Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201609151258.html

By the grace of Allah Almighty, the Muslim World is celebrating Eidul Adha (Tobaski) in the coming days and here in The Gambia we are celebrating on Monday 12th September 2016. The Eid-ul-Adha reminds us of the sacrifice of the tenderest sentiments of mankind – the sacrifice of one’s offspring which is the hardest of all. Majority of people, rather more will be found to be sacrificing themselves for the good and benefit of their children. The sentiment constituting our solicitude for our offspring has prevailed in the human race regardless of time, place, colour and creed. Eid-ul-Adha therefore points towards sacrifice of the strongest and most universal of sentiments of humankind when thousands of years ago Allah Almighty commanded Prophet Abrahamas to sacrifice his eldest son Hadhrat Ishmaelas for His sake. Hadhrat Abrahamas was unmindful of his own feelings and those of his wife Hagaras due to the immense love he had for his Lord and Creator. The huge lesson here for us is the unity in the family which, if adhered to, can prevent all sorts of domestic conflicts. The unequivocal obedience, humility and steadfastness that was shown by Hadhrat Hagar and her child in the barren land of Mecca for many years in the absence of Hadhrat Abrahamas is unparalleled.

Muslims all around the world commemorate this great sacrifice spiritually and symbolically every year. Our frequent chanting of “Allah-o-Akbar” in Eid prayers is a sign of our glorification of the sacrifice of Hadhrat Abrahamas and is a verbal admission on our part that in his sacrifice we have witnessed the glory and greatness of Allah Almighty. Islam is pre-eminently a religion of self-sacrifice. It means the sacrificing of oneself to Allah Almighty–perfect obedience. It also means peace, meaning thereby that perfect peace can be attained only by a true spirit of self-sacrifice and obedience, a practical proof of our love and devotion towards Allah Almighty.

Many occasions come and go in our lives and their significances are little pondered over by the majority. Be they religious, cultural, national or tribal, they all mark some sort of significance and cause us to reflect on a certain event or events which represent some importance in the lives of the people concerned. But, as pointed out by the Holy Qur’an, it is not the outward act the mere form of which is the real object when we slaughter the animals on the morning of Eid-ul-Adha, it says: Their flesh reaches not Allah, nor does their blood, but it is your righteousness that reaches Him. (Ch.22:V.38).

Anything material is not needed by nor acceptable to Allah Almighty. It is only a symbol of our readiness to lay down our lives and all in the cause of truth. It is for this reason that the one who offers the sacrifice, while slaying the animal, is required to say: “In the name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest.” The size and cost of the animal should not distract us from our true purpose which is the… read the rest @ source