading much more harmony, concern, happiness, kindness towards the underprivileged.
