This is my first Aidil Adha away from home, my beloved husband, children and kids Arian and Gagi as I am spending them here in Adelaide as a student with friends of my housemate and from my lab.
It has been a good day . At first my friend Donald, Alex and Bui all PhD student mates from Steve Kidd's lab came. Then we had Umi and Ji come. Now we are entertaining Zira's friends. I hope they have all enjoyed themselves :-)
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| Zira's friends.. |
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| Me and Zira |
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| Afiq and I |
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| Me, Zira, Umi, Ji, Alex and Bui..with Donald taking our photos |
My family are all in Kota Kinabalu and have just been sending me photos of the 'ibadah qurban' they are going to in Kota Belud.
When I looked at the photos, I wondered if Gagi my seven year old were scared and also realized I will need to explain to him the significance of the slaughter of animals to eid-al-adha. Being forgetful of all the things I have previously learnt in religious school when I was a child I decided to scour the internet for some information and found a chapter which I thought will be helpful for me to explain to Gagi later.
Hope we all enjoy this snippet of history of Aidiladha :-)
THE STORY OF AIDIL ADHA (EID AL-ADHA)
During the Hajj, Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Abraham or as we know him Nabi Ibrahim a.s. The Qur'an describes Nabi Ibrahim a.s. as follows:
"Surely Ibrahim was an example, obedient to Allah, by nature upright,
and he was not of the polytheists. He (Ibrahim) was grateful for Our
bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him
good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the
righteous." (Qur'an 16:120-121)
Instead, Allah s.w.t. told him to instead sacrifice a ram.
During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims commemorate and remember the trials Nabi Ibrahim a.s., by themselves slaughtering an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat. This action is very often misunderstood by those outside the faith.
Allah s.w.t. has given us power over animals and allowed us to eat meat, but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life. Muslims slaughter animals in the same way throughout the year. By saying the name of Allah s.w.t. at the time of slaughter, we are reminded that life is sacred.
The meat from the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is mostly given away to others. One-third is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor.
The act symbolizes our willingness to give up things that are of benefit to us or close to our hearts, in order to follow Allah's commands. It also symbolizes our willingness to give up some of our own bounties, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. We recognize that all blessings come from Allah s.w.t., and we should open our hearts and share with others.
It is very important to understand that the sacrifice itself, as practiced by Muslims, has nothing to do with atoning for our sins or using the blood to wash ourselves from sin. This is a misunderstanding by those of previous generations: "It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him." (Qur'an 22:37)
The symbolism is in the attitude - a willingness to make sacrifices in our lives in order to stay on the Straight Path. Each of us makes small sacrifices, giving up things that are fun or important to us. A true Muslim, one who submits his or herself completely to Allah s.w.t., is willing to follow His commands completely and obediently. It is this strength of heart, purity in faith, and willing obedience that Allah s.w.t. desires from us.
Syukur alhamdulillah we have been blessed by Allah this year to be given the opportunity to be part of the 'ibadah qurban' by being given by kind brothers two lots for us which was initially never there for us asthe stock had run out. So syukur alhamdulillah, we have one part for the 'qurban' and one part for Gagi's 'aqiqah' which hasn't been done. Indeed the money we paid for the two parts was really 'nothing' for all the blessings Allah has graced us. A sacrifice that we so want to do to remember Nabi Ibrahim's (a.s) sacrifice.
Back to Aidil Adha :
Aidil Adha also falls on the second day of the Haj period.
On the second day of the pilgrimage, the pilgrims leave Mina just after dawn to travel to the Plain of Arafah for the culminating experience of the Hajj. On what is known as the "Day of Arafah,” the pilgrims spend the entire day standing (or sitting) near the Mount of Mercy, asking Allah s.w.t. for forgiveness and making supplications. Muslims around the world who are not at the pilgrimage join them in spirit by fasting for the day. After sunset on the Day of Arafah, the pilgrims leave and travel to a nearby open plain called Muzdalifah, roughly halfway between Arafah and Mina. There they spend the night praying, and collecting small stone pebbles to be used the following day.
On the third day, the pilgrims move before sunrise, this time back to Mina. Here they throw their stone pebbles at pillars that represent the temptations of Satan. When throwing the stones, the pilgrims recall the story of Satan’s attempt to dissuade Nabi Ibrahm a.s. from following God’s command to sacrifice his son. The stones represent Nabi Ibrahim’s rejection of Satan and the firmness of his faith.
After casting the pebbles, most pilgrims slaughter an animal (often a sheep or a goat) and give away the meat to the poor. This is a symbolic act that shows their willingness to part with something that is precious to them, just as the Nabi Ibrahim a.s. was prepared to sacrifice his son at Allah’s command.
May we have all learnt something from this post today. Most importantly how wonderful our Deen is and how blessed we are to be part of is special day today.
Amin ya Rabbal Al-Amin...
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