Is Eidul Azha incomplete without the remembrance
of
the "Tremendous Sacrifice"?
This article is an attempt to draw the attention
of the Muslim masses towards a neglected aspect of Eidul Azha...
Ask any Muslim why he slaughters animals
on the occasion of Eidul Azha, and he will reply that it is in the memory
of Hazrat Ibrahim's attempt to sacrifice his son, Hazrat Ismail, in response
to a vision which he had. Allah changed / delayed the sacrifice and
a lamb was offered instead..
From this brief report, we can draw two
conclusions:
Celebrating some important part of Islamic
history with rituals and rites is not un-Islamic, in fact, it is so important
that it has been passed on to us as part of Islamic customs.
Remembering and respecting the memory, signs
and relics of great Islamic personalities is also not only allowed, but
also recommended in the light of Quranic verses and Hadith and practice
of Prophet Muhammad (SA).
Afterall, many blessed and fortunate people
have just completed Hajj, which incorporates many rituals and rites, which
remind us of great personalities, their efforts and stances at various
points in history. From respecting the Maqam-e-Ibraheem, to circumambulating
the "Construction" of Ibraheem and Ismaeel (Ka'bah), from running in "Sai"
in the memory of Bibi Hajira, from stoning the devil in commemmoration
of Hazrat Ibrahim, and finally slaughtering animals, in remembrance of
Hazrat Ibraheem and Hazrat Ismaeel..
Surah ass-Saffat (37), Verses 102
to 107
And when (his
son) was old enough to walk with him, (Ibrahim) said: "O my dear son, I
have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice thee. So look, what thinkest
thou ?" He (Ismail) said: "O my father! Do that which thou
art commanded. Allah willing, thou shalt find me of the steadfast."
Then, when they
had both surrendered (to Allah), and he (Ibrahim) had flung him (Ismail)
down upon his face, We called unto him: "O Ibrahim! Thou hast already fulfilled
the vision." Lo! thus do We reward the good. Lo! that verily was
a clear test.
And We ransomed
him with a Mighty Sacrifice....
(Al-Quran)
The last 2 words of the Verse are the ones
towards which I wish to draw your attention. The Arabic words are
"Zibhe-Azeem". They have also been translated as
"Tremendous victim" (M. Pickthall), and "Momentous
Sacrifice" (A.Yusuf Ali). I will refer to it as the Great,
or the Greater Sacrifice...
Please keep in mind that who is using the
word "Azeem" and in what background... If something is referred to as "Azeem"
in the Quran by the All-Knowing and the Sublime Creator, it must be of
a great value and worth to have earned this title. Secondly, the "Ransom"
is Azeem, even when compared to a Prophet of as great a status as Hazrat
Ismail....
As you can observe in the above Quranic
verses, Hazrat Ibrahim, a great Prophet, was tested by this vision, and
his son, Hazrat Ismail, another great prophet, participated in this test
with his noble father. But, at the last moment, this sacrifice is
delayed, put off for another time, and maybe, for another person too..
ponder over the Quranic verses, Ibrahim's vision has been fulfilled and
both the great prophets have emerged from this test of submission and devotion
to Allah, successfully..
BUT.....
the sacrifice has been postponed....
Hazrat Ismail's sacrifice postponed...
Think of it and ponder over these words..
Who was being sacrificed???? Ismail... no, one of the greatest Prophets
of Allah, Prophet Ismail (AS)!!! He,
1) who "Purified the House of Allah",
(Quran, 2:125),
2) who "Raised the foundations of the
House of Allah", (Quran 2:127),
3) who is among those "Exalted"
and "preferred" and "Distinguished" above other people and
nations (Quran, 6:86)
4) whom Allah mentions as one who is "truthful
in his promises" (Quran, 19:54)
5) who is mentioned as one of the "Steadfast"
and "patient" ones (Quran, 21:85)
6) who is the "chosen one"
(Quran, 38:48)
7) who was an answer to Hazrat Ibrahim's
prayers (Quran, 37:101)
the above Quranic verses can probably help
the readers imagine a sketch of the great status of Hazrat Ismail...
But as we see, Hazrat Ismail was not sacrificed
and the Quranic verses indicate that he was "Ransomed / replaced" with
a Zibhe Azeem, the Tremendous Sacrifice, The Great Victim....
We shall attempt to answer this question
ourselves, with our limited knowledge and reasoning.. May Allah guide us
towards the truth...
You have already read over Hazrat Ismael's
greatness, and logic and reason refuse to accept that a mere lamb could
be his replacement, his "ransom", as you know, ransom is usually equal
in value and worth.. The "lamb" could have been a token of the successful
fulfillment of Hazrat Ibrahim's vision and the end of his test, hence
the Sunnah of slaughtering lambs, and other sacrificial animals to commemmorate
the difficult test of submission and devotion and steadfastness.
But the question remains, that a
lamb could not be the ransom for Hazrat Ismail. Reading over the
Quranic verse, one can easily distinguish that 2 different sacrifices are
mentioned.
Hazrat Ismail's sacrifice
A Great Sacrifice..
Look over the Quranic verse again..
It mentions Zibhee Azeem, "the Tremendous Sacrifice", or
as I refer to it, "The Great(er) sacrifice". Whatever this sacrifice
is, it has to be equal in value and worth to the sacrifice of Hazrat Ismail,
(maybe EVEN MORE!!) since it is Great. Even when
compared to the magnitude of the 2 prophets' sacrifice, it is GREAT, TREMENDOUS
and Azeem and it has been postponed till another time -- apparently a time
which Quran has not documented, otherwise the occurrence and fulfillment
of this Geat Sacrifice would have been included and recorded at some other
place in the Quran. So should we look for this sacrifice in the post-Revelation
period (i.e. the period after Prophet Muhammad's passing away)??
Searching for the "Zibhe Azeem" in
Islamic History...
Glancing down the history, one finds that
there is only one house, where a sacrifice of this magnitude can be observed...
As one glances through the following comparision of the two nouble houses,
it seems quite appropriate too, that the "Ransom" of Hazrat Ismail is from
his descendants and from an equally noble house:
The house of Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him and his pure progeny).
Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail are
at a very high and elevated status among the Prophets.
Prophet Muhammad has the highest and best
position among the Prophets
Prophet Ibrahim purified the house of Allah,
(Quran, 2:125)
Prophet Muhammad came to purify humanity
(Quran, 2:129)
Prophet Ismail was Allah's blessing, in
answer to Prophet Ibrahim's prayers.
"O my Lord! Grant me a righteous
son)!" (Quran, 37:100)
Prophet Muhammad was also a blessing, in
answer to Prophet Ibrahim's prayers.
"Our Lord! and raise up in them an Apostle
from among them who shall recite to them Thy communications and teach them
the Book and the wisdom, and purify them" (Quran, 2:129)
Prophet Ismail participated in the purification
of the house of Allah
(Quran, 2:125)
Imam Hussain is among those "Members of
the Prophet's household" whom Allah has promised a complete purification...
Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness
from you, O people of the (Prophet's) House! and to purify you, a
(thorough) purifying. (Quran, 33:33)
The Holy Ka'bah, the Qiblah and Sacred
place of pilgrimage for all Muslims, is the "Construction" of Prophet Ibrahim
and Prophet Ismail.
One of the distinctions of the Holy Ka'bah
is that it is the birthplace of Imam Ali, the father of Imam Hussain.
Prophet Ismail has been blessed by blessings
and perpetuated praise among the later generations.
"And We left for him a good name among
the succeeding generations." (Quran, 37:107)
Imam Hussain is among those blessed members
of the Prophet's household, whom all the Muslims have been ordered to love,
to an extent that love for them has been equated with the "reward" of Prophet
Muhammad's services to us....
"Say (O Muhammad!): I do not ask of you
any reward (or fee) for it (my service to you) but love for my near relatives"
(Quran, 42:23)
And truely, the sacrifice of "Aal-e-Muhammad"
can be the only equal of the sacrifice of "Aal-e-Ibrahim"....
And truely, without the remembrance of
"Ashura" one cannot truly understand the significance of "Eidul-Azha"....
The above comparision shows that while Prophet
Muhammad's status and position is certainly comparable to (and greater
than) the status of Prophet Ibrahim, who offered Hazrat Ismail's sacrifice,
Imam Hussain, being a "member of the Prophet's household" (Ahle Bait) is
also comparable in status and position to Prophet Ismail, and indeed, if
there can be a ransom for Hazrat Ismail's sacrifice, it can only be the
Tremendous sacrifice of Prophet Muhammad's house, in the plains of Karbala....
If we compare the two sacrifices, we will
observe the magnitude of Imam Hussain's sacrifice, and we will realize
the true meaning of an "equal"
Ransom for Hazrat Ismail's sacrifice.
Truely, if Prophet Ismail's exemplary submission to Allah and sincere devotion
is emulated elsewhere in history, it is in the plains of Karbala....
Prophet Ibrahim offered 1 son in sacrifice...
the beloved son of the Prophet Muhammad, Imam Husain offered 72 companions
and family members in sacrifice..
Prophet Ibrahim didn't suffer from looking
at his slaughtered son, Imam Husain HELD his six-months old son Ali Asghar
in his arms, when the arrow pierced his throat....
Prophet Ibrahim's son was replaced by a
lamb and postponed, Imam Hussain had to go through the agony of seeing
the chest of his 18 year old son Ali Akbar, pierced with a spear...
Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice was a test from
Allah and voluntary in nature, Imam Husain was a victim of cruelty, tyranny,
oppression of the worst kind..
Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice was "personal"
in nature, Imam Husain's sacrifice was "communal" in nature.. it revived
Islam, exposed tyranny and saved the entire Ummat and the preceding generations.....
Prophet Ibrahim was spared many other tortures
and agonies, which Imam Husain had to suffer... three days of thirst, onslaught
of a huge army, martyrdom of sons, brothers, cousins, and friends.. the
imprisonment of the Prophet's grand-daughters and other great ladies of
Prophet Muhammad's household,
This comparision can go on, but for the
sake of brevity I return to the original points of my email...
Dear Friends.. If Eidul Azha is the name
given to the rites and rituals performed in the memory of Hazrat Ismail's
sacrifice, "Aashura" is the name given to the remembrance of Imam Husain's
greater sacrifice.. If Bibi Hajira's actions can be remembered and emulated,
if symbolic rites like stoning the devil in the memory of Hazrat
Ibrahim can be continued, then there is no harm in Azadari, and mourning
the Great tragedy of Imam Hussain.. and all the relics, the Taziah, the
Alam, these are all symbolic reminders of the great tragedy which
Imam Hussain suffered and his Great Sacrifice, the Zibhe Azeem...
If Bibi Hajira was the wife of a Prophet, Imam Husain is the most beloved
grandson of Prophet Muhammad, the "Leader of the youth of Paradise"
(Hadith) for whom Prophet Muhammad has said:
Husain is from me, and I am from
Husain" (Hadith)
His sacrifice is Prophet Muhammad's sacrifice,
his lovers are Prophet Muhammad's lovers, his tragedy is Prophet Muhammad's
tragedy, AND his remembrance is Prophet Muhammad's remembrance...
Baqr-Eid (the remembrance of one sacrifice)
has just passed.. the remembrance of the Greater Sacrifice (Ashura) is
approaching.. Remember friends.. participate in it, and strive to understand
and appreciate the importance of Ashura, the Remembrance of the Greater
Sacrifice, even more than you celebrated Eidul Azha. Do not neglect
Ashura, regardless of which Muslim sect you belong to, because you
will be pleasing the Prophet Muhammad (SA) by remembering and respecting
the memory, the remembrance and the message of his beloved grandson...
If anyone tells you that it is a Bidat,
or a sin, tell him that he should stop performing the "Sai" and should
not go for the pilgrimage again.... The remembrance of Karbala is
not something which started as an "innovation" after the Prophet Muhammad
(SA). Historically, religiously and ideologically, Karbala has its
roots in the pre-Islamic period, in the vision of Prophet Ibrahim, in the
submission of Prophet Ismail... The message of Karbala, "Total submission
to Allah", is not a recent addition, rather it is the very fore-runner
of Islam.
Indeed, according to the Quranic sequence,
Eidul Azha IS incomplete and meaningless without the remembrance and understsanding
of the "Zibhe Azeem"...
Therefore do not let silly tabboos and stupid
mis-conceptions stop you from knowing more and respecting the Tragedy of
Karbala, the Zibhe Azeem....
May Allah guide us all towards the truth
and keep us steadfast on His Straight Path... and enable us to remember
and emulate those among His servants, whose stations he has elevated and
whom He has blessed with His special Blessings...
Why slaughter animals?
Two conclusions:
The Pilgrimage and Islamic rites:
Background of Eidul Azha
The Quranic Description of the sacrifice of the 2 Prophets.
What is the Tremendous Sacrifice?
Comparision of the Houses involved
in the two sacrifices
A Brief comparision of the two
sacrifices
Significance of 10th Zil-Haj incomplete
without 10th Muharram