Renewal Of Sacrifice And Selflessness

purpose, no matter what—even if it meant sacrificing his most cherished possession. What is the relevance of Eid al-Adha for us? And what kind of sacrifice and selflessness does this day ask from us? To understand this, we need to know what the real meaning of the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham was. Only after understanding the importance of his sacrifice can we understand its value in our own lives and adopt it practically. Initially, the story of Prophet Abraham’s sacrifice is that he tried to sacrifice his beloved son Ishmael in accordance with a dream. However, God stopped him from doing so. Instead of his son’s life, he was instructed to sacrifice a ram. Regarding Ishmael, God commanded that he be taken and settled in the desert of Arabia. This indicates that God’s true plan was not the temporary physical sacrifice of the son but his lasting psychological sacrifice. At that time, settling someone in the desert of Arabia was equivalent to placing them in a lifelong state of sacrifice. It was God’s plan to bring about a far-reaching reformative revolution in the world—one that would serve as a source of goodness and well-being for all humanity. To accomplish this, a team of individuals with the highest moral and spiritual qualities was needed. For the formation of this powerful team, God chose to work through the family of Prophet Abraham.