The story of Prophet Ibrahim a.s. in his patient obedience to perform the act of sacrificing his son, Prophet Ismail a.s., reminds us of the extraordinary consciousness of Prophet Ibrahim a.s of the Greatness of Allah SWT.
The clear understanding by both father and son, of their position as the abdun and slave of their Creator and Master, Allah SWT, helps us understand why they agreed on the act of qurban. Being conscious of one’s position as the slave of Allah SWT will naturally nurture in us the will to sacrifice.
The question is: why? And for what purpose are we encouraged to make sacrifices? How is the act of qurban related to the concept of sacrifice?
The term Qurbani
Qurbani does not only refer to the slaughter of an animal followed by the distribution of its meat. Qurbani is more than just a commemorative ritual.
The word Qurbani comes from the Arabic word qurban, the root word of which is qurb, meaning ‘nearness’. Therefore, the purpose of offering Qurbani, or any acts of sacrifice, should be to bring oneself nearer to Allah SWT.
﴿لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
[ الحج: 37]
“Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good.” (Surah Al Hajj: 37)
As human beings and slaves of Allah SWT, our consciousness of Him as our Owner and Creator will bring about positive outcomes to our lives in many aspects.
Outcome of Being Conscious of our Position as the Slave of Allah SWT
As mentioned, being conscious of one’s position as the slave of Allah SWT will naturally nurture in us the will to sacrifice. In order to continue to be the slaves that Allah SWT is pleased with, we will strive to fulfill His commands. We do so because we know it is with His Giving that we are receiving. It is with what He Gives that we are able to give.
Outcome of Knowing that the Real Owner of All that We Have is Allah SWT
When we know humans and all creations are owners of none and Allah SWT is the Owner of everything, it increases our sense of reliance on Him alone. Deep in our hearts and souls, we would understand how much we need Allah SWT. We would realise how little we are as compared to how Great He is, as He is Al Qawwiy (The Most Strong).
The Messenger of Allah PBUH said in a Hadith:
لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَوَكَّلُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ حَقَّ تَوَكُّلِهِ لَرُزِقْتُمْ كَمَا تُرْزَقُ الطَّيْرُ تَغْدُو خِمَاصًا وَتَرُوحُ بِطَانًا
“If you were to rely upon Allah with the required reliance, then He would provide for you just as a bird is provided for; it goes out in the morning empty, and returns full.”
(Sunan At-Tirmizi)
Thus, whenever we are tasked with responsibilities such as having others in need placed in our care, we would be lifted from the pressure of being relied on. We would be lifted from the constraints or limitations of our being as ‘owners’. Instead, we would be taking the position of a slave towards Allah SWT, with limitless hope towards Him as our Rabb who is Al Ghani, the Most Rich and the One whose strength is boundaryless.
Our concern, then, would not be how much we can gain in return for fulfilling the tasks given. Our concern would be if we have been able to perform the task or amanah in ways that please Allah SWT.
We would also carry out our task as a slave who is carrying out a task that his Master gives him. Our focus is thus to fulfill and carry out the task in the best way we could, although many times we may not understand why we are chosen to perform the tasks, especially when we feel that the task is the most daunting or possibly beyond what we could bear.
But isn’t Allah SWT the One Who owns us? As the owner, isn’t He the One who knows which of what He owns has the capacity, the ability and of the right measurement and balance to perform the specific task that needs to be done? And whenever He assigns a task to us, wouldn’t He already know the knowledge, skills and whatever that is required in order to perform it? As He is the owner, He is Al ‘Alim (The Most Knowledgeable) of whom He chooses and He will provide for us to ensure the task given can be accomplished.
Outcome of Knowing & Believing in Who Allah SWT is
Prophet Ibrahim a.s and Sayidatina Hajar a.s, too, knew that their Creator, their Rabb, Allah SWT, would not leave them unattended. They trust their Rabb whom they know is Al Waliy, The Best Protector. He is Al Kareem, The Most Generous, and Ar Rahman and Ar Raheem, The Most Gracious and The Most Compassionate. It was this unwavering trust that was demonstrated in the conversation between Saiyiditina Hajar a.s and Prophet Ibrahim a.s:
When Prophet Ibrahim was leaving them, Hajar said to him:
فَقالَتْ: يا إبْرَاهِيمُ، أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ وتَتْرُكُنَا بهذا الوَادِي الَّذي ليسَ فيه إنْسٌ ولَا شَيءٌ؟ فَقالَتْ له ذلكَ مِرَارًا، وجَعَلَ لا يَلْتَفِتُ إلَيْهَا، فَقالَتْ له: آللَّهُ الَّذي أَمَرَكَ بهذا؟ قالَ: نَعَمْ، قالَتْ: إذَنْ لا يُضَيِّعُنَا
“O Ibrahim. Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no one nor is there anything else around (a barren land)?”
She repeatedly asked (him), but he did not turn (to respond).
She then asked him: “Did Allah commanded you to do so?”
He said: “Yes.”
She said: “Then He will not leave us (to be lost).”
(Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Outcome of Knowledge about Allah SWT Lifts Us from Hopelessness to Hopefulness
Having knowledge about Allah SWT and embracing Him with certitude (yaqin) would lift us up from the state of hopelessness to that of hopefulness. Always believe that Allah SWT is there for us. The only condition we as His slaves need to fulfill in order to be near Him is to acknowledge our positions and always know that many times we have to let go of what He expects us to give up – to let go of our comforts, our wants (as He has been fulfilling our needs), our anger, ego, wishes and desires, as these will affect our acknowledgement of Him in fulfilling His commands.
We must know that our owner, Allah SWT, will always fulfill what He promises, without the slightest doubt. Allah SWT has always promised us:
وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ
“And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He will suffice him.”
(Surah At-Talaq, 65:3)