“Hassan sweetheart! Come here, it’s your bedtime. Let’s go to sleep,” mum called out to six-year-old Hassan, who was outside playing with his goat.

“Mum, please can I stay a few more minutes with the goat?” Hassan requested.

“No sweetheart, let the goat rest as it will be sacrificed tomorrow morning,” mum explained.

“But mum, why do we sacrifice animals? Why can’t we keep them with us forever?” Hasan asked innocently.

“Oh my dear darling, we sacrifice animals in the way of Allah in the remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and Prophet Ismail (AS), and this is also the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (SAW). This is also compulsory on every adult Muslim who can afford it,” mum explained.

“Mum, why do we celebrate it in the remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail?” little Hassan wanted to know more.

“Come let’s go to bed and I will tell you the reason of why we celebrate Eidul Azha, and after I finish telling you, I want you to go to sleep,” mum said as they went towards his bedroom.

After Hassan lay down in his bed, mum sat down by his side and narrated, “The reason behind the celebration of Eidul Azha is that Prophet Ibrahim had a dream in which he was sacrificing his young son, Prophet Ismail. Prophet Ibrahim had great faith in Allah, which made him think that his dream was a commandment of Allah and that he must fulfill it. He told his son what had happened, and Prophet Ismail, who would grow up to become a great prophet, agreed that if that was the command of Allah, then they must obey.

“When Prophet Ibrahim was on his way to slaughter Prophet Ismail, he was stopped by Shaitan at different places, urging him not to obey Allah’s Command and spare his son. But Prophet Ibrahim remained steadfast and continued his way towards mount of Arafat.

“He made Prophet Ismail lay down on the ground and placed a cloth on his face, before sacrificing him,” mum said.

“Mum did he really slaughtered Prophet Ismail?” Hassan asked wide-eyed.

Mum smiled and continued, “No my dear, it was a test by Allah for Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail, in which they remained steadfast and in return of his firm belief in Allah and the desire to fulfill the command, Allah replaced Prophet Ismail with a sheep under the piece of cloth.

“When Prophet Ibrahim took off the cloth, he found a slaughtered sheep and Prophet Ismail safe by his side. Both the pious father and son proved that they would obey Allah, no matter what the situation and hurdles may be!

“So we Muslims sacrifice animals, such as sheep, goat, cow or camel, on Eidul Azha in the way of Allah, to commemorate the great ‘sacrifice’ of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail,” mum explained.

“And mum, why do people perform Haj in this month?” Hassan wanted to know more.

“Well, Haj is an obligation on every adult Muslim who can afford the journey and is healthy enough to it undertake it once in a lifetime. Haj is performed in Zilhaj, also the month is the last month of Islamic calendar. Prophet Ibrahim built the Holy Ka’aba, along with Prophet Ismail, and established the pilgrimage itself. The act of Haj, its rites and rituals, were taught to us by Prophet Ibrahim. A fundamental component of Haj is running between Safa and Marwa, the two hills close to the Ka’aba. This is in remembrance of the trials of Bibi Hajar, who ran between the two hills in search of water for her infant son, Prophet Ismail. It is also obligatory to spend time a specified time on Mount Arafat, the place where Prophet Ismail planned to perform the sacrifice.

“In Haj also, pilgrims offer the sacrifice of an animal on 10th of Zilhaj, when Eidul Azha is celebrated all over the world,” mum detailed.

“Wow, mum! I never knew that there was such a great reason and reward behind all we do on Eidul Azha. Now I will never insist that we keep the goat rather than sacrificing it on Eid day. Thank you for telling me all this. It gave me a great moral lesson,” Hassan excitedly said to his mother.

“So what did you learn from all I just told you?” it was mum’s turn to ask now.

Hassan quickly replied, “I now understand that life is a test for us, we should always have firm believe in Allah (SWT) and should never stop following the commandment, despite facing hurdles just like Prophet Ibrahim.”

“Very good Hassan, I am very pleased to know that you understood the spirit behind offering sacrifice on Eidul Azha. Now it is time to sleep as we have to wake up early for the Eid prayer and then offer the sacrifice of our goat. Goodnight and sleep well!” mum tugged him in and turned to leave.

“Goodnight mum, don’t forget to wake me up early!” Hassan called out.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 9th, 2022