Eid Al-Adha

THE MESSAGE ON THE AIR community are caught in the love of instant gratification. They are not ready to work for long-term goals. They are putting all their efforts into things that bring fame. Work that gets published in newspapers, that brings immediate popularity, that gives a high public image—all the highly talented people are rushing toward such things. They are not ready to dedicate themselves to serious and quiet constructive work. People sacrifice animals on the day of Eid al-Adha, but when it comes to real sacrifice—where they must offer their own selves and talents—they are not ready to dedicate themselves. Today, what Islam requires is the same kind of sacrifice. We need to let go of worldly temptations and sacrifice for the eternal blessings of the Hereafter. Using the method of animal sacrifice as a symbol for this needed action is like including this lesson in our everyday lives. According to God’s law, a person often slaughters an animal for food. On the day of Eid al-Adha, the same animal slaughter has been turned into a symbolic act in memory of Prophet Abraham. In this way, something that already happens has been made a source of a great lesson. On the day of Eid al-Adha, people first pray two units of Salah and then sacrifice an animal. These are two ways of expressing the same truth. Prayer is a promise of surrender and submission—and so is the sacrifice. In