Ghulam Yasin Nizami
Feast of the sacrifice (Eid-ul-Adha) holds special appeal owing to the fact that animals are sacrificed. The practice of sacrifice can be traced back to (Ibrahim A.S), who dreamt that Allah ordered him to sacrifice his most precious thing. Ibrahim (A.S) was in a dilemma as he couldn’t determine what was his most precious. Then he realized it was his son’s life. He had faith in Allah’s command. He let his son know the purpose why he was taking his son out of their home. His son Ismail (A.S) agreed to follow Allah’s obey, however, Allah intervened and informed him that his sacrifice had been accepted. From that day onward, Muslims around the world, once in a year, slaughter an animal to commemorate Ibrahim’s (A.S) sacrifice as obedience towards Allah. As the feast of the sacrifice comes close, people purchase the sacrificial animal that fits in their budget and fulfills their religious needs. On this auspicious occasion people do verily take care of the cleanliness of their homes, but do not take care of the cleanliness of their surrounding at all. The waste is improperly disposed in our surrounding. What is missing in this world today is the spiritual and inward cleanliness. Islam, however, perfectly balances both. Most aspects of Islam focus on spiritual and inward cleanliness. However, Allah and the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H)’s strong words regarding the importance of cleanliness and purification help us to keep the importance of hygiene in view as well. Just think about a person who is a leader in a community or a teacher of a group. If he shows up with a disheveled look, unclean clothes, unpleasant smell, etc., how many people will take him seriously? Being clean and having a pleasant appearance is a must as a human trait because it’s human nature to like clean things and dislike dirt and filth. Remember that slaughtering a sacrificial animal and taking its meat home does not end the work, but it is also necessary to keep our surroundings clean. Instead of leaving the sacrificial animal’s filth there or throwing it around or throwing it in front of someone else’s house, take proper care of it so that it is clean and does not hurt anyone. Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness, in both its physical and spiritual aspects. On the physical side, Islam requires the Muslim to clean his body, his clothes, his house, and the whole community, and he is rewarded by Allah for doing so. The Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) said, for example: Removing any harm from the road is charity. While people generally consider cleanliness a desirable attribute, Islam insists on it, making it an indispensable fundamental of the faith. A Muslim is required to be pure morally and spiritually as well as physically. Through the Qur’an and Hadith Islam requires the sincere believer to sanitize and purify his entire way of life. The Allah commends those who are accustomed to cleanliness. Although the sacrifice is done individually at homes, a collective responsibility lies on all of us to do it without causing inconvenience. May Allah grant us purity of appearance and inwardness and grant us the ability to remain clean. Our efforts to have a hygienic Feat will not only be beneficial to all but also will clear the many misunderstandings about the festival. The main aim of the festival is to remind about the sacrifice of prophet Ibrahim and also to help the poor and needy. In the zest of doing things we forget the spirit of the rituals; if not done properly the very spirit is damaged. It is not about how sacrifice a family can afford to give but also about how well you can do it, fulfilling the aim of distributing it among the actual people who need it. Following simple measures about safety and hygiene is all that needed. Human nature is quick to accept the effects of its surroundings and the effects of good or bad environment are inevitable on human life, so man should play active role to keep his house, neighborhood and area clean. The cleanliness of the home, the neighborhood and the area reflects the sophistication, good mood, dignified life and beautiful thinking of the people of the society. The religion of Islam commands its believers to be clean, whether it being physical or spiritual, individual or community, home or neighborhood. So take care of the cleanliness factor and keep the surroundings neat and clean. Every effort should be made to make surroundings as clean and hygienic as possible. Mosques should act as community centers, should start educating the people much before the Feast. Although the sacrifice is done individually at homes, a collective responsibility lies on all to do it without causing inconvenience. The core messages of the sacrifice are to obey Allah’s order and uproot one’s inner evils. So, things get worse once the slaughtering starts. Once the animal has been sacrificed, many people throw away animal wastes wherever convenient. Despite repeated warnings from the city corporations for not slaughtering on roads and disposing of waste materials here and there, there is a trend to ignore the advice. Again, in many cases, people even do not clean their residential premises properly. As a result, the animal blood and waste are seen on roads and streets. All this indicates that spirit of sacrifice is far away. May Allah Almighty grant us purity of appearance and inwardness and grant us the ability to remain clean.
