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We start our Sacrifice Feast Eid al Adha by Takbeer and Hamd
(revering Allah’s Greatness and praising Him), as a sign that we long for Him, the Most Great and Most
Sublime, and that we are full heartedly grateful to Him for His Grace. It is He Who has taught us what we
knew not before, and guided us to the Way of truth and fruitfulness. The Sacrifice Feast Eid Adha
is rich with many meanings and conceptions that would guide us to the Righteous Path.
.. to thy Lord turn in Prayer and Sacrifice. (HQ: 108: 2)
“Prayer”, as we always learn, symbolizes man’s “seeking attachment to Allah”.
This is an essential principle in our Religion and in our primordial nature fitra. It is through
Prayer that we experience being connected to Allah, and hence, receive His sublime power and
mercy.
“Sacrifice” or Nahr connotes several meanings. It points to “renouncing
the lower self” with all its darkness, and Nahr is also associated with “seeking closeness to
Allah” by offering a Sacrifice: qurban.
Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam. Behold! they each
presented a sacrifice (to Allah): it was accepted from one, but not from the other.(HQ: 5: 27)
To offer a Sacrifice qurban, or to come closer to the Lord is only possible
when one rids himself from all that makes one afar from Him; it is the lower self nafs with all
its dimness that puts the barriers between a person and his Lord. By being attached to the source of
divine power, mercy and care, a person gets spiritually qualified for “slaughtering” his dark lower self,
and hence comes closer to Allah, from within and all around. Closeness to Allah transcends physical place
and/or time. Closeness is a deep feeling of God’s presence in every moment of a person’s lifetime. In all
his actions, feelings, in motion and silence, and with every beat of his heart, he feels that God is with
him.
We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein. (HQ: 50: 16)
He is with you wheresoever ye may be.(HQ: 57: 4)
whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah's countenance.(HQ: 2: 115)
God is within you:
Earth and Heaven contain Me not and the heart of My faithful Servant contains Me
God is with man, as He exists in the very texture of his primordial nature fitra,
which God created, and baptized him with. God is with man in all his actions. Many divine words urge man
to deal with Allah:
Who is he that will loan to Allah a beautiful loan? For (Allah) will increase it
manifold to his credit (HQ: 57: 11)
Charity is received by the Hands of God (PH)
In dealing with any matter, throughout the earthly journey, one is dealing with Allah.
When man forgets this truth, his life turns into hell. That is to say that if a person cannot see what is
beyond people’s physical existences and material attributes, he would not be able to live among them.
However, if he handled life from the perspective of dealing with Allah, things would be very different. A
person would see God’s wisdom embedded in everything. He would see it as God’s door open, when matters of
life go smooth turning his good intentions into action.
In this way, our Religion teaches us how to come closer to Allah in all our actions
both inwardly and outwardly. Closeness to Allah is not possible unless we eradicate our darkness, which
cannot be done unless we have sought being attached to a higher source of guidance that would empower the
truth, the light, and the life within.
This is our reading of the honorable Feast Eid. It is still rich with many more
symbols that we can decode whenever we reflect upon its meaning. However, holding on to even a single
meaning, realizing it honestly, and living it existentially, would lead to our transformation. The
meaning we have focused upon today is:
.. to thy Lord turn in Prayer and Sacrifice. (HQ: 108: 2)
We hope that we are truly connected to our Lord, and that we are in the process of
eradicating our dark lower self so that we might come closer to the Truth, to Allah, and see Him within,
and in all our actions. As such we might truly witness that there is no god but God and Muhammad is the
Messenger of God La Ilaha Illa Allah, Muhammad Rasulu Allah.
Servants of God, we must read the Divine’s “messages” directed to us. Herein, we try, and we share our
reflections. The message sent to us in this occasion (of Sacrifice Feast), is one that teaches us the
relation between “Prayer” and “Sacrifice”. In “Prayer”, we seek attaining spiritual strength from Allah,
and being exposed to His emanations. It is that strength that helps us offer our lower and dark self as a
“Sacrifice”. As such, we get qualified for being transformed into Servants of God, we gain real life, and
our earthly journey turns to be a fruitful one.
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