Renewal Of Sacrifice And Selflessness

These were the Banu Ishmael, or the Children of Ishmael, among whom the selected individuals became known as the Companions of the Last Messenger (Prophet Muhammad). The Prophet of Islam was born in this very nation, the Banu Ishmael. He gathered them under the belief of Tawheed (Oneness of God), and with them, brought about a global Islamic revolution that changed the direction of human history. These Banu Ishmael were unique people, full of noble human values. Professor Philip Hitti rightly called them a nursery of heroes. The animal that is sacrificed on Eid al-Adha is not the actual sacrifice. It is only a symbol of the real sacrifice. In truth, we are supposed to sacrifice ourselves. The animal sacrifice is a symbolic sacrifice. It is done so that the high spirit of sacrifice stays alive in people. So that through a practical event, they remember what their life’s purpose is and how they should move toward it. The sacrifice of Prophet Abraham is a great example. But we are to follow it in its real spirit, not in its outer form. This example doesn’t mean that in every age, people should go to the desert and repeat the same hardships that happened with Ishmael and Hajra in ancient Arabia. Later generations must adopt the spirit of that sacrifice. The outer form of the event is temporary, but its spirit has eternal value.