Today is the day of Eid al-Adha. This is a day of sacrifice for Muslims. Muslims only know that sacrifice means that we must sacrfice an animal this day. But the Quran has a different point to make. The Quran says: لَنْ يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِنْ يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ. (22.37) Their flesh and blood do not reach God: it is your piety that reaches Him. It is the spirit that matters. I was thinking about this. I realized that there are two aspects of sacrifice. The first is real sacrifice and the second is symbolic sacrifice. Animal sacrifice is not the real sacrifice. The true sacrifice is self sacrifice. The Quran tells us something unique. Animal sacrifice is only symbolic. The real sacrifice is self sacrifice. It is to "kill" yourself. Kill here means to surrender yourself before God. It is to change your habits and your thoughts. To surrender yourself before God is the real sacrifice.