Muslim Festivals and Ceremonies — Page 30
30 80 vi) Offering the sacrifice of an animal: On the 10th of Dhul. Hijjah, the pilgrims who can afford, sacrifice an animal: goat, sheep, cow or camel, at Mina. vii) After the sacrifice the pilgrims shave their heads or cut their hair short. . Historical background. Abraham is regarded as the friend of God, and a large number of prophets were raised out of his progeny. He is also known as the father (Patriarch) of the prophets. To understand the significance of his sacrifice, one has to go through the details of the events which are mentioned in the Bible and in the Quran. It is narrated that. Abraham saw in a vision that he was slaying his only son Ishmael. . When he was convinced that God demanded that he should sacrifice his only son who had been bestowed upon him in his old age, in the cause of the Lord, he became ready to make the sacrifice. He mentioned the dream to his son Ishmael and asked, 'What do you think of it' Ishmael replied: 'Father, do that which you have been commanded. You will find me, God willing, steadfast. '. Thus Abraham made the necessary preparations. When all was ready and he was about to proceed to the fulfilment of what he thought he had been commanded to do, he received the revelation that he had indeed fulfilled his covenant and was asked to slaughter a lamb instead. The true meaning of the dream was not that he should sacrifice his son in the manner in which he had seen himself doing in the dream, but that he should leave his wife Hagar and his son Ishmael in a distant barren valley in order to win the pleasure of. God Almighty. There, Ishmael was made an instrument for the purpose of establishing the true worship of God, and this was the place where the first House of Allah, the sacred Ka'aba, was situated, though it was in ruins at that time. This great sacrifce offered by Abraham is the event which is celebrated all round the globe every year, and Muslims, who can afford to do so, slaughter an animal to commemorate that act of devotion. The festival of sacrifices, therefore, urges all Muslims to follow the examples of Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael and show perfect submission to God's commands.