Ismail’s life (Ishmael) to God near the Kaaba thousands of years ago.
Abraham is equally revered by the Jews and Christians. Indeed, all Jewish prophets and Jesus Christ are related to the Patriarch who came from Iraq. He is revered by Muslims as the architect of the Holy Kaaba along with his son Ismail, the ancestor of the Last Prophet (pbuh). By retracing and reliving Abraham’s journey and finally offering the symbolic animal sacrifice, pilgrims to the holy city celebrate his unquestioning faith and the willingness to sacrifice the most cherished and precious of possessions in the way of God.
That is the essential message of Haj – sacrificing everything you’ve got and everything you love in the path of Allah – as Abraham repeatedly did. In fact, his whole life had been a study in sacrifice. From being cast into Nimrod’s fire to moving wife Hajra (Hager) and young Ismail to the wilderness of Hejaz and finally the supreme sacrifice of Ismail, the extraordinary life of the great patriarch remains unparalleled for its heroic fortitude and endurance in the way of God and total surrender to the divine will.
No wonder Abraham had been honoured with the unique and most distinguished title of being Allah’s Khalil (friend). It is that liberating spirit of surrender and submission by the noble Abraham and his equally noble son that the millions of pilgrims to the holy city of Makkah celebrate. The believers around the world join them in spirit and in emotion by offering their own sacrifice and sharing the meat with family, friends and the less fortunate during Eidul Azha. It is not merely the meat that is shared. It is the spirit of fellowship, togetherness, love, mercy, generosity and caring for each other that is the gift of this holiday of sacrifice.
Nothing offers a peek into the heart and soul of Islam and its teachings and worldview as the Haj and the Eid that follows it do. So does the Eidul Fitr. Indeed, if anyone wanted a crash course in Islam, they could learn all that they want to know about the faith and its philosophy by merely observing the two major festivals and why and how they are celebrated. If Eidul Azha celebrates the spirit of sacrifice, abstinence, piety and mercy are the hallmarks of Eidul Fitr that is celebrated at the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan.
Today, when the faith is under siege everywhere, with ever new challenges from people walking around pretending to be Muslims and an entire industry being dedicated to distorting, faking, falsifying and misrepresenting it in a myriad ways, there has never been a greater need to turn to the original teachings and message of Islam.
It is time to resurrect and rediscover the original values and pillars of the faith that made it great and conquer the world. This is an infinitely simple faith and celebrates simple, universal truths known to man and instantly identified by human nature.
Truths such as honesty, equality of men, compassion, mercy, generosity and accountability that transformed the fierce, bloodthirsty, perpetually sparring tribesmen of Arabia into the best examples of humanity.
It was not the cutting edge of Islam’s sword – as many like to believe – but the revolutionary nature of its message that conquered the hearts and minds everywhere; the message championing the unity of God and humanity. This Islam as we know it is as different and distant from the death cult of false gods peddled by the fiends of Daesh as day is from night. But Muslims aren’t exactly helping their cause by remaining silent or defensive in the face of falsehood, ignorance and intolerance purveyed by the fringe.
This is no time to hide. They have to speak out more often and more forcefully to present the true face of the faith before the world. If nothing else, they should speak up and defend their faith for the sake of their future generations. Darkness is fast deepening around us. Every ray of light is precious now.
We must fight back the forces of darkness with the light of hope. The best – or worst – brand ambassadors of a faith – any faith – are its own followers.
The writer is a Middle East based columnist.
Email: aijaz.syedhotmail.com