The sacrifice that Allah loves

I believe that according to Islamic law, a word can shake the Islamic society. As a Muslim, you will believe that.

We are a nation with a long tradition. Our name is Muslim. Our religion is Islam. Just as everyone has a personal dignity, Muslims also have a unique identity in their work; and if I were to say the main idea of ​​that identity, I would say it is about intention. About pure intention. The word ‘intention’ has two meanings in the dictionary. One of which is stability, and the other is moderation. It feels good to have two wonderful expressions of strength. Because I find the end of writing in it and the word ‘moderation’ is enough to remove the instability of all the actions or deeds of the Muslim nation. Did I say it a little too much? No, I said it right.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The reward for every action is according to the intention.” (Bukhari, Muslim) It is mentioned in the commentary of Muslim Sharif, Fat-ul-Mun’im, “Every action is related to the intention of the individual.”

Now we will discuss what is meant by ‘intention’, what is its purpose? What should we understand by intention?

Allah Almighty says, Say, O Prophet, my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. (Surah Ali Imran: 162)

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Allama Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him) has described two sources for a servant’s deeds to reach the court of Allah.

One: “To make religion pure for Allah alone.” So why did I buy the sacrificial animal? Such an expensive, fat animal! My heart is filled with joy when I see it. To please Allah, or to receive the praise and greetings of others?

Two: “All actions should be in accordance with the Sunnah or Tariqa of the contemporary Prophets and Messengers.” That is, they should be in accordance with the Sunnah or Tariqa of the contemporary Prophets and Messengers.

My and your sacrifices should be in accordance with the intention of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Just as he used to sacrifice for the sake of Allah, we too should do the same. In the case of buying animals, he used to buy only for the pleasure of Allah.

As a follower of the Prophet, I think about whether my sacrifice is being performed according to the Sunnah of the Prophet. Starting from purchasing the animal for sacrifice, I should keep a watchful eye on whether all the actions or deeds are according to the Sunnah and are done for the pleasure of Allah. I am not sacrificing to show people, nor am I sacrificing to get MashaAllah or SubhanAllah.

All actions, including sacrifice, are performed to please Allah alone.

Keeping in mind that my actions should be exclusively for Allah, Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say in his prayer,

“O Allah, make all my actions righteous, designate them only for You, and keep them entirely for You, without giving the slightest share to anyone else.” (Maktab Shamila)

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Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to talk about his sacrifice.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to make such supplications during his worship, remembrance and supplications as he did during his sacrifice. He would say, “O Allah! This is from You, for You.” The scholars of Hadith explain that ‘from You’ here means something that is obtained by relying on You and seeking Your help. And the explanation of ‘for You’ is that this worship or sacrifice is for You.” (See, Majmu’ul Fatawa, Ch. 14, p. 9, Ibn Taymiyyah)

For this reason, we should keep in mind that all our acts of sacrifice should be for Allah alone, and repeatedly purify, refine and scrutinize the intention of sacrifice.

This evening, as I crossed the Ashkar Dighi in Chittagong and came to Jamal Khan, I saw a group of Bani Adam busy worshipping in the Buddha temple as soon as I looked to my right. I am not that disturbed by their busyness. What kind of intention and restraint do unbelieving Bani Adam have!

Their entire existence is like a riot. I get along well with everyone because I am non-sectarian, but I do not accept them as friends. Although mixing with non-sectarians in the intention of invitation is Sunnah, Allah Almighty Himself has forbidden accepting them as friends. Because we are Muslims and they are infidels. All the actions of the day and night would have become their affairs if they had believed and become believers.

In all daily, weekly, monthly and annual acts, we have to make our intentions correct and pure.

Eid al-Adha is coming. Annual acts. We make our intentions pure because Allah Almighty does not look at camels, cows, buffaloes, sheep, rams and goats, He looks at your open deeds and your secret intentions. For what intention are we sacrificing? To please Allah or to show off to people?

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It has been said in a hadith. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,

“Indeed, Allah does not look at your wealth or your adornment, but He looks only at your hearts and the purity of your actions.” (Sahih Muslim: 2564)

Another hadith has been narrated from the same source, along with the virtues of sacrifice.

Narrated by Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There is no deed more beloved to Allah on the Day of Sacrifice than sacrificing a sacrifice. On the Day of Resurrection, the animal will be presented with its horns, fur, and hooves. And the blood of the animal is accepted by Allah before it falls to the ground. So sacrifice it with a heart of satisfaction.” (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi: 1493)

‘It is not their meat that reaches Allah, nor their blood, but it is your piety that reaches Him. (Surah Hajj, 37)

So I was saying, just as turning your face to the east or the west in prayer is not the main thing, the main thing is to express your opinion and do all your deeds according to the word of Allah, similarly, the purpose of sacrificing domestic animals etc. is not to test your inner and outer self by Allah. For whom we are sacrificing, with what and how we are doing it is not the real issue, the main thing is to test our own deeds and intentions while making the sacrifice.

May Allah grant us all the ability to understand our pure intentions and act accordingly. Amen.