Sacrifice In Islam

The outward form of sacrifice is to slaughter an animal, but its inner soul and spirit is to dedicate yourself to higher human values—to give yourself up for a great purpose or ideal. Every action has an outer form and an inner spirit. This is also the case with sacrifice. Its outer form is the slaughter. Its real spirit is sacrifice. If you think deeply, the most important thing needed to build a healthy society is that the spirit of sacrifice must stay alive in its people. It is the sacrifices of individuals that give life to a society or nation. This is the lesson given to the person who offers a sacrifice. One example of this is found in the instruction given during Hajj. In the Quran, it is said: When you set out for Hajj, do not argue or fight. (2:197) That means, during the journey, do not get into conflicts with others. It is clear that no one fights for no reason. These unpleasant situations usually happen as a reaction. That is, someone does something wrong, and the other person gets angry and starts fighting back. If you keep this truth in mind, then the meaning of the command is this: Even if something wrong happens, don’t fight back. This is high-level moral behaviour, which is not possible without sacrifice. When a person controls the anger rising inside and sacrifices his negative emotions, then it becomes possible for him not to fight back even when someone does wrong to him. This sacrifice is the