IslamiCity
On Eid ul Adha 2022
By Azher Quader
President, CBC
Chicago, IL
Now that we have had our share of grills and kababs, and sent the fanciest greeting cards we could find to our friends and family, maybe we can pause for a few minutes to reflect upon a thing or two about the Eid we just celebrated and what it means.
Remember Eid ul Adha is about two things: Submission and Sacrifice.
So first, what is submission? Those of you who have read me before, know this was coming. Here is how Iqbal describes it: “Ye Aik Sajda Jise Tu Garan Samajhta Hai/ Hazar Sajde Se Deta Hai Admi Ko Nijat!”
Iqbal
Prostration ’fore God you presume as irksome, tedious, burden great; But mind, this homage sets you free from thousand other submissions to men, and vain desires
Submission to His Will, obviously can only occur if we read the Qur’an with understanding and reflection. It also means no cherry picking on His demands either. The package is always total, never partial. Just doing the Salath or the Zakat or the Hajj or the Saum is not enough. Deen is a lot more when it comes to our behavior and actions referred to as righteous activities. It is the way we choose how best to serve the other.
“Have you made the providing of water for the pilgrim and the maintenance of al-Masjid al-haram equal to the deeds of one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and strives in the cause of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.” 9:11
Next, what constitutes sacrifice? If you think it is the slaughtering of an animal, think again. "It is neither the flesh nor the blood of (animals) that reaches Allah, but it is your piety that reaches Him," 22:37
“O you who believe! Shall I guide you to a trade that will save you from the excruciating torment on the Day of Resurrection?
“Believe in Allah and His Messenger and fight in the Cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That will be better for you, if you but know!
“Thus, He will forgive you your sins and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in the everlasting Paradise. That is verily a great achievement.” 61: 10-12
Again, Allama Iqbal clarifies in his magnificent style: “Yaqeen Mohkam, Amal Paiham, Mohabbat Faateh-E-Alam/ Jahad-E-Zindagani Mein Hain Ye Mardon Ki Shamsheerain”
Firm belief, eternal action, and love that conquers the world— These are the swords of men in the holy war of life.
Allah’s demand therefore is for the sacrifice of two things:
1-our wealth and
2-our lives if needed.
He says “rejoice in this bargain” for in return for these sacrifices He will provide the individual a “life in paradise”.
It is of course not easy to serve the other with love when the other is a hate monger. It is certainly not easy to be patient, when the other is a bully. But that is Allah’s ask and that is the prophetic way.
“When they go low, you go high” said Michelle Obama once. Not a bad mantra for American Muslims today to follow.
On this Eid of Sacrifice, let us therefore commit to a life of submission and sacrifice, that meets the demands of our Deen, recognizing that our best chance to defeat hate and islamophobia, is not through the passage of more well-meaning laws or more punishing actions of courts, but through the determined pursuit of His divine guidance and believing in the timeless wisdom of His faultless directives. - azherquader@yahoo.com, www.cbc7.org
