Dr. Zafaran Adeniyi wrote: ANOTHER EIDUL-ADHA AT THE CORNER It is just some days to Eidul- Adha. One wonders how time flies. Every season like this is an opportunity by which a Muslim renews his allegiance to Allah (SWT). It reminds him of great historical occurrences. In this case, celebrating the eid is commemorating the great subservience of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) to the commands of his Lord. His was a model family where the trio (husband, wife and son) submitted to their Lord unconditionally . The ram or cow we kill is only symbolic of submission. The real celebration is that of the heart, where one places one’s Lord. A man, through deep thinking, will realize that he will return to his Lord as the sacrificial animals die and return. It is a period where we gather as an Ummah or family members to remember that we shall so gather before our Lord for judgement. Therefore, if you want to worship Allah (SWT) through these rams you kill, you must make your intention clear. Do not kill it for the sake of it or for show off. Do not use haram money to buy such rams as it will not be accepted. The bigness or smallness of the animal is immaterial but the piety in your heart. With proper intention and having the means, it is highly recommended that you slaughter the ram as your reward will be as much as the furs on the animal. There are, however, some etiquettes guiding or attached to this sacrifice. One, the person who intends to involve in the sacrifice, that is, plans to kill a ram, is not allowed to cut his fingernails or shave his hair from the first day of Dhul-Hijjah till after he has slaughtered his animal on the Eid day. Two, the animal should be properly slaughtered as most people just kill the animals anyhow. The knife should be properly sharpened but not in the presence of the animal. Where one plans to kill more than one, it should not be done in the presence of the other. The cutting of the jugular veins and gullet should be done smartly and once. Moreover, the nine days before eidul- Adha are very great. The Prophet (SAW) says that no deeds in other days of the world are as rewarding as in these days except for one who goes out for jihaadand dies there with all his belongings. It is encouraged that one fasts on these says; most especially on the Arafah day where one is forgiven sins of two years. One should also profusely chant laailahaillalla h, al- hamdulillah, subhanallah, etc.and engage in other spiritual activities as one will do in Ramadan. At this point in time too, Muslim pilgrims have already started landing in Saudi Arabia. For those who could not make the Hajj, they should mentally interact with the pilgrims and follow the processes. It is a demonstration of solidarity. And Hajj, as the enlightened people of the world know is an unequalled pillar of Islam which unites the Muslims across the world. It has no parallel in human history; where almost every nation or even city is represented under the commonwealth of Islam. We advise the Pilgrims to be good ambassadors of Islam. As Nigeria also celebrates her Independence Day, we hope every Nigerian will take a stock of how he/ she has contributed to the development of the nation. The leaders have failed and they will keep failing because they do not believe in the power of God. We only hope that when all of us change to have the love for our fellow men at heart, then the celebration will be meaningful; otherwise it is like still washing our dirty linen in the public and wasting resources. When the people change their ways and attitudes and are ready to face their daemon, the country will work. On that day every Nigerian, even the unborn will be at peace.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 14:54:31 +0000
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