Eid ul-Adha:

The Festival Of Sacrifice

By Sheban Ahmed Shahzad Age 10,
Baitul Futuh South  

Eid ul-Adha or the Festival of Sacrifice is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar with a very interesting and blessed story that you do not want to miss. Let’s take a deep delve into the Muslim celebration of Eid ul-Adha. 

The story behind Eid ul-Adha starts from when Prophet Ibrahim (as) received the same dream from Allah the Almighty multiple times. It was a message, commanding him to sacrifice his beloved son Isma’il by slaughtering him in the way of Allah – to show his trust, obedience and loyalty to God. Even though he had doubts initially, but after the continues dreams he understood that it was a command sent from Allah the Almighty. Prophet Ibrahim (as) instantly knew what he had to do. And when Prophet Ibrahim (as) mentioned the dream to Isma’il (his son), Isma’il had no hesitations before agreeing to sacrifice himself, just because Allah had said. 

The devil tried his best to tempt Prophet Ibrahim (as) to spare his son, but Prophet Ibrahim ignored all his attempts, as this would include disobeying Allah’s message. You can imagine the emotions and feelings both father and son must have been going through mentally at this very moment. A father ready to sacrifice his beloved son.  Right as Prophet Ibrahim (as) was about to slaughter the loyal Hazrat Ismail -Allah stopped him and instead made a lamb appear and was told to slaughter the lamb instead. This is a truly faith inspiring story.  

We can learn several lessons from this event as it holds deep significance for Muslims until today. First of all, we see Prophet Ibrahim’s (as) trust and loyalty with Allah the Almighty. He did not have second thoughts before the word of Allah, even though it meant such great loss. Similarly, we should always be ready to sacrifice our all in the cause of faith. Secondly, we learn about the devotion of Hazrat Ismail (as) to his religion. He showed no fear or cowardice. His strength is an example for us. Lastly, we also learn about the kindness and love of Allah the Almighty, as he sent the lamb to be slaughtered instead. We should always remember that Allah would never let us suffer for as long as we trust in Him, He may test our faith at different points in our lives but will never abandon us. Building on these lessons, the tradition of “Qurbani” was established, where Muslims today sacrifice animals such as goats, sheep, cows, lambs, camels, and other permissible animals as an act of devotion and faith.

We as Atfal are the future of Ahmadiyyat and therefore can learn various characteristics and lessons from Prophet Ibrahim (as) and his loyal son, who might have been the same age as we are today at the time of this event. As we remember this sacrifice today, we as Atfal should promise to always obey the command of Allah, no matter the circumstances. Our Beloved Huzoor (aba) time and time again reminds us that we have responsibilities on our shoulders. We must strive in the cause of our faith. He could ask us to give up our time or wishes for the cause of Ahmadiyyat and we should obey instantly with no doubts in mind. Furthermore, we should pledge to always remain loyal to our faith even though this may be challenging sometimes. May Allah the Almighty enable us to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Ibrahim (as) and Hazrat Ismail and may He bless the progeny of Prophet Ibrahim (as). 

Stay Tuned for Part 2...