In Islam, the practice of sacrifice can be divided into three stages, from its historical origins to the present day.
1. Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his own son to Allah.
2. Allah forestalls this undertaking and to dispatch a ram instead of Prophet Ishmael. In this second stage, it should be noted that the entity offering the sacrifice remained unchanged, while the entity being sacrificed underwent a transition, marking the transitional period.
3. In the final stage, that is, in our time, both the one offering the sacrifice and the one being sacrificed have undergone change.
As it is known, the historical precedent for sacrifice in Islam is established by the narrative of Prophet Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ishmael. Subsequently, this endeavour was modified by the divine entity, with the substitution of a ram for Prophet Ishmael. This practice subsequently evolved into the sacrifice of sheep, a tradition that continues to this day.
This raises several new issues that need to be addressed.
Abraham's choice of his son as a sacrifice was not accidental. It is also not possible to evaluate this choice solely in terms of love. Because a person can certainly love their family as much as, or perhaps even more than, their child. There are undoubtedly other reasons behind Abraham's choice of his own son.
Besides the spiritual bond of "love" between parents and children, there is also a strong material bond. For the child is a result of the parents' material existence and a continuation of their material and spiritual being. Therefore, the willingness of parents to sacrifice their child, who is a continuation of their own spiritual existence, means, in a way, their willingness to sacrifice themselves, their own essence.
The relationship between a ram and its owner is analogous. The sheep is procured and slaughtered in exchange for material goods, specifically money, with its meat being bestowed as gifts to the economically disadvantaged people, acquaintances, and family members, with a portion being retained within the domestic environment. The willingness to invest financially in the purchase and subsequent slaughter of a sheep, which is a part of one's life and thus a portion of one's time and effort, can be likened to the willingness to sacrifice one's child, who has become a part of oneself through the passage of time and the investment of effort. In short, it means being willing to sacrifice oneself as a victim. Just as there is a material connection between an individual and the money they earn by relinquishing a portion of their material possessions, there is also a spiritual connection, a bond of love, with that money, which represents a part of their life. This is because the money in question represents a part of that person's life. In summary, financial resources have been shown to complement both the material and spiritual aspects of an individual's life. Moreover, they have the capacity to perpetuate a legacy, both positive and negative, long after the death of the individual, in a manner analogous to that of a child. It is for these reasons that the practice of sacrificing the son of Prophet Abraham, Prophet Ishmael, has persisted, manifesting in the ritual slaughter of a sheep procured through legitimate means, representing the fruits of our labour.
In the instance of the Prophet Abraham's endeavour to offer his son, Prophet Ishmael, as a sacrifice, the motivation underpinning his actions was said to be an affection for Allah. This phenomenon can be interpreted as the tangible expression of divine love bestowed upon Prophet Abraham. The act of sacrifice, initiated by divine love, persists within us as a disposition towards the same divine affection.
2) What similarities and identical characteristics exist between the relationship between Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ishmael, and our relationship with sheep?
The attempt by Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ishmael, and our efforts to sacrifice sheep, are both cases demonstrating the division of love into levels and stages. This division is said to transcend the material realm and enter the spiritual realm. The narrative of Prophet Abraham is employed by Allah to demonstrate that His love will engender happiness and salvation for humanity, and that only His love has the capacity to extricate humanity from the perils and tribulations into which it has fallen.
The foundation for Prophet Abraham's endeavour to offer his son, Prophet Ishmael, as a sacrifice was rooted in his profound and unconditional love. Consequently, the sacrifice of his son was unnecessary, and this selfsame love took the form of a saviour. In contrast, for us, the only effort we make to attain divine love, which we do not possess as we deserve, is to sacrifice our secondary and tertiary loves—such as money, possessions, and property—towards this divine love. This demonstrates that any love, even if of secondary, tertiary or lower degree, has the capacity to be transformed into the highest form of love, which is often referred to as 'divine love'. This process of transformation can be achieved through effort, work and sacrifice. Conversely, Allah is regarded as being independent of the blood and flesh of the sacrifices that are offered, whether in the past, present or future. These sacrifices, it is asserted, hold no intrinsic value other than insofar as they serve to augment the love and affection felt for Allah.
Moreover, the sheep, in its very existence and in the price it receives, is material.
1- The material aspect of money pertains to the energy, power and strength expended in the pursuit of financial gain.
2- It is material in terms of the financial transactions that occur in exchange for energy. There is an obligation to provide this in return for its receipt.
3- The material is characterized by its inherent existence. Consequently, the act of sacrificing an animal for the sake of Allah's pleasure can be regarded as a complete embodiment of the sheep—which symbolizes matter in its three forms—energy, money, and existence—to the pleasure of Allah, that is, to the realm of meaning.
It is imperative to acknowledge that it is the pleasure and love of Allah that activates and directs the energy in its potential state. To illustrate this point, imagine someone who craves meat buys a sheep, slaughters it, and eats it. In this context, the initial starting point, the need for meat, is a physiological (bodily) need which is a material need. The procurement, slaughtering and consumption of meat has been identified as a means of addressing this need. However, the situation is quite different in the case of sacrifice. The commencement and conclusion of this phenomenon do not constitute its material essence; rather, they are aspects that transcend material existence. The act of sacrificing matter for the sake of meaning is of far greater value than is commonly perceived. Prior to the advent of Islam, polytheists would sacrifice animals at the feet of their idols. Thus, both, as representations of matter, appealed to the five senses of these people. But because these people divided matter into levels and hierarchies among themselves, they saw nothing extraordinary in the sacrifice of a material victim to a material idol. With the arrival of Islam, this liberation from matter occurred instantly, and people were able to transcend the narrow confines of matter in an instant.
Long before Islam, thousands of years ago, the most significant advancement in human history was made by Prophet Abraham and his revered son, Prophet Ishmael. This momentous event represented a profound leap forward, one that was both awe-inspiring and sacrificial in nature. It aimed to liberate humanity from the confines and limitations of matter, guiding them towards entirely new intellectual and spiritual horizons. This event is widely regarded as a seminal moment in the development of human thought and spirituality. This sacrifice, therefore, liberated humanity from the confines of a myopic perspective, inspiring them to seek more expansive realms. This, in turn, formed the nucleus of many new discoveries, inventions, and modern science.
It is important to note that this tendency towards the significance of meaning over matter is also evident in the act of prayer. The act of bowing the head is a gesture of profound respect, signifying the submission of the individual before the divine entity of Allah. This is the reason why an individual who is unfamiliar with the state might not comprehend it if it is not elucidated. It is evident that prior to the act of prostration, there is an absence of matter in its totality. However, a Muslim who is engaged in prayer may feel comfortable bowing and prostrating before a single being whom they believe in, even though they do not see it with their own eyes. This phenomenon is widely regarded as the norm and is not perceived as unusual. This clearly demonstrates how well everyone, from the wise to the ignorant, understands these metaphysical issues.
Besides these, the act of sacrifice has many other aspects within society, such as the benefit that neighbors and the poor receive from its meat and wool of the sacrificed animal. While this seemingly insignificant benefit to the poor might appear at first glance, a serious consideration of the consequences is certain. This small event demonstrates that divine love brings nothing but good to everyone everywhere. Indeed, it is rare to see someone who buys and slaughters a sheep simply because they crave meat, then distributes the meat to the poor. Their motivation is physiological need. However, the motivation of someone who performs the sacrifice is the love of Allah.
To illustrate this point, consider a Muslim who works hard, earning 1,800 lira a month, and when Eid al-Adha approaches, buys a sheep for 900 lira, half of his earnings, and sacrifices it for the sake of Allah. Naturally, after slaughtering the sheep, such a person will divide the meat into three parts: one for his family, one for his relatives and friends, and the remaining part for the poor and needy. Since he bought the sheep for 900 lira, 300 lira will go to his family, 300 lira to his relatives and friends, and finally, the last 300 lira to the poor and needy. It should be noted that this person worked tirelessly for five days, from morning till night, in all weather conditions, just to earn that 300 lira, which is the equivalent of the meat he gifted to his relatives. The person who leaves their home in the morning, goes to work, works tirelessly until evening, and sends the meat of the sacrificial sheep they bought with the money they earned to their relatives; he has remembered them, demonstrated their love and devotion to them, and finally visited them. In Islam, visiting relatives is a fundamental principle. It should be noted that the methods followed by both the person visiting relatives and the person sending them sacrificial meat are the same. In other words, both types of people have given the same things to their relatives.
In conclusion, we can say that someone who buys a sheep for 900 lira and gives one-third of it as a gift to their relatives has dedicated five full days of their life, in terms of time and energy, to them; they have sacrificed something from their own being, thus remembering them, showing their love and devotion, visiting them, checking on them, and implicitly conveying that they will do everything in their power to help them if they fall into trouble, and that they will make every sacrifice.
As for the last third distributed to the poor: Such a person, for this last third as described above, has dedicated and sacrificed five full days of their life to these poor people. People cannot look down on the beings they serve. They cannot do so even if they wanted to, or rather, they cannot manage it. Because service brings love, not empty pride. Furthermore, it should suffice to mention that this meat distributed to the poor will have a very positive effect on their food, nutrition, and livelihood, providing many benefits.
Furthermore, the fact that this sacrifice is not performed randomly but on specific days of the year demonstrates the necessity of unity and solidarity among Muslims in this act of worship, as in other acts of worship.
Islam is an Abrahamic religion that emphasizes compassion and mercy towards all living beings. In the context of sacrifice, it draws our attention even more to compassion and mercy, and offers further counsel on the matter. This suggests that living beings, and even inanimate objects, are as valuable as their purpose. Indeed, sheep are slaughtered both for their meat and for sacrifice. The sole distinguishing factor between these two categories is the purpose for which the animals are slaughtered. Furthermore, this purpose does not originate from the sheep itself. It can be posited that if the intentions of individuals have the capacity to engender such a marked distinction in the treatment of their own possessions, namely sheep, then it is conceivable to extrapolate from this modest exemplification the extent to which these intentions might influence the human condition. Consequently, it is imperative that we, utilizing this example as a point of departure, undertake a thorough examination of our own intentions and endeavour to refine them to the utmost.
