In Islam, all that is demanded as a sacrifice is one’s personal willingness to submit one’s ego and individual will to Allah.
Islam’s attitude towards ritual slaughter is not that of blood
atonement, or seeking favour with Allah through another’s death, but
rather, the act of thanking Allah for one’s sustenance.
“Eid Al-Adha” is at the doorstep, many rams, cows, camels, of
course, are tied to be slaughtered. What is the concept of sacrifice in
Islam?
Actually, there are many misconceptions filling the mind of many
non-Muslims, who fail to perceive the significance and wisdom behind
acts of worship in Islam. That is why addressing those misconceptions
becomes obligatory in order to erase distortions about Islam.
Sacrifice is not a pillar of Islam. We must look at the occurrences in a
contextual manner, understanding not only the pre-Islamic institution
of sacrifice, the Qur'anic reforms concerning this practice, and the
continuance of sacrifice in the Muslim world, but also the context in
which the Qur'anic revelations occurred. For it seems that with many
people, both non-Muslims and Muslims alike, context is the key that they
are missing.
What was the situation in pre-Islamic Arabia with regard to animal
sacrifice? Not only did the pagan Arabs sacrifice to a variety of gods
with hopes of attaining protection or some favour or material gain, but
so, too, did the Jews of that day seek to appease the One True God by
blood sacrifice and burnt offerings. Islam, however, broke away from
this longstanding tradition of appeasing an “angry God.” The notion of
“vicarious atonement of sin” (absolving one’s sins through the blood of
another) is nowhere to be found in the Qur'an. Neither is the idea of
gaining favour by offering the life of another to Allah. In Islam, all
that is demanded as a sacrifice is one’s personal willingness to submit
one’s ego and individual will to Allah.
One only has to look at how the Qur'an treats this subject, to see a
marked difference regarding sacrifice and whether or not Allah is
appeased by blood. The Qur'anic account of the sacrifice of Ismail
ultimately speaks against blood atonement. Allah says:
“Then
when (the son) reached the age of serious work with him, he said: “Oh my
son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is
thy view!” (The son) said: “Oh my father! Do As thou art commanded: Thou
wilt find me, if Allah so wills one practising patience and constancy!”
So when they had both submitted their will to Allah, and he had laid
him prostrate on his forehead for sacrifice, We called out to him, “Oh
Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” Thus indeed do We
reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial and We
ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice.” The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 37, Verses 102-107.
Notice that the Qur'an never says that Allah told Abraham to kill
(sacrifice) his son. Here, it teaches us that Abraham had a dream in
which he saw himself slaughtering his son. Abraham believed the dream
and thought that the dream was from Allah. However, in Abraham and
Ismail’s willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice-Abraham of his son,
Ismail of his own life-they are able to transcend notions of self and
false attachment to the material realm, thus removing a veil between
themselves and Allah.
As far as the yearly tradition that has followed this event, that is,
the sacrificing of a ram to commemorate Abraham and Ismail’s great
self-sacrifice, we must understand it and the Qur'anic verses that
pertain to animal sacrifice, in relation to the time and place
circumstances under which these revelations were received and how people
were trying to make a personal sacrifice by sharing their limited means
of survival with the poorer members of their community.
That is to say, the underlying implication of Islam’s attitude towards
ritual slaughter is not that of blood atonement, or seeking favour with
Allah through another’s death, but rather, the act of thanking Allah for
one’s sustenance and the personal sacrifice of sharing one’s
possessions and valuable food with one’s fellow humans. The ritual
itself is not the sacrifice. It is merely a method of killing where the
individuals kill as quickly as possible and acknowledge that only Allah
has the right to take a life and that they do so as a humble member of
Allah’s creation in need of sustenance just like every other species in
Allah’s creation.
Allah also says:
“To every people did We appoint rites (of
sacrifice) that they might celebrate the name of Allah over the
sustenance He gave them from animals (fit for food). But your God is One
God: Submit then your will to Him (In Islam): and give thou the good
news to those who humble themselves.” The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 22, Verse 34.
This is the true end of sacrifice, not propitiation of higher powers,
for Allah is One, and He does not delight in flesh and blood, but a
symbol of thanksgiving to Allah by sharing meat with fellow humans. The
solemn pronouncement of Allah’s name over the sacrifice is an essential
part of the rite.
Allah says further: “ It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches
Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject
to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: And proclaim
the Good News to all who do right.” The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 22, Verse 37.
No one should suppose that meat or blood is acceptable to the One True
God. It was a pagan fancy that Allah could be appeased by blood
sacrifice. But Allah does accept the offering of our hearts, and as a
symbol of such offer, some visible institution is necessary. He has
given us power over the brute creation, and permitted us to eat meat,
but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life, for
without this solemn invocation, we are apt to forget the sacredness of
life. By this invocation we are reminded that wanton cruelty is not in
our thoughts, but only the need for food.
It is quite clear from the Qur'anic passages above that the issue of
animal sacrifice is in relation to the role animals played in Arabian
society at that place and time (as well as other societies with similar
climates and culture), in that humans are commanded to give thanks to
Allah and praise Allah for the sustenance He has given them and that
they should sacrifice something of value to themselves to demonstrate
their appreciation for what they have been given (which in their case
was the very animals on which their survival was based).
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