THIS article was published on July 26, 2021, after the Eid-ul-Adha or Eid-ul-Kabir of that year. It remains relevant and vital, with a few adjustments, to be re-published.
Muslims the world over have celebrated the Eid-ul-Adha or the “big Eid” or “big Sallah”. We are, however, more interested in its meaning, implications and bearing on us as a nation. We need to look at spiritual milestones, hoping to find the seemingly elusive panacea for our ills.
Eid means feast, festival or celebration, while adha loosely means “sacrifice” (animal sacrifice), “offering” or “oblation”. It got its name because it commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s (AS) devotion to Allah (SWT) and his readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, for Allah’s love.
The Qur’anic story has it that Ibrahim (AS) experienced a dream in which God ordered him to sacrifice his beloved son, Ismail (AS). At first, he was sceptical and believed it was the trickery of the accursed devil. After experiencing the dream the following night, he then understood that it was a message and a command from Allah (SWT). Without hesitation, he prepared his son for the sacrifice. Ibrahim (AS) loved his son dearly, yet this was no obstruction to honouring his duty as instructed by Allah (SWT) and, thus, proving his complete submission to Allah (SWT).
Ibrahim (AS) took his son to the top of Mount Arafat, and in his hands, he had a knife and a rope. Upon arrival, he mentioned the dream to his son Ismail (AS) and made him aware that Allah (SWT) had decreed for him to be a sacrifice, and, in obedience, his son Ismail (AS) accepted what God commanded of him. Ismail (AS) asked that his hands and legs be tied to avoid struggling during the sacrifice and that his father should blindfold himself to avoid witnessing his suffering. Ismail was aware of his father’s love towards him and knew that this would be difficult to witness.
However, as Ibrahim (AS) began performing the sacrifice, Allah (SWT) replaced Ismail with a ram and Ismail (AS) was saved unharmed. Allah (SWT) tested Ibrahim (AS) to see his dedication in his submission (Islam) to his creator. In his willingness to obey Allah’s (SWT) commands, Ibrahim (AS) successfully passed the test, and the act of the sacrifice serves as a reminder of Prophet Ibrahim’s dedication and devotion to serving Allah (SWT) obediently. Therefore, Eid ul-Adha means the festival of sacrifice.
The lesson here is that of sacrifice for a better you. We mostly look at the sacrifice from the point of slaughtering a ram for its meat. Even at that, Islam recommends one to get a healthy, mature and meaty sacrificial lamb that will be a beauty to the eye. Looked at closely, the sacrifice should translate to giving up what one loves in exchange for spiritual upliftment.
Any spiritually uplifted man will spread love around. He will not be where there is injustice. He will not be a party to corrupt activities. Above all, that man will not be where another human being is being harmed. Humanity will be safe with him. If the Nigerian Muslims who participated in Eid-ul-Adha take to heart the spirit behind the event, our country will be better than it is now.
It is a sacrifice in self-immolation that can only be compared to the myth of the Thornbird in the fictional book The Thorn Birds, a 1977 bestseller by Colleen McCullough. She set the story in Drogheda, a town that does not exist in Australia. In the front matter of the book, the myth is set out thus: There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth.
From the moment it leaves the nest, it searches for a thorn tree and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale—one superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only brought at the cost of great pain. Or so says the legend.
The spirit of Eid ul-Adha teaches us to sacrifice ourselves for God. Ismail (AS) was part of Ibrahim (AS); do not forget. By sacrificing his son, he was also sacrificing himself.
Nigeria, now more than ever in its history, needs citizens who are willing to make sacrifices for its existence. We should frown at a situation where leaders will call on us to change while they indulge in the perfidies associated with our leaders of old.
It is not fair, nor is it right, for leaders to ask followers to tighten their belts while they punch more holes in theirs to accommodate their ever-bulging bellies.
It is also not indicative of leaders with a spirit of sacrifice when they send their children to the best schools around, while the public schools are often little better than pigsties.
The spirit of sacrifice is undoubtedly lacking in leaders who, together with their families, can access the best Medicare, while a larger portion of the population lacks access to basic healthcare facilities.
How can a good Muslim’s conscience not disturb him when he buys good exam results or bribes for his child to get a well-paying job? Why should a good Muslim be happy when he collects money to pass a student or to give him a job?
We are talking about Muslims as citizens because we are referring to an Islamic event that just happened.
However, upon reflection, Christianity also attaches great importance and symbolism to sacrifices. Theirs is even directly and practically connotative of the denial of comfort. Their form of sacrifice focuses on the bodies of their members as a living sacrifice.
I believe all Christians understand Christ’s death on the cross to be a necessary atonement for the sins of humankind. And if it were so, why should a Christian run away from discomforting himself for God to be happy with him?
In reality, all those who make up a nation must sacrifice for the country to be great. All religions teach us to sacrifice, and all our tribes have stories of legends who sacrificed their happiness for that tribe to survive.
The problem with Nigeria, as my friend Barrister Okoroafor Vincent always insists, is not the North, as some Southerners would want us to believe, or the South, as some Northerners would insist. He thinks it is not even Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Tiv, etc. He is also adamant that it is neither Islam nor Christianity. The problem with Nigeria, he opines, is individual selfishness and self-centeredness that border on ‘it is our turn to chop’ and myopia in prioritising the self over the nation. All people from the tribes have that tendency, which is exhibited by adherents of both religions.
The lawyer says that if we can put Nigeria first as our collective interest, then we will have a great nation. I cannot agree more.
- Dr Gimba, anipr, is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Neptune Prime. His syndicated column, The Arbiter, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays.