The Sacrifice of Adha Throughout the Ages

Habil and Kabil were two of Adam's (alayhissalam) sons. They were brothers in the same prophetic lineage, both desiring to marry the same woman. To prove their love, they were asked to offer a sacrifice. Habil chose the best ram he had while Kabil brought some crops from his farm. Both offerings were presented to Allah, but only Habil's was accepted. Kabil became distressed, unable to come to terms with the situation, and killed his brother in a fit of rage. Thus, Habil was blessed with both an accepted sacrifice and the rank of a martyr in the sight of his Rabb.

Habil was certain about the acceptance of his sacrifice because he had submitted to Allah. He then said to his brother, "If you should raise your hand toward me to kill me - I shall not raise my hand toward you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the Worlds" (Al-Maidah, 28). Habil was an Allah-fearing person, which meant that he had taqwa. Therefore, we can link the acceptability of his sacrifice to his piety because Allah says, "Allah accepts only from the righteous (who fear Him)." (Al-Maidah, 27)

When a person loves someone, they are willing to sacrifice anything, even their life, for their loved one. They may forsake what they hold dear to please them. It was the tenth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Several years had passed since Prophet Ibrahim (alayhissalam) had left his wife and infant son in the desert, where the Kaaba would be built, and entrusted them to Allah. For three consecutive nights, he had seen the same divinely-inspired dream of him sacrificing his dear son, whom he’d finally been able to embrace in the later years of his life after spending long decades praying for a child. He was a prophet and was obligated to do whatever his Lord commanded. He confided the source of his inner turmoil to his beloved son Ismail (alayhissalam), saying, "O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so consider, what is your opinion?" (As-Saffat, 102)

Ismail (alayhissalam) was an extraordinary child, born to a mother with such strong faith that when she asked his father, "Did Allah command us to stay here?" and his father replied, "Yes," she then said, "Then Allah is sufficient for us. He will protect us and never forsake us" (al-Bukhari). What else could be expected from a child born to parents who had such submission to Allah the Almighty? With faith and wisdom beyond his years, he replied to his father, "O my dear father, do what you have been ordered to do. You will find me, insha’allah, (if Allah wills) one of those who endure patiently" (As-Saffat, 103). Thereafter, when Prophet Ibrahim (alayhissalam) was about to sacrifice his son, Allah responded to this difficult test by sending the revelation stating, "And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice" (As-Saffat, 107), and granted them a ram to be sacrificed in Ismail’s place, signaling the acceptance of their admirable devotion.

Thus, the practice of adha sacrifice is participation in the highest level of ihsan in the form of complete submission to Allah, demonstrated by the devotion of both Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail (alayhima assalam). When describing sacrifice, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "(The sacrifice is) the Sunnah of your father Ibrahim.” (Sunan, Ibn Majah). Medina was preparing for a new celebration, Eid al-Adha, just a year after the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). On the tenth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah, when the number of people who had witnessed the meaning of submission to Allah had increased, the salah of Eid al-Adha was performed.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and his loyal companions expressed their devotion to Allah with this salah. Following this, the Prophet sharpened his knife, began uttering takbir, and prepared to sacrifice the two rams he had purchased. The intentions of the worshippers were aligned with their prayers. The Prophet pointed to the first ram and said, "O Allah, this is for recognition of your Oneness, for all that You have bestowed upon me, and for my entire Ummah who bear witness to my prophethood." He then sacrificed the second ram, saying, "This is for Muhammad’s family." This event, which took place in the Tribe of Salamah neighborhood of Medina, serves as Rasulullah’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) first instruction to his followers to exemplify the act of sacrifice.

In another address, he declared, "Whoever can afford it, but does not offer a sacrifice, let him not come near our prayer place."

As the bond of brotherhood between the rich and the poor reached its pinnacle, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was so pleased that he said, "Eat, provide food for others, and store some up." (Muslim, Tirmidhi)

Urwa bin Zubair (radiyallahu anh) advised his children, "Do not offer Allah something you would be ashamed to give someone else. Likewise, do not offer Allah a sacrifice that would cause you embarrassment. For Allah is the Greatest of the great and deserves the finest of everything more than anyone.”

Allah the Exalted says, "It is neither their flesh nor their blood that reaches Allah, but what does reach Him is the taqwa (the sense of obedience) on your part. Thus He has made them (the animals) subjugated to you so that you proclaim Allah’s glory for the guidance He gave you. And give good news to those who are good in their deeds." (Al-Hajj, 37)

In short, sacrificing adha is a means of drawing closer to Allah and demonstrating submission to Him.

May your adha draw you closer to your moment of rapture and ultimate celebration in the afterlife, and may your eid be blessed with closeness to Allah.

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