Eid ul-Azha, the greatest of Muslim festivals, will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 29 this year. This Islamic festival is celebrated to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) to follow Allah’s command to sacrifice his son Ismail (AS) for seeking the almighty’s pleasure.
To remember the prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice, Muslims across the globe sacrifice cows, goats, lambs, sheep, and camels in the name of Allah. Its implications are then both substantive as well as figurative. The symbolism of Hazrat Ibrahim’s (AS) is then repeated and recreated by Muslims on the tenth day of the last month of the Islamic calendar when millions of Muslims are observing the Hajj pilgrimage.
If Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was willing to go ahead with a supreme sacrifice, we Muslims must understand and be ready to overcome our egotistical and materialistic outlook and selves and work towards achieving a society that promotes equality for all. No matter how materialistically we may be bestowed by the Almighty. We as responsible members of society should promote the greater good of society, especially its vulnerable and poor segments that too in the spirit of Islam.
However, what is observed on the ground is that we tend to forget all the miseries and sufferings that the Muslims in general, and people in Bangladesh in particular, are facing. We have been caught in a trap of unending suffering for the last three decades but when it comes to showing some austere measures during festivities, we defy the spirit of sacrifice and indulge in extravagances. What is more troubling is that most of us even go to the extent of exploiting people by getting involved in profiteering and unprofessional practices.
We do not at all say that people have no right to express their happiness and enjoy the celebrations. We only wish to stress that festivities mean celebrating with a sense of proportion and responsibility towards the deprived sections of society. Celebrations mean taking them along and not letting them down or making them feel that they are a deprived lot.
What better way can we celebrate this festival if we do not pledge to purify ourselves and our souls? We pledge to conform ourselves to the spirit of Islam and live a simple and dignified life thus creating an example for the others.
