Islam has now become a religion of hypocrisy and mockery of which people have chosen for themselves prophets and messengers other than those Allah had already sent and chosen for Mankind. The world is now experiencing a new revelation from the 'World of the Supernatural', governed by Satan and all his agents of doom and decadence. Before, Satan struggles to the depth of his sweat ninety-nine point nine times before he can influence a single soul to commit heinous sins. But that was in the past; nowadays, he sits comfortably on his throne and watches Mankind clearly and openly prove God wrong as to why he ( Iblis, Lucifer, etc) had been so much recalcitrant to prostrate before Adam. His reasons are unacceptably clear -- not only because he's fire and man is clay, but of course, we're in the time of the Hour when the world only awaits the major signs for Judgment Day. The twelfth month of the Islamic calendar is called Dhul Hijjah. It is the month that contains one of the greatest pillars of Islam – Hajj or the major pilgrimage. It also contains one of only two Islamic reoccurring festivals, Eid ul Adha. These two special occasions, the Hajj and Eid ul Adha, are inextricably linked by one special man, Prophet Ibrahim, known in Jewish and Christian traditions as Prophet Abraham.
Making the pilgrimage is often called following in the footsteps of Ibrahim. This is due to the fact that the rituals involved in the pilgrimage replicate many of the events in Prophet Ibrahim’s life. Eid ul Adha commemorates a specific trial in the life of Ibrahim. He was commanded by God to sacrifice, his son Ishmael. Eid ul Adha occurs on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah, the day on which most of the Hajj rites have been performed and the pilgrims slaughter an animal to honor Prophet Ibrahim’s obedience to God.
“Surely Ibrahim was an example, obedient to God, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him onto the right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next, he will most surely be among the righteous.” (Quran 16:120-121)
In a divinely inspired dream, Ibrahim saw himself sacrificing his son Ishmael. All members of Ibrahim’s family demonstrated complete trust in God, therefore Ibrahim revealed the dream to Ishmael. He readily agreed that his father must carry out the command of God. Together they went to the place of sacrifice and offered Ishmael’s life to God. Ibrahim prepared to sacrifice his beloved son. At this point, (Satan) tempted Ibrahim trying to make him disobey God, but Ibrahim resisted and drove Satan away. Ibrahim looked down at his son for what he believed was the last time but as the blade came close to Ishmael’s neck God stayed his hand and revealed that there was no need for Ibrahim to continue. His sacrifice had already been fulfilled.
Giving up something big for the sake of God, such as the life of your child, must seem like a huge and unimaginable sacrifice. Today even going without something small, such as a cup of coffee, to donate the money to charity seems like a large sacrifice. Try to imagine how Ibrahim must have felt as he held the blade above his child’s neck. In the last moment, he was relieved of his duty to follow God’s commands. Having complete trust in God, knowing with certainty that God knows and wants what is best for us is often difficult, but it should not be.
“…And whosoever fears God and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine….” (Quran 65:2-3)
God replaced Ishmael with a sheep and it is for this reason that Muslims sacrifice an animal on the celebration of Eid ul Adha; however it is more than a celebration, it is a reminder. We are reminded of our own submission to the will of God. Those Muslims who are not making the pilgrimage and who can afford it sacrifice an animal in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s test.
“Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you….” (Quran 22:37)
The act of animal sacrifice is often misunderstood. God has no need for the blood or the meat; in fact, God has no need for any of our acts of worship. However, for our own benefit, God commands us to turn to Him and obey Him. God looks for our piety, our goodness, and our charity. The animal sacrificed is usually a sheep, a goat, or a cow.
Distributing the meat from the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha strengthens many of our efforts to please God with our piety. Usually, a portion is eaten by the immediate family and relatives, a portion is given away to friends and neighbors and a portion is donated to the poor. The act symbolizes our willingness to give up our bounties to strengthen ties of kinship and friendship and our enthusiasm to give up things that are of benefit to us in order to help those who are in need. In the sacrifice, we recognize that all blessings come from God.
Eid ul Adha commences on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah. For those who are not at the pilgrimage, it begins with an extra early morning prayer performed in the congregation, called the Eid prayer. It is a time of celebration, a time to visit family and friends and thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. It demands contact with relatives, kindness to family and neighbors, and empathy and compassion for the poor. Above all Eid ul Adha reminds us that God is great and that He is the source of all bounties. Through the good times and the trying times, God is the source of all comfort and all peace, and submission to Him brings the greatest benefits of all.
Islamic feasts ( both Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr) have now been transformed into a cerebral doomsday of wrong-doing and arrogance by so-called Muslims around the world.
Nowadays, people even compete in buying sacrifices to be slaughtered on Tobaski day -- than buying them in the right way, and for the right purposes. Even dresses people wear on this special day, some people go to the masjid to show off than having the intention of going to pray as commanded by ALLAH.
They are those who will even be amongst the first throng of mobs to leave the masjid immediately the Imam terminates the prayer. People nowadays have no atom of belief in them other than pretenses and hypocrisy. In Islam, it's even forbidden to leave the masjid or praying ground, immediately a specific prayer is terminated without having to wait for a while, at least. But many people are doing this intentionally because their intention is not only going to pray. I want to make something very clear that it's not a force to buy sacrifices during Tobaski.
The sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is a Sunna (an option) and not an obligation. Thanking God and prayers are even more significant because neither the flesh nor the blood of the sacrifices reaches ALLAH. He doesn't need them at all. It doesn't matter what type of dress you wear; old or new, ALLAH is not looking at your clothes, and He knows very well that most of us even go to the masjid to show off. He pays by intention and pays a deed for a deed, good or bad.
Apart from the sacrifices of animals, we observe and remember Abraham and his son ( Ismaeil), as vital as forgiving each other and returning greetings and blessings. As Muslims, we go to the masjid on this day to respect the religion of Islam and all its prophets because it's in this day that Mankind remembers, and thank ALLAH for replacing Ismael with a sheep to be slaughtered by Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham. This is a form of worship to our Creator, the Benevolent, Most Merciful.
This day should therefore be celebrated with great prospect of worship, and I urge true Muslims who are capable of sacrificing two or more rams, precisely, one for their own family, and one for those who cannot afford it. But one will be disgracefully ashamed to see how people nowadays offer the second sacrifice they say is meant for those who cannot afford it. Some will even go about announcing that they buy it for so and so. Some do it publicly in order to show off, and others, Maa Shaa Allah, do it in the right way.
You'll be so surprised to acknowledge that 99.9 % of Muslims do not correctly pray the Five Daily Prayers on this day. Especially the women, who will even go the extra mile to fix their nails, eyebrows, etc. They become so beautiful and satanic so much so that the dresses they wear make them not pray at all. Men too do the same -- and it's a day that is meant for sinners to meet and sin publicly.
Some families have made it a duty to even go about creating and innovating things outside Islam, which, of course, is not meant for it. It will be so unworthy and unbelievable to see how people called Muslims celebrate these two days.
Surah Al-Kawthar tells us to sacrifice:
''Surely, We have given thee Abundance; (1) so pray unto thy Lord and sacrifice. (2) Surely he that hates thee, he is the one cut off.''
In Tafsir Jalalayn, regarding the second verse, it says,
''So pray to your Lord, the prayer of the Festival of Immolation (‘īd al-nahr), and sacrifice, your offering.''
“Eid al-Nahr” is the same as “Eid al-Adha”.
The sacrifice of Abraham is in the Qur’an as well.
''Then We gave him the good tidings of a prudent boy; (101) and when he had reached the age of running with him, he said, 'My son, I see in a dream that I shall sacrifice thee; consider, what thinkest thou?' He said, 'My father, do as thou art bidden; thou shalt find me, God willing, one of the steadfast.' (102) When they had surrendered, and he flung him upon his brow, (103) We called unto him, 'Abraham, (104) thou hast confirmed the vision; even so We recompense the good-doers. (105) This is indeed the manifest trial.' (106) And We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice, (107) and left for him among the later folk (108) 'Peace be upon Abraham!''
Man is nothing other than a forgotten history that must be read and reminded-- darkness is overcoming light in order to darken the world into precepts of chaos and great deception, intercepted with fake believers who are Muslims in the morning and become disbelievers at night. And some, who are neither with God nor with Satan.
SURAH AL-KAHF (18) (The Cave) 57;
"And who doth more wrong than one who is reminded of the Signs of his Lord, but turns away from them, forgetting the (deeds) which his hands have sent forth? Verily, We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this, and over their ears, deafness, if thou callest them to guidance, even then will they never accept guidance."
In this regard, such people are those who even fast and pray, but actually for zero (in vain). But as for those who know, truly knew that the Munafiquns ( meaning the hypocrites ) had even prayed behind the Prophet (S.A.W) -- and most of them fasted and gave Zakat. But that will not prevent some of them from going to hell. People have lost sight and hearing so much so that they've taken forever to finagle a set of practices in Islam, in order to hypocritically fused tradition and religion together. People nowadays mix religion and science - and what is Sunnah (optional) from what's compulsory ( Fadr) altogether.
Happy Tobaski to you all my dear readers. God always says 'Yaa-Ayyuhallazina-Aamannu' (meaning: O you who truly believe). He knows not all of us are true believers and will always see things differently.
References:
1. Qurán,
2. Hadiths, and:
3. What is Eid-ul-Adha by Aisha Stacey
