Adiyogi - From Religion To Responsibility
Maria: Dada, what is the universal message of Eid-ul-Adha? Maulana: Eid-ul-Adha literally means 'festival of sacrifice'. Here, animal sacrifice is only symbolic. Real sacrifice is to be made by the people of faith themselves. The Quran refers to a historical event as a role model for this act of sacrifice. Prophet Abraham sacrificed an animal but it wasasymbolic sacrifice. The real sacrifice on his part was that he dedicated his son, Ismail, for a peaceful mission. This mission is referred in the Quran as zibh alee (37:107). Itmeans great sacrifice, but Prophet Abraham never slaugh- tered his son; he only dedicated his son for a purpose, that is, to live in a desert and to produce a new peaceful generation that is called the Banu Ismail (Children of Ismail). Celebrating this event annually means that the faithful should pledge to follow the example of Ismail. Why do Muslims celebrate Eid- ul-Adha? Muslims ritually sacrifice animal, but the real purpose is to pledge that we will dedicate ourselves to the peaceful divine mission just as the Prophet Ismail dedi- cated himself. Eid-ul-Adha is a day of pledge for a dedicated life rather than a day of some ritual act. At present, the greatest need for the divine mission is to remove the misunderstandings developed about the religion of Islam, that is, thinking Islam to be a religion of violence. Generally, people take the divine mission as a violent mission. The faithful must dedicate themselves to remove this mis- understanding. This is the zibh azeem for the present times. Prophet Abraham wanted to nake a peaceful team for the divine mission. Today, Muslims must dedicate themselves to building a peaceful image of Islam. What is the difference between Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr? Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated at the end of a fullmonth of fasting. Muslims observe the month of Ramzan as the month of fasting. The pur- pose is to train them to live a selfrestrained life. After the completion of this period they celebrate Eid-ul-Fitras shukr, that is, to acknowledge God's help for being able to complete this month of training. On the other hand, Eid-ul-Adha is for inculcating the spiritof dedication for the peacefulIslamic cause. In Eid-ul-Fitr, the role model is Prophet Muham- mad. And the model of Eid-ul-Adha is Prophet Abraham. Eid-ul-Fitr reflects the spirit of sabr (patience) while Eid-ul- Adha reflects the spirit of sacrifice or dedication. Both are equally important for the daily life of a faithful person. Dada, how can we adopt the message of Eid-ul-Adha in our lives? The Quran refers to Prophet Abraham as an exemplary charac- ter for the faithful. The Quran reminds Muslims of how Prophet Abraham, along with his family, dedicated his life for the peaceful divine mis- sion. Muslims are required to remember this example on the day of Eid-ul-Adha every year and pledge to follow it. Muslims are required on this day to adopt this example in their lives in letter and spirit. The life of Prophet Abraham and that of his family was entirely a peaceful life. Thus, Eid-ul-Adha reminds Muslims that if they want to receive the divine blessing that was sent to Prophet Abraham, they must follow his life pattern. This way they will become deserving candidates for divine blessing. (Maria is Maulana's grand- daughter). Follow Maulana Wahiduddin Khan at speaking tree. in and post your com- ments there.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Adiyogi - From Religion To Responsibility
Maria: Dada, what is the universal message of Eid-ul-Adha? Maulana: Eid-ul-Adha literally means 'festival of sacrifice'. Here, animal sacrifice is only symbolic. Real sacrifice is to be made by the people of faith themselves. The Quran refers to a historical event as a role model for this act of sacrifice. Prophet Abraham sacrificed an animal but it wasasymbolic sacrifice. The real sacrifice on his part was that he dedicated his son, Ismail, for a peaceful mission. This mission is referred in the Quran as zibh alee (37:107). Itmeans great sacrifice, but Prophet Abraham never slaugh- tered his son; he only dedicated his son for a purpose, that is, to live in a desert and to produce a new peaceful generation that is called the Banu Ismail (Children of Ismail). Celebrating this event annually means that the faithful should pledge to follow the example of Ismail. Why do Muslims celebrate Eid- ul-Adha? Muslims ritually sacrifice animal, but the real purpose is to pledge that we will dedicate ourselves to the peaceful divine mission just as the Prophet Ismail dedi- cated himself. Eid-ul-Adha is a day of pledge for a dedicated life rather than a day of some ritual act. At present, the greatest need for the divine mission is to remove the misunderstandings developed about the religion of Islam, that is, thinking Islam to be a religion of violence. Generally, people take the divine mission as a violent mission. The faithful must dedicate themselves to remove this mis- understanding. This is the zibh azeem for the present times. Prophet Abraham wanted to nake a peaceful team for the divine mission. Today, Muslims must dedicate themselves to building a peaceful image of Islam. What is the difference between Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr? Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated at the end of a fullmonth of fasting. Muslims observe the month of Ramzan as the month of fasting. The pur- pose is to train them to live a selfrestrained life. After the completion of this period they celebrate Eid-ul-Fitras shukr, that is, to acknowledge God's help for being able to complete this month of training. On the other hand, Eid-ul-Adha is for inculcating the spiritof dedication for the peacefulIslamic cause. In Eid-ul-Fitr, the role model is Prophet Muham- mad. And the model of Eid-ul-Adha is Prophet Abraham. Eid-ul-Fitr reflects the spirit of sabr (patience) while Eid-ul- Adha reflects the spirit of sacrifice or dedication. Both are equally important for the daily life of a faithful person. Dada, how can we adopt the message of Eid-ul-Adha in our lives? The Quran refers to Prophet Abraham as an exemplary charac- ter for the faithful. The Quran reminds Muslims of how Prophet Abraham, along with his family, dedicated his life for the peaceful divine mis- sion. Muslims are required to remember this example on the day of Eid-ul-Adha every year and pledge to follow it. Muslims are required on this day to adopt this example in their lives in letter and spirit. The life of Prophet Abraham and that of his family was entirely a peaceful life. Thus, Eid-ul-Adha reminds Muslims that if they want to receive the divine blessing that was sent to Prophet Abraham, they must follow his life pattern. This way they will become deserving candidates for divine blessing. (Maria is Maulana's grand- daughter). Follow Maulana Wahiduddin Khan at speaking tree. in and post your com- ments there.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and Speaking Tree,Times of India