What would you sacrifice to appease God?

 

According to the Holy Book (Surah As-Saffat, verses 100-107), God appeared to Prophet Ibrahim in a dream and commanded him to sacrifice his dearest possession as an act of obedience and submission.

So, Prophet Ibrahim submitted to God’s will, laid his firstborn on the side of his forehead and prepared for the sacrifice. However, before the prophet could fulfil the sacrifice, God called out to him and replaced his son with an animal.  

To commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to give up his beloved son on God’s command, Muslims around the world sacrifice animals on Aidiladha. This ritual has often been questioned by non-Muslims and Muslims alike.

Oftentimes during the festival, I find myself debating friends who see the ritual as something barbaric. They seem to have forgotten that the steaks and kebabs they enjoy all year round also came from slaughtered animals. In fact, even the processed meat most of us buy from the frozen food section of the supermarket was once an animal that had its throat cut open. 

However, when I am having the same banter with my vegan friends, I straightaway stop debating. The reason is simple – I wholeheartedly respect anyone whose opinions do not contradict their actions.

Would you sacrifice your child? 

One question that I stumble upon every year, which often gets me stuck in the head, is: “Would you sacrifice your child if God asked you to?” 

My instant reaction is: “No! I love God, but I won’t sacrifice my child for Him.”

Meat Loaf (the singer) once said that he would “do anything for love, but he won’t do that.” Like Meat Loaf, I believe there is an important line to be drawn, some boundary for which love (even to God) wasn’t worth crossing.  

Or perhaps I just don’t fear Him enough.

In fact, if anyone tells me that their response to the question is “Yes”, I will ask them to see a doctor because clearly something in their brain isn’t working well. 

But then again, Prophet Ibrahim said “Yes” and here we are, with Muslims all around the world carrying out the ritual, believing faithfully that it makes us better Muslims. Does it though?

Let us introspect a little more. Perhaps there is a reason God asked Prophet Ibrahim for the sacrifice and none of us. Perhaps no one except Prophet Ibrahim has ever been found worthy to answer the question. Perhaps we haven’t been asked because we are not close enough to God to even comprehend such a question.

Or perhaps we understood the ritual quite literally instead of what it was meant to be. 

Perhaps Aidiladha isn’t about shedding blood to appease God. Perhaps it is about giving up something we hold dear to us, in devotion to God. This resonates with Surah Al-Hajj verse 37: “Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you.” 

It’s not about shedding blood 

The pagan Arabs offered blood sacrifice to appease their (many) Gods in the hopes of attaining protection and/or material gain. This traditional ritual of appeasing an “angry god” has no place in Islam.

I believe that the concept of sacrifice in Islam refers to one’s personal willingness to submit one’s ego to God. In other words, by sacrificing something important to us, we show our devotion to God.

In the pre-Islamic period, rearing animals were important to the lives of the people, for livestock was seen as a sign of wealth. Thus, the willingness to sacrifice animals for God was seen as a test of faith.

In the older days in Malaysia, many Muslims who do not own livestock buy animals and rear them with love before sacrificing them during Aidiladha. This fits the concept of sacrifice in Islam.

When I was little, I remember my parents bringing home goats every year. For three to four months before Aidiladha, we would feed and care for the animal, play with it and even give it its name. Giving up on our goat as a show of faith tested our devotion, for we have built a relationship with the animal.

Like us, those who could not rear an animal by themselves ended up forming groups (usually in kampungs) and getting a larger animal together. They jointly took care of the animal, and when the time came, performed joint sacrifices.

Today, it is not possible for many Muslims to actually rear animals. Most of us who wish to participate in the ritual simply end up paying an amount of money to a third party to sacrifice the animal on our behalf.

If it is true that the concept of sacrifice in Islam is about sacrificing our most dear possession, then perhaps we should ask ourselves how paying off someone else to rear and sacrifice an animal on our behalf show devotion to God?

Would it not make more sense to sacrifice part of our wealth directly towards charity in the hope of pleasing God?

We cannot ignore the fact that we live in a different world today than Prophet Ibrahim did. Whether some of us like it or not, the world is changing.  And it is time for us to think and progress as part of modern Muslim civilisation.

After all, Islam makes it a religious duty for Muslims to seek knowledge and wisdom. In fact, Islam holds knowledge more important than wealth and property. Even Prophet Muhammad, our greatest prophet of all, understood the importance of advancing our understanding of the world in which we live.

Perhaps it is time for us to ponder and pray for guidance. May we all learn to sacrifice in our own ways. Happy Aidiladha. - Mkini

---

FA ABDUL is a multi-award-winning playwright and director in the local performing arts scene, a published author, a television scriptwriter, a media trainer and a mother. Her ultimate mission in life is to live out of a small suitcase.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.