Reliving the sacrifice and love of Sallah

Another Sallah is here! And beyond the traditional slaughtering of rams and fanfare that accompany Eid-el Kabir celebration (otherwise known as Kadha), Muslims across the world today, September 1, 2017, make the most of the opportunity the celebration
provides to show love to one another and swam praying grounds to perform the obligatory rakah and worship Allah.

Islamic scholar, Abdul-Fatai Akanbi, bubbling up for the outing this Friday morning, told The Daily Times that the Eid-el-kabir festival is celebrated two months and 11 days after the Eid-el-fitr, which is also the 10th day of Dhul hijjah, the last month in the Islamic calendar to commemorate the obedience of Ibrahim to sacrifice Ismail his son, as commanded him by Allah.

Abudl-Fatai Akanbi reiterated that Muslims celebrate Eid-el-kabir to commend the act of sacrifice of Ibrahim with his son
(Ismail).

“The day was a sad day for him, that is why Muslims are not meant to eat before going for eid prayer; they are enjoined to know that, if not that Ismail was replaced with a ram during the day of sacrifice, they would have been sacrificing their sons in place of rams today.”

Akanbi further explained that it is important for all Muslims who are financially capable to buy a ram for the annual festival with the intention of sacrificing it to Allah to shun ostentatious display of wealth.

“Muslims are therefore expected to share their rams into three equal parts; one part for himself and his family, the second part for his friends and neighbours who are not financially buoyant to buy ram, while the last part should be given to the poor and needy.

“These pieces of meat are not meant to be kept for use on other occasions; it should be shared immediately among people and should not be kept at home for more than 3 days.

“The kind of animal that can be slaughtered for this festival are known as halal (accepted in Islam); and the animal can be a ram, cow, goat, sheep, or camel, as the case may be.

Therefore, haram (forbidden) animals like pigs, dogs etc, must not be killed. “Muslims should always remember the origin of these festivals and therefore not cross the line of decency when celebrating,” Akanbi said.

Muslims are enjoined not to celebrate this festival in a forbidden way by going to dance club, drinking alcohol and other forms of atrocities that are unacceptable in Islam.

According to records, the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid-el-kabir falls on the 10th day of Dhul hijjah while it varies on the Gregorian calendar; therefore, one cannot determine the celebration of the festival with that of the previous year.

Origin of Sallah
Assistant lecturer at the University of Lagos, Mallam Abdulhakeem Qaseem, defined Eid-el-Kabir as a celebration of obedience to God and its attendant gains.

“Eid-el-Kabir, also known as festival of sacrifice, originated from the life of prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) who had a dream directing him to sacrifice his son, Ismail, to the cause of Allah.

He told his son about it and the son obeyed his father by accepting that he should be used as a sacrifice to his Lord,” he said.

Another scholar who spoke to The Daily Times, Adebisi Mustapha, said God reminded Ibrahim of his promise to sacrifice his only son to Him when his son, Ismail, was just six.

“But when Ibraham attempted to kill Ismail with his knife, the knife failed to function. Before that, the devil had tried to dissuade him from sacrificing his only son, reminding him of how long it took him to get his son, but Ibrahim responded by stoning the devil.

That’s why people stone a particular pillar as part of Hajj rites to re-enact the encounter of Ibrahim with the devil. “But, as Ibrahim tried to kill his only son, God sent Angel Gabriel to give him a ram to replace his son.

Immediately, he untied his son and they left the desert for home. That’s why Yorubas call the celebration “Ileya”, Mustapha said. Anyone who refuses to make the necessary sacrifice, it was revealed, would be accountable on the Day of Judgment.

Mustapha said further: “Any Muslim who is capable of getting an animal to slaughter must take part in it, while people who are not financially capable don’t need to inconvenient themselves in the name of sacrifice, for Allah sees all minds and intentions.

“Also, anyone who is financially capable but refuses to make the sacrifice will be accountable on the Day of Judgment, but the most important thing is that every Muslim to have knowledge of the origin of the festival and the sacrifice required in Islam,” Mustapha said.

He said further that some may Muslims go into unscrupulous acts just to take part in the slaughtering of animal slaughtering. “Some go as far as borrowing the money they use in buying the animal.

“No matter the number of animals one slaughters or how big it may be, what matters most to Allah is the intention towards the sacrifice.

“The quantity of fur on the animal skin will be the number of reward Allah will give to the person who make sacrifice on the day of the festival.

Also, the blood that pours out of the animal will be like a river that will wash away the sin of the person that makes the sacrifice with a clean heart,’’ he concluded. Here is wishing every Muslim family a happy Sallah.