Eid Ul Azha

People are naturally biased towards their religious traditions. These somehow seem to make more sense than all other traditions combined. Eid is a day of festivity within Pakistan.

The Eid Ul Azha or ‘bakra eid’ as many like to call it requires Muslims to buy an animal from a variety ranging from goats to camels. These animals are then sacrificed.
Now under the increasing culture of animal rights and awareness this may seem brutal, but let’s understand the core concept behind this. Firstly the point of this ritual is to understand death and life after death. Islam comes with the promise of resurrection on the day of Judgment. In ancient times, prophet Ibrahim (AS) was asked to sacrifice the thing that he held dearest. After a lot of contemplation, he chose his son. But an instant before the sacrifice, his son was replaced by a sheep. Now you can laugh and pass this as unreal and superficial, but let’s not forget how this whole universe, the way we were created, our brains, what’s beyond the milky way and all forces and charges are supernatural.

So the point of this tradition is a belief in the mercy of God and that we belong to Him before anyone else and to Him we have to return. And so we should keep alive, in ourselves, the spirit of sacrifice. But it’s not just about that. Its about faith in after life. Faith in the fact that departure within this world is a necessity and a norm. Death happens. But people can unite in heaven. This world and the next are linked.
Now I understand that this may seem brutal. But is death really brutal? Only the dead can know but they can’t really tell us. Death is thought of as brutal because of the suffering of the living.

Do not pity the dead, pity the living.

And people want life to end and commit suicide all the time. So let’s understand the life of an animal. Who has no outlet of speech. Who does endless work without any return. Who has no hope of evolution. When sacrificing, you are not taking away a life, you’re relieving a creature in misery off that life.
Islam is very specific about the rules of sacrifice. There is to be no pre sacrifice torture. The weapons aren’t to be sharpened in front of the animal. The animal is to be treated royally before sacrifice and should be well fed. If the animal isn’t sacrificed in one go, then the kurbani (sacrifice) isn’t halal.
So before you call this tradition brutal, just because it includes blood, think again. Islam condemns all other sorts of animal torture such as cock fighting and brutally slaying or cutting animal body parts while they are alive for pleasure.
The Muslims are commanded to distribute a specified portion of this meat to the needy, of which there is no lack in most Muslim nations. Men, women and children dress up in colorful cultural shalwar kameez, put on henna and meet up with relatives while enjoying all sorts of desi desserts. When life becomes a screaming bore, the festivity within these events keeps you going, with something to look forward to.

Eid Mubarak!