ruqiyya
24th December 2006, 01:23 PM
Lambs to the Slaughter
As the festival of Eid-ul-Adhaa approaches billions of Muslims all over the world are preparing for this day. Many thousands have made the journey to Makkah for Hajj whilst others have begun their preparations at home, buying new clothes and preparing menus.
This is an important time in the Islamic calendar - one of the reasons being that it is the time when we remember the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS). He took a knife to his son’s throat and was ready to cut, following the Command of Allah. By Allah’s Mercy, the one he slaughtered was not his son; his own flesh and blood, but instead a ram.
Today, we attempt to follow in the footsteps of Ibrahim (AS). Many of us offer a sacrifice for the sake of Allah, be it a sheep, a ram, a cow etc. However, what most of us fail to realise is that prior to offering this sacrifice, we have already sacrificed. We sacrificed well before the arrival of Eid-ul-Adhaa.
What exactly have we sacrificed? We have sacrificed fathers, sons, brothers and husbands. We have sacrificed mothers, daughters, sisters and wives. In fact we have sacrificed entire families! We have sacrificed our fellow Muslims in the belief that this will secure our future! (The story of the white, red and black bulls springs to mind!)
Families which were once financially stable and self-sufficient are now swamped in legal fees and dependent on the handouts of others. Their breadwinners have been locked away indefinitely and their bank accounts have been frozen. Far from being able to offer a sacrifice on Eid-ul-Adhaa, some of these families can no longer even afford decent meals on a daily basis! Children are growing up like orphans despite their parents being alive!
We have turned the sacrifice of Ibrahim (AS) on its head. His son was replaced by a ram which was then sacrificed; we have replaced our rams with our sons! His sacrifice was one of selflessness whereas ours is one of selfishness! His sacrifice was one which caused him much pain (initially) whereas our sacrifice causes pain to others!
There may be no physical blade of steel but the jugular vein of the Ummah has certainly been severed! We are effectively standing by and watching as our brothers are sacrificed. We may not be the ones who have actually imprisoned these people, but the failure of the silent majority to speak out against the injustices taking place against them and their families is just as heinous a crime.
This Eid-ul-Adhaa spare a thought for the families of the political prisoners who suffer in anguish whilst their ‘lambs’ are sent to the slaughter.
As the festival of Eid-ul-Adhaa approaches billions of Muslims all over the world are preparing for this day. Many thousands have made the journey to Makkah for Hajj whilst others have begun their preparations at home, buying new clothes and preparing menus.
This is an important time in the Islamic calendar - one of the reasons being that it is the time when we remember the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS). He took a knife to his son’s throat and was ready to cut, following the Command of Allah. By Allah’s Mercy, the one he slaughtered was not his son; his own flesh and blood, but instead a ram.
Today, we attempt to follow in the footsteps of Ibrahim (AS). Many of us offer a sacrifice for the sake of Allah, be it a sheep, a ram, a cow etc. However, what most of us fail to realise is that prior to offering this sacrifice, we have already sacrificed. We sacrificed well before the arrival of Eid-ul-Adhaa.
What exactly have we sacrificed? We have sacrificed fathers, sons, brothers and husbands. We have sacrificed mothers, daughters, sisters and wives. In fact we have sacrificed entire families! We have sacrificed our fellow Muslims in the belief that this will secure our future! (The story of the white, red and black bulls springs to mind!)
Families which were once financially stable and self-sufficient are now swamped in legal fees and dependent on the handouts of others. Their breadwinners have been locked away indefinitely and their bank accounts have been frozen. Far from being able to offer a sacrifice on Eid-ul-Adhaa, some of these families can no longer even afford decent meals on a daily basis! Children are growing up like orphans despite their parents being alive!
We have turned the sacrifice of Ibrahim (AS) on its head. His son was replaced by a ram which was then sacrificed; we have replaced our rams with our sons! His sacrifice was one of selflessness whereas ours is one of selfishness! His sacrifice was one which caused him much pain (initially) whereas our sacrifice causes pain to others!
There may be no physical blade of steel but the jugular vein of the Ummah has certainly been severed! We are effectively standing by and watching as our brothers are sacrificed. We may not be the ones who have actually imprisoned these people, but the failure of the silent majority to speak out against the injustices taking place against them and their families is just as heinous a crime.
This Eid-ul-Adhaa spare a thought for the families of the political prisoners who suffer in anguish whilst their ‘lambs’ are sent to the slaughter.