Interaction: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Speaking Tree Website, TOI | October 7, 2014

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 Abra ham sacrificed an animal but it was a symbolic 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 azeem (37:107). It means great sacrifice, but Prophet Abraham never slaughtered 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 an 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 misunder standings 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 make a peaceful team for the divine mission. Today , Muslims must dedicate themselves to building a peaceful image of Islam.

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What is the difference between Eid ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr?

Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated at the end of a full month of fasting. Muslims observe the month of Ramzan as the month of fasting. The purpose is to train themselves to live a selfrestrained life. After the completion of this period they celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr as 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 spirit of dedication for the peaceful Islamic cause. In Eid-ul-Fitr, the role model is Prophet Muhammad. And the model of Eid-ul-Adha is Prophet Abraham. Eid-ul-Fitr reflects the spirit of sabr (patience) while Eid-ulAdha 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 character for the faithful. The Quran reminds Muslims of how Prophet Abraham, along with his family , dedicated his life for the peaceful divine mission. 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.