‘Id al-Adha is the celebration of piety, as exemplified in the story of the family of Ibrahim. Ibrahim (the man/father), Siti Hajar (the woman/wife), and Ismail (the son/child) are the true icons of piety; no wonder they are mentioned by every Muslim, man and woman, at least five times a day in his/her obligatory prayer. They have shown throughout their life and actions the meaning of true submission (Islam), a submission which is done willingly and consciously, in the form of obedience to the command of God.
The sacrifice was demanded of both Ibrahim and Ismail, as well as of Siti Hajar, the mother of Ismail. It was the trial of their will. Just imagine how hard the test given to Ibrahim and his family was. He had been asked to sacrifice his own son, his first born bestowed upon him when he was already 86. As for Ismail, who was 14, when he was asked to give himself in sacrifice, obedience to the command of God came first, even though it meant giving up his own life. Their story is vividly narrated in the Qur’an (37: 102) for all to ponder.
The whole episode was, as it were, symbolic, i.e., it serves as a very important lesson for every true servant of God. “Ibrahim was indeed a model devoutly obedient to Allah and true in faith” (al-Qur’an (16): 120).
God does not want the flesh and blood of animals, much less of human beings. “It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him!” (al-Qur’an, 22: 37). But He does require that we give our whole being to Him, the symbol of which is that we should give up something very dear to us if duty requires that sacrifice.
From the story we can also derive a very important lesson about unity. Before we can talk about a greater and more encompassing form of unity such as national unity or international unity, let us first deal with the more basic form of unity, namely family unity. The family of Ibrahim in this regard, was a model for family unity. As a result they successfully overcame trials and tribulations together.
What keeps a family intact and united is faith and belief, the worldview-so to speak-commonly shared by every member of that family, the ideas which give meaning to life. Indeed no true social unity is possible without this internal element, central to it being the idea of God.
The family of Ibrahim were believers in one God, all-Powerful, all-Knowing, and all-Willing. He is the Creator of all, the Sustainer, and also the annihilator. He is the God of Love and Kindness, but He is also all-Punishing. Because of that He is to be loved and where one places hope, but He must also be feared should man decide to disobey Him.
What one contemplates and knows of God and of the nature of existence as a whole will give one knowledge with regard to man’s identity and destiny which will ultimately be manifest through action and moral behaviour. Disbelief or a wrongly believing about God, the world, and the nature of existence, will bring about a certain way of life contrary to trutht. In other words, one’s action is a reflection of one’s belief.
In the case of Ibrahim and his family one observes the certainty of belief, and the resolve of the entire family: the father, the son, and the mother. Had God not called off His command, Ibrahim would have slaughtered Ismail, his beloved son.
However, one must not over-emphasize belief at the expence of practice or vise versa. Islam (in the sense of religious practice) and Iman (in the sense of religious belief) must be applied simultaneously. This is what characterizes Islam-the middle way, the mean between two extremes.
