Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

AIDILADHA, or Feast of the Sacrifice, is celebrated today by Muslims in Malaysia and the world over, marking the end of the haj – the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Also known as Hari Raya Haji or Qurban in this country, it is one of the most important events in the Islamic calendar, which honours and rejoices the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as an act of obedience to Allah’s command – and Allah’s mercy in replacing Ismail instead with a lamb at the last moment.

In other words, Prophet Ibrahim’s devotion to the Almighty was tested to the extent that his own flesh and blood was to have been made a sacrificial lamb.

The important act reminds us that the sacrifice has a larger meaning, in that it requires us to give up what can even be dearest to us, which serves as an acid test to our resolve.

You may sacrifice a portion of your money, property, energy or time, or all of these valuable things with the noble intention of making a difference to the lives of other people as well as yourself.

In certain cases, there are people, such as soldiers, who will even sacrifice their lives for a larger good.

The prophet’s act of faith also indicates that sacrifices can be committed not only during Aidiladha when Muslims sacrifice certain animals, but also in our daily lives in which sacrifices may take other forms.

Apart from being an expression of devotion to Allah, a genuine sacrifice serves as an “antidote” to human failings, namely selfishness, greed and arrogance, as well as hypocrisy.

Muslims have been enjoined to feed the needy so that they would be counted as being among “the companions of the right”. This explains why some poor individuals are said to have even shared whatever little food they had with friends or neighbours who were equally desperate and hungry.

Their generosity is worthy of our admiration, as their sacrifice suggests selflessness, compassion and patience of a higher order.

Such magnanimity contrasts sharply with certain well-off people, say, ministers who seem not moved by the plight of the poor and the downtrodden to the extent that they choose to ignore such a suggestion as to take a certain cut of their pay and allowances as a symbolic gesture of compassion and empathy.

It appears that this would be too much a sacrifice to make for the ruling politicians, even for those who have been schooled to appreciate the prophet’s sacrifice and its religious and social significance.

As if this scenario is not disturbing enough, the shenanigans of certain people in society have turned the noble notion of sacrifice on its head, especially in a world where selfishness, greed and arrogance ironically assume a position of respectability in some quarters.

The vulnerable in society at times find themselves being “sacrificed” at the altar of corporate greed and political arrogance.

Hence, for example, villagers are confronted with the issue of flash floods that descend on their village brought about by unrestricted or unlawful logging up the hill, unleashing massive amounts of water that destroy properties, innocent lives and livelihoods.

Similarly, the interests and concerns of the common people, particularly the poor and the dispossessed, become “sacrificed” when the national coffers bleed arising from corruption committed by people in high places.

As a result, public funding for basic necessities, such as schools, hospitals and low-cost housing that are meant to uplift the living standards of the people, is adversely affected.

The dignified meaning of sacrifice must be upheld, and not sullied by those with narrow interests.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha. – July 10, 2022.