Why Sacrifice?

Why Sacrifice? in a dream from God—to sacrifice his son in His path. After a lifetime of hardship and loneliness, now the only support he had—he was told to give that up too. And not just give it up, but to sacrifice it with his own hands. The aged father submitted to the command of God, and with unwavering devotion made ready to sacrifice his beloved son, rising above even the deepest love of his heart for the sake of the Almighty. Just then, a voice came from God: You have fulfilled the dream. After that, an angel brought a ram, and Prophet Abraham sacrificed the ram instead of his son. This event took place on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah. That is why Muslims all over the world sacrifice an animal on this date. This sacrifice is like offering your own life. In this way, the person doing the sacrifice says through their action: O God, our lives are present for You. Today, we are offering this animal as a sign of surrender, and we are always ready—whenever You command—to present ourselves and our belongings in Your service. One of the important supplications on the day of Eid alAdha is: “My prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are all for God, the Lord of the worlds.” (6:162) From this we learn that prayer signifies a person’s life, and sacrifice signifies a person’s death. In prayer, a person turns to God with full attention, establishing a connection with Him. This same focus is necessary in all aspects of life. A person should live in such a way that their life becomes centered on God, just as their prayer is. The same