Preparations for Eid-ul-Azha commence a month before its arrival in Pakistan. Cattle markets start setting up all around the city and different makeshift stalls selling cattle food and jewellery spring up almost in every nook and corner of the city.
Preparations for Eid-ul-Azha commence a month before its arrival in Pakistan. Cattle markets start setting up all around the city and different makeshift stalls selling cattle food and jewellery spring up almost in every nook and corner of the city. Boys and men visit these markets every now and then to check-out the animals and inquire about their prices.
This particular Eid is a bit heavy on the pockets of most people; they start to make their budgets way before Eid. This is not it, quite a few people are status conscious and compare their sacrificial animals to those of their neighbours’. Moreover, many buy their sacrificial animals days earlier so that they can show them off to others. Young boys and men take their animals out in the evening to roam the streets, and their animals become the source of their pride and joy. What I have noticed so far is that the thing that most appeal to people in general about Eid-ul-Azha is who bought which animal of what cost.
Two days ago, my housemaid asked my mom how many animals of what worth did we intend to buy for Eid. My mom got startled and gave her an angry look. When she realised that she had asked a very strange question, she told us that a family who lives in the neighbourhood next to ours had bought a cow for Rs. 3.5M. I mean seriously? Is this what we have come to? I witnessed a similar incident last year. I’d gone to an ice-cream shop few days before Eid. There, I happened to hear a conversation among a group of young boys who were boasting about their sacrificial animals. This evil has plagued the minds of our children as well.
This doesn’t end here. The worries of our women are different from that of the men. They start stocking their pantries with different food ingredients to make numerous dishes from the meat of sacrificial animals after the sacrifice. They learn different recipes from cook books, magazines and television shows. All they are concerned about is to cook delicious food for their family and friends.
Is this why we are bestowed the blessing of Eid-ul-Azha? Does the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim mean nothing to us? Are the aforementioned things the real essence of Eid? Sadly, yes. We have forgotten that Eid-ul-Azha signifies the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and is an example for Muslims to learn that Allah rewards those who are willing to sacrifice in His name.
I am not denying that the fact that the poor are also able to enjoy a taste of different types of meat, which is so expensive that quite a few people eat meat on eids only. This Eid is all about fraternity, kindness, empathy and care for people around us and if we celebrate Eid-ul-Azha in its true spirit, we will be rewarded by Allah.
From this year, let’s try to inculcate these qualities in us! After all, as Muslims we should know that our actions depend on our intentions. So buying expensive animals to show off is not the right thing to do; it’s sacrificing with the intent to please Allah0 that will earn us His blessings.
