The Haj pilgrimage falls on ninth of Zil Hajj, the 12th and last month in the Islamic calendar. The following day marks the festival of Id al-Azha, The “Celebration of Sacrifice”, when millions of Muslims throughout the world join the pilgrims in their joy and thanksgiving to Allah.
Some of the main rituals of Hajj come from the tradition of Abraham and his wife Hagar. To quench her infant son’s thirst, Hagar ran desperately between the two hills of Safah and Marwah near the Kaaba. A spring burst out of the earth, where the child’s feet kicked. The sacred water known as Zam Zam still flows and pilgrims carry it back for their families and friends. Part of the necessary Hajj rituals is running seven times between the two hills in the tradition of Hagar.
Abraham is an exalted prophet in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. His story is found in the Torah and the Old Testament. In the Muslim narrative, God commands Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael, his son with Hagar. In the Jewish and Christian narratives it is Isaac, his son with Sarah. However, the core essence of the teachings is Abraham’s complete obedience to God.
Ten years had passed since Abraham had left Hagar and their child alone in Mecca in God’s care. On returning to Mecca, he learnt of Hagar’s death. Abraham’s joy of reuniting with Ishmael was cut short by a vision that came be the ultimate test of his faith. The Quran tells us that one day Abraham said, “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you as a sacrifice to Allah, so what do you think?” The dreams of prophets being true, Ishmael understood the vision as God’s command and replied without hesitation: “Do what you are commanded, you shall find me patient and willing.”
Both father and son submitted to the will of God. Abraham laid his son down, put his forehead on the ground and directed a sharp knife towards his neck. At this very moment, Allah called him: “O Abraham, you have fulfilled the dream. Thus do we reward the good doers, that was a clear test.” A ram was sent down from heaven to be slaughtered instead of Ishmael. Abraham slaughtered the ram and both father and son shared the feast. Due to Abraham’s excellence, God made prophets from his progeny, including Ishmael Isaac, Jacob and Moses who guided people to the truth.
Id al-Azha celebrates the overwhelming sincerity of Prophet Abraham devotion to God. It is easy to claim love for God but, if put through trials and tribulations, even the best of us tend to complain and respond with impatience. Prophet Abraham passed every single test that God put him through.
Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam.
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