By the time this article is published, a special month in the Muslim calendar will have started. This is one of four sacred months that are part of the Muslim lunar calendar. It is the last month in the year and in it is a very special religious holiday for Muslims. It is Eid-ul Adha or the feast of sacrifice.
It is our biggest holiday and it commemorates the story of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) who was asked by God to sacrifice his son. This was a test for the obedience of Ibrahim, and he passed that test by demonstrating that he way willing to obey. As a reward, God provided Ibrahim with a large goat to sacrifice instead of his son.
Ibrahim embodied the importance of not hesitating when it comes to faith because God will only ask us for what is within our ability. As part of the celebration, we utilize the sacrifice of an animal as means of helping those who are in need of food as well as remembering the story.
The Eid is also marking the culmination of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah. During this ritual, all men shed everything that they have and wrap their bodies in a simple white towel. They spend days doing prayers, supplications and performing the rituals of the pilgrimage. Other than the big reward that is promised for those who properly perform this pillar of Islam, there is the time for reflections and self-evaluation that we usually don’t have much time for in our busy lives.
One unique thing about the pilgrimage, which has almost 4 million Muslims from all over the world annually (until COVID restricted it), is that those pilgrims gather in the same place at the same time. No one is looking at the other person’s color or ethnicity. Everyone there are brothers and sisters. The rich is worshiping next to the poor, next the noble, next to the educated, next to the illiterate. They all have the same value to each other.
When it is time to pray, everyone lines up in the spot where they are, and all follow one Imam (prayer leader). They communicate without all knowing the language and they feel at home in a foreign country because it is the land of God. It is a unique experience that leaves permanent changes and memories in everyone who does it.
If we only implement those two concepts in out lives, the individual sacrifice for the ones around us and the practice of equality for all regardless of our skin colors or background, we will see the positive impact on the community. Doing both will help repair the many rifts that exist in this community. If no one hesitates to give, share and help others and if everyone views the people around them as brothers and sisters and did for them what they do for their own family, imagine the community we’d live in.
My advice to every open-minded person is to embrace the ones around you, sacrifice your time and share your resources to better them because that is the easiest way for all of us to excel.
Visit your brothers and sisters or at least call or text them to make sure they are doing well. That will make this community happier and closely bonded with care and positivity.
Since restrictions are lifted, I encourage readers to visit a masjid and learn how religion should bring and raise all of us to the ranks of servants of God. I assure you the brothers and sisters at the masjid here in Burlington will not treat you as a stranger, but instead will embrace you as a brother or a sister. I’ll end with a fun fact regarding the upcoming holiday (Eid) — the greeting for the Eid is “Eid Mubarak” (blessed celebration) and I wish this for all and everyone.
Shaher Sayed is congregation leader at Burlington Masjid, 1908 S. Mebane St., Burlington. Contact him at Burlington.Masjid@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Times-News: We all should practice these two concepts in our lives for a better community: Sayed
