During the occasion of Hajj, by sacrificing an animal, a believer symbolically pledges to devote his entire life to the path of God.
During the occasions of Hajj or Eid al-Adha, the act of animal sacrifice encompasses two dimensions: one is its spirit, and the other is its form. In terms of its spirit, sacrifice represents a commitment or pledge. The physical act of sacrifice serves as a pledge in action. The importance of this form of dedication is widely recognized and acknowledged.
To provide an understanding of the concept of sacrifice, here is an example. An incident of November 1962 serves as an illustration of this concept. During that time, there was a significant threat posed by a neighbouring country’s aggression on the eastern border of India. The entire nation was plunged into a heightened sense of urgency and tension.
During the demonstrations, one notable incident occurred when 25,000 youths from Ahmedabad collectively made a resolution to defend the country against external attacks, even if it meant sacrificing their lives. After reaching this decision, each individual contributed one rupee from his own pocket, resulting in a total collection of 25,000 rupees. They then presented this money to the Prime Minister of that time, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, as a gesture of their commitment and service. While presenting the money, they conveyed to the Indian Prime Minister that these 25,000 rupees symbolized the pledge of 25,000 youths to dedicate themselves to defending their country.
These youths expressed their spirit of sacrifice symbolically through 25,000 rupees. These 25,000 rupees were not the actual sacrifice; they served as a mere token. This concept is similar to the idea of animal sacrifice, where the act itself holds symbolic meaning. By sacrificing an animal, a believer symbolically pledges to devote his entire life to the path of God. Hence, during the time of sacrifice, it is said, “O God, this is from You and for You” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 2795), which means, “O God, You are the giver, You gave it to me; now I entrust it to You.”
