| ON 'ID AL-KABIR FESTIVAL Afis. A Oladosu In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice) that they might celebrate the name of Allah over the sustenance He gave them from animals (fit for food). But your God is One God: Submit then your wills to Him (In Islam): and give thou the good news to those who humble themselves. (Al-Hajj 22: 34)
It is not their (animals) meat nor their blood that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: And proclaim the Good News to all who do right. (Al-Hajj 22: 37)
If indeed there is an aspect of Islam which emphasizes the universality of the religion, such is evident in the way the religious activities of pilgrims in 'Arafah, usually climax with the celebration of the Id al-Kabir, the greater festival, by Muslims all over the world. Thus even though today is the 12th day of November, it is for the Muslim world the 6th day of Dhul Hijjah, 1431. As you are reading this, pilgrims in Makkah would most probably be evacuating their residences in the city for Muna, preparatory for their ascension of mount 'Arafah on Monday. By the time they descend from the mountain on early Tuesday morning, the rest of the Muslim world would be joining them to offer sacrifices to mark this year's Id al-kabir celebration. It is probably the combination of these highly spiritual activities in this early days of this month that validates their appropriation by Allah when He swears with them as follows: "By the dawn; by the 10 nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2]. When Allah swears with an entity in the cosmos, like His swearing with the sun, the moon and the stars, it is meant to call the attention of the faithful to what may be described as the semiotics of the Quran. In other words, oaths are signifiers, not the signified; they are like the sunshine, not the sun; they are contingent, not permanent. They function, in line with the opinion of the Indian Muslim philosopher and exegete Abd al-Hamīd al-Farāhī, in providing dalil (argument) and shahadah (evidence) not only to the existence of an all powerful and all-knowing creator from whose mercy the cosmos came to being but equally to the necessity, for humanity, to willingly acquiesce and submit to His will and command as exemplified in the last testament, the Quran.
Thus the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah which Quranic exegetes say are referred to in the verses adumbrated, therefore, become signifiers for the inexhaustible mercies of Allah which abound in these days for those Muslims who would exploit them to their advantage. It is to validate this further that Prophet Muhammad (upon him be choicest mercies and benedictions of Allah) says as follows: "No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these days [meaning the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah]." The companions asked: "O Messenger of Allah, not even jihad in the way of Allah?" He said, "Not even jihad, except for the man who puts his life and wealth in danger [for Allah's sake] and returns with neither of them." Imam Ahmad and Nasai have also reported that "there are five things that the Messenger of Allah never abandoned: fasting the day of 'Ashurah, fasting the [first] 10 [days of Dhul-Hijjah], fasting 3 days of every month and praying two raka'at before the dawn prayer". In other words, the spiritual vocations and orientation of the righteous and conscious Muslims during these days of the month and year become clear: that of fasting, charity, observance of supererogatory prayers, recitation of the Quran, the glorification of the name of Allah and the eulogy of His apostle. While the Hujjaj in Makkah would be chanting "labayka Allauma labayka" the conscious Muslim outside Arabia should join them, no matter the austerity of his condition and the grim realities of his situation in saying "subhanallah wal hamdulilah wala ilaha illa Allahu Akbar". But we must not forget that since this season is that of sacrifice, there are certain ethics which guide the observance of the rites of sacrifice particularly for those of us who are not on pilgrimage. The Muslim who would offer sacrifice on the day of Id is expected to abstain from cutting his nail and the hair in his body. Beginning from the Fajr of the 9th of Dhu 'l-Hijjah up to the 'Asr prayer of the 13th, it is obligatory on each Muslim to recite the Takbir of Tashriq after every fard prayer in the following words. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La Ilaha Illallahu, Wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahilhamd. According to authentic Islamic sources, it is obligatory on each Muslim, to recite this glorification after every compulsory prayer. Fasting on Arafah day is equally highly rewarding. On the 'Id Day, the following acts are sunnah: waking up early in the morning for personal hygiene, cleaning one's teeth with a miswak or brush; taking bath, putting on of one's best clothes, using perfume (for males) and avoiding food and drinks until the Id prayer is observed. It is strongly recommended for the worshippers to recite the glorification of the name of Allah in a loud voice while going to the 'Id praying ground. It is also expected of Muslims to join the worshippers on the id ground with decorum and civility, avoid the observance of nawafil before the id prayer itself and to listen to the Imam's sermon before dispersing. The sacrifice of the animals could last for three days- 10th, 11th and 12th day of Dhul Hijjah. Sacrifice of animals has always been treated as a form of worship in some religions. Even in pagan societies, the sacrifice of an animal is a common form of worship, but it is usually done in the name of some idols, not in the name of Allah, a practice totally rejected by Islam. At least three elements must, however, be taken into consideration with reference to this important ritual: the person who wants to sacrifice an animal as an act of worship, the animal to be sacrificed and the essence of the sacrifice. "Every adult (conscious) Muslim, male or female, who owns 613.35 grams of silver or its equivalent in money, personal ornaments, stock-in-trade or any other form of wealth which is surplus to his basic needs, is under an obligation to offer a sacrifice. Animals to be sacrificed must be of sound health, and should not suffer any physical deformity. Sacrifice is, among others, meant to commemorate the unparalleled readiness of Prophet Ibrahim to dedicate his choicest and priceless treasure (his son) to the service of his creator. When Muslims sacrifice animals it is usually with the acute awareness that neither the meat nor the blood of the animals reach Allah. What He desires from us is to submit ourselves to His will, to "slaughter" our pride, our ego, our lack of contentment and our avarice the same way we are slaughtering the animals in His name. This festival reminds us of the triumph of faith over profanity and the valorisation of spiritualisim over materialism. May Allah accept our offering during these days and redeem our nation of the iniquities of, in the words of Ayi Kwei Armah, the "destroyers". Aamin (piece originally written for the guardian on friday)
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