the real sacrifice.

Eid is such an exciting time for me. It consists of my favorite things all in one day, family, food, and getting to dress up. I aways feel different on Eid ul Adha though. There’s consistently something deeper pulling on me, perhaps for what this Eid stands for. Undoubtedly, Eid in it’s glory is amazing, but it is essential to actually reflect on what it all means.

Eid ul Adha or the festival of sacrifice is celebrated in the honor of prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, at God’s command. As prophet Ibrahim struggled with this, when he told his son, Ismail didn’t even hesitate. His answer was simple, if that is what Allah wills. As the day approached, God of course, intervened and provided prophet Ibrahim with a lamb to sacrifice instead, hence the importance of all Muslims to slaughter a lamb.

Allah never intended for Ibrahim to slaughter his son. The idea behind the command, was to slaughter his attachment and to trust what God intends. Sacrifice. It means different things to different people. How many of us really understand the concept of sacrifice? How many of us sacrifice daily?

I see my father sacrifice everyday. His precious time, his precious health, to provide for my siblings and me. My mother, despite being ill, makes sure we are fed before she eats. I see the way my sister is raising her children, without her husband physically being there with them. Sacrifice. We see sacrifice, in its purest form, everyday, in our parents.

Hug them, thank them, and hug them again. For they have sacrificed the most. And for who? For us, to have a comfortable life. For those who are parents, having children really teaches you unconditional love. To love someone, and not want anything in return, is exactly how we should love. Think about what we sacrifice. For God, for your husband/wife, for your children, for those you love… for anyone. To sacrifice means to love.

You can be anything you want in this world, just don’t be ungrateful.