Eid was approaching fast but instead of making Talha happy, it grieved him. This would be the first Eid in the 11 years of his life that his parents would not be buying a sheep or a goat. Of course, he would be getting his new clothes and shoes, but the major attraction of this Eid would be missing.

Two months back, Talha’s father had had an accident. His parents’ savings had been spent largely on Mr Ahmad’s treatment. Thankfully, Talha’s father was alright now, but the family faced a financial crunch due to which they couldn’t spend a handsome amount on any sacrificial animal.

Talha thought about all this and felt thankful that his father was well now. After heaving a sigh, he closed his eyes to sleep. He had to get up early in the morning for school. Just as he was drifting to sleep, a whisper came to him in the dark. It was his younger brother Ali.

“Tayyaba and Mohsin have a cow. The kids next-door have a large furry sheep. What do we have?”

Ali was seven years old. He could not understand as well as Talha why he couldn’t have a sheep to play with like last year and every year before that.

Talha tried to explain to him, “Ali, do we need animals for showing off to our neighbours and friends?”

Ali thought for a while, then replied, “No, we don’t need them for that. We need them for sacrificing in the name of Allah.”

“Yes,” said Talha, “That means the spirit of sacrifice is more important.”

“But what shall we do on this Eid day?” asked Ali.

Talha said to him, “This Eid we shall thank God for our parents and for each other. In this way, we shall be cheering up our parents by not being sad. We shall sacrifice sad feelings from the heart”.

“Will God like that as much as a sheep?” asked Ali innocently.

“I am sure He will. The spirit of sacrifice matters more to Him,” answered Talha.

“I am glad that I won’t be missing out on anything then,” said Ali happily.

“You’re a smart boy. Now, try to sleep,” Talha told him.

“Good night, brother,” said Ali.

The two boys went to sleep with a light and happy heart.

Over the next week, Ali was happy seeing and playing with his friends’ animals. This was a relief for Mr and Mrs Ahmad, who had been worried for their younger son’s happiness. They thought he was too young to understand such things. They knew Talha was older and expected him to be more understanding. Little did they know that Talha was the one who had put his brother’s mind at rest.

Now, Talha had another thought in his mind. He wanted to do something useful for others this Eid. He thought and thought until an idea came to him which lit up his eyes. He ran to his parents sitting in the TV lounge and said, “Mother, father, I’ve been thinking that I want to sacrifice my good will and thoughts for the welfare of the community this Eid. So, I have an idea.”

Both Mr and Mrs Ahmad became interested in their son, “What kind of idea?” they asked.

Talha replied, “I have noticed that at every Eid people leave the skins and intestines of the sacrificed animals lying on the streets and on roads. These give out a horrible smell afterwards. I want all of us to contribute money before Eid and then hire some maintenance people to clean our neighbourhood on Eid day.”

Mr and Mrs Ahmad liked their son’s idea and promised him that they would discuss the idea with others in the neighbourhood.

Two days later, Mr Ahmad informed his elder son, “I have talked to some friends and they’ve talked to their friends. Many people liked your idea and we have decided that each house in the neighbourhood will contribute money for hiring cleaning staff. The imam will make the announcement and we can start collecting funds tomorrow.”

Talha was thrilled at this response. His father hugged him and said, “Good job, son!”

When Ali came to know about it, he wanted to help too. He and his friends set about making posters for the neighbourhood. The girls and boys coloured their charts in bright colours and put up the posters at selected places in each street. All charts carried the words, “Clean your neighbourhood this Eid. Make your country beautiful”.

Ali and his friends were pasting the chart to a wall with the help of scotch tape when some neighbours saw them. They were pleased at the kids’ efforts. They reminded them, “Do remember that it is your duty to take these charts off after Eid. Do not spread litter against your own motto.”

“We shall remember to spread cleanliness in every way possible,” said the children.

That night some neighbours paid a visit to Talha and Ali’s parents. “We saw your younger son today. He was leading other kids to put up informative posters for the community. We appreciate his efforts.”

Mr and Mrs Ahmad were all smiles at hearing this. After the neighbours left, they called their sons to them, “We are proud of both of you. Some people were just in here and they told us about Ali’s posters. Well done, Ali!”

Ali happily replied, “It’s all because of bhai that I have done all this. He told me that real sacrifice is in giving happiness to others. He deserves real appreciation.”

Mrs Ahmad said, “That’s how elders should treat their younger siblings and young ones should listen to the elders. Very good, Talha.”

The parents hugged both sons tightly. That Eid Talha and Ali’s neighbourhood was as clean after Eid as it had been before.

Published in Dawn, Young World September 2nd, 2017