Eid el Adha (Sacrifice-Oblation) Discussions
(‘Kurban (common in Turkish and first means victim, kind of sacrifice, and a kind of self-abondonment, and called Eid Al Adha in Arabic) ’ is one of the two main religious holidays in
Islamic faith, which is performed by slaughtering cattle, big or small, in the
name of God; hence the name.)
Who did
this to us? How did we become so politicized even on Kurban (Eid Al Adha) Holiday in Turkey?
How did people end up donating to X organization instead of sacrificing an
animal?
What is sacrifice? It is kind of abnegation. The main thing is the feeling of
abnegation in that person’s heart rather than the form of the sacrifice. How many people know the real
purpose behind sacrifice?
Back in the days, we used to pet the animal to
be sacrificed in our backyard for few days prior to the holiday. We cherished the animal and spent time
with it as much as we could.
Can it
really be called a man’s abnegation to butcher that little lamb without feeling
that connection? Can it be a human who has the animal slaughtered before
experiencing that feeling? Making something near to you victim is a sacrifice... Especially when you get used to have that thing or person to be around you...
****
How does
someone, who consumes meat the whole year, get so irritated by the animals
butchered one after another in slaughter houses?
My phone
has been ringing off the hook since this morning. I learned that people shared my
‘Kurban Holiday 2013’ article on their Facebook accounts.
In that
article, I explained that people, who are not vegetarians, are irritated by
this Kurban issue merely because of their hatred towards religion. If those who
eat meat 360 days a year were not irritated by the concept of religion as much,
they wouldn’t have been so consumed with this day.
But, now
I realize that I missed out a certain point. There is also a minority which is
disturbed by the idea of animals’ suffering an agonizing death in front of each
other, besides the meat-lovers who are opposed to animal slaughter on Kurban
Holiday merely because religion animosity.
****
In
Turkey, there are many goodwill organizations which even undertake Kurban
donations, from slaughter to distribution, for those who are in need. It is
hard to know for sure if some of these organizations are totally trustworthy or
if they actually exploit. But the recent trend is donating the monetary value
of the Kurban to certain organizations instead of slaughtering the animal. This
is a matter of preference; requesting that cash donation to be used for ‘bona
fide services’ rather than using the money for the actual Kurban ceremony. Such
as donations made to institutions fighting against certain diseases. Or, there
are even some who choose to donate that amount to people who are in need of
other things, claiming that everybody can afford meat at this day and age. Yet,
there is already a condition regarding alms in Islam, ordering those who can
afford to pay proportionate of their properties and earnings. It is already an
obligation to make monetary and in-kind donations that way. There many ways also for oblation. You can offer anything to the Allah, (God) for any of your wishes to be true and you can keep your promise to Him once it become real or before that. Whereas, Kurban is
a different kind of worship. Its purpose is different. And slaughtering an animal is the way how is it suppose to be.
****
It is not
about monetary abnegation. It is being devoted to the creator to the degree of
sacrificing a life of a person, remembering that the faith should be as strong as Prophet Abraham’s. Otherwise, does Allah, whom
we praise day and night, ask a prophet of his to sacrifice one of his sons? This
message is solely giving him a chance to prove his devotion. As a symbol of
that, after all, Allah is asking Hz. Ibrahim to sacrifice an animal, which has already
been a traditional food of choice for years, to show his supremacy. In this
test, you of course have the right to question Allah whom you seek refuge in
every time you are in a bind. Yet, in regards to testing even Hz. Ibrahim’s
devotion, Kurban is actually a holiday which contains profound mysteries within
itself and it invites everyone with or without faith, to contemplation.
****
Think
about it. Can you still keep on living after giving up all you have in twenty
four hours?
Can you
draw a conclusion which defines that you could still keep on living even if you
were to give up everything you had because if it wasn’t for a creator you
wouldn’t have existed? He is both the giver and the taker. In this regard,
Kurban is the day of giving up on this world, remembering and being grateful to
the One who granted you your loved ones. It is important to build a sentimental
connection with the animal to be sacrificed; that is why you should purchase
the animal few days before the holiday and feed and pet her before it is
slaughtered for sacrifice. Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail for the sake of Allah exemplifies his devotion. But father and son submitted to Allah’s command. Allah substituted a ram in Ismail’s place at the last moment. Quran talks about this incident in chapter 37:100-107*
The
conditions dictate that the animal should not even see the knife and be scared
during the butchering process. Same feeling is also important for those who
don’t even harm an ant, who believe reincarnation and who consider animals and
plants as living creatures. We, most of Muslims thank to Allah on Eid Al Adha and give our present to Him. It is a commemoration of the supreme act and spirit of sacrifice offered by Prophet Abraham.* I guess that, if a meat consuming individual is
opposing to Kurban for any reason other than an irritation caused by the
experienced conditions, then there lays secularity instinct in the back of his
mind.
*soundvision.com The article: The place of Prophet Ibrahim in Islam, Christianity and Judaism
