All praises are due to Allah, the most merciful and the most beneficent to whom we seek help and forgiveness. Whoever has been guided will not go astray, and whoever has been led astray will not find any guidance. I bear witness that there is no god to be worshiped except Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. May peace, blessings and salutation be upon our Prophet Muhammad SAW, his members of family, and upon all of us who are celebrating the Idul Adlha day.
I would like to call upon myself and you to improve our iman and takwa. O you who believe, fear Allah—by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) – as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims with complete obedience and submission to Allah SWT].
Brothers and sisters, behold that the best provision in this life is the righteousness [takwa].
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar walillaahil hamd,
Nearly three millions of Muslims from all over the world have converged in the most venerated city, Mecca the sacred. It is a city of melting pots and meeting points for all hajjs. They have flooded into this city from various places with different cultures, languages, customs, and skin colours. They have passed the geographical borders of this globe in order to seek the pleasure of Allah and His love and enjoy the most joyous moment of brotherhood and sisterhood. They have spent their money, energies, and times because of Allah SWT. They have left their beloved people behind in their home countries due to fulfilling the call of Allah. Allah SWT explains this situation by saying whose the meaning of: “And proclaim to mankind the hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform hajj).---(22:27).
They are united by a collective memory which is built upon the pillar of tawhid (the oneness of God). This unbearable feelings of love to Allah arise from the bottom of their hearts. This sort of feelings is loudly expressed through the chanting of talbiyah which means: “I respond to Your call, O Allah, I respond to Your call and I am obedient to Your Orders, You have no partner, I respond to Your call, all the praises, thanks and blessings is for You, And You have no partners with you.”
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, let us ponder upon the three main ideas of this great day at least.
First, the sacrifice is part of our social piety. Making a sacrifice on this day and the following three days is a means to enhance our proximity to Allah SWT. Making a sacrifice must be based on the sincere intention to gain Allah’s pleasure. In this context, Allah says (22:37) with the meaning of: “It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings (O Muhammad ) to the Muhsinun (doers of good). “
Our iman will not be perfect without our concern about other people in need. Therefore qurban is a means to find God by doing social charities. In one of hadits qudsi, there is a hadits narrated by Abu Huraira (ra) that Allah's Messenger (sal-allahu- alleihi-wasallam ) as saying: Verily, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would say on the Day of Resurrection: "O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me. He would say: O my Lord; how could I visit Thee whereas Thou art the Lord of the worlds? Thereupon He would say: Didn't you know that such and such servant of Mine was sick but you did not visit him and were you not aware of this that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by him? O son of Adam, I asked food from you but you did not feed Me. He would say: My Lord, how could I feed Thee whereas Thou art the Lord of the worlds? He said: Didn't you know that such and such servant of Mine asked food from you but you did not feed him, and were you not aware that if you had fed him you would have found him by My side? (The Lord would again say: ) O son of Adam, I asked drink from you but you did not provide Me. He would say: My Lord, how could I provide Thee whereas Thou art the Lord of the worlds? Thereupon He would say: Such and such of servant of Mine asked you for a drink but you did not provide him, and had you provided him drink you would have found him near Me."
The second meaning of this Day of Sacrifice is the unity of this umat. It has been true that this umat is about to plunge into the brink of horizontal fragmentation. The gong of bankruptcy of this umat will chime soon if we let this big umat be destroyed by social frictions which keep us away from enjoining good deeds. In addition, the peaceful face of this umat has been plagued with some lawless anarchic actions on the banner of religion. God is forced to justify any destructive act that allows bloodsheds and atrocities. The image of this umat has turned to be depressing due to even worse fragmentation caused by the differences of political, cultural, racial, mazhab (schools of thought) groups. This condition denies the reality of the most afflicted majority who have been tortured by the crisis. We have to develop mutual work internally and externally if we want to improve the quality of this umat.
There is evidence of the fact that the hajj ritual has taught the sense of unity. A research team, from The John F. Kennedy School of Government or of Harvard University, have conducted a study on the impact of hajj ritual among some pilgrims in 2006. The study findings were explained in a working paper titled: “Estimating the Impact of the Hajj: Religion and Tolerance in Islam’s Global Gathering”. According this study, the participation in the hajj increases the global perspectives in Islam due to the exposure of various Islamic practices during the hajj. It also reduces the subscription of amulets and dowry. The hajj also improves the sense of equality and harmony among ethnic groups and Islamic sects. In addition, it enhances the awareness of women empowerment and education. Moreover, the hajj increases unity within the Islamic world which is not accompanied by antipathy toward non-Muslims. Hajjis show increased belief in peace, and in equality and harmony among adherents of different religions. “The evidence suggests that these changes are more a result of exposure to and interaction with Hajjis from around the world, rather than religious instruction or a changed social role of pilgrims upon return.”
Malcolm X’s experience is a vivid example in describing the lesson of unity. In 1964, Malcolm X broke from the heterodox Nation of Islam to become a Sunni Muslim and perform the Hajj. In a letter from Mecca, he wrote: “There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world…We were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white… [W]hat I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions” (Malcolm X with Haley, 1965).
The spirit of unity can be established if we can develop the sense of mutual care and understanding. Narrated 'Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakra's father, in reminding the virtues of this month the Prophet SAW Once the Prophet was riding his camel and a man was holding its rein. The Prophet asked, "What is the day today?" We kept quiet, thinking that he might give that day another name. He said, "Isn't it the day of Nahr (slaughtering of the animals of sacrifice)" We replied, "Yes." He further asked, "Which month is this?" We again kept quiet, thinking that he might give it another name. Then he said, "Isn't it the month of Dhul-Hijja?" We replied, "Yes." He said, "Verily! Your blood, property and honor are sacred to one another (i.e. Muslims) like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours and in this city of yours. It is incumbent upon those who are present to inform those who are absent because those who are absent might comprehend (what I have said) better than the present audience."
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
The last but not the least. The third meaning of this month is the education of young generations. As we have probably known that this month is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice to God. It is a tradition adapted from Abraham’s great act of faith when he was tested by God to decide which of which he more loved so dearly between his only son and God the Almighty. Abraham's great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God. If we ponder at length upon the story of Abaraham and Ismail, we will understand that Abraham has successfully educated and prepared Ismail as a youth for the future, the progenitor of a great nation. It is our duty to raise the highly qualified young generations of Muslims shall we want to see the advancement and the triumphant of this umat in the times to come.
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Reference:
Buchori/Muslim
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/xstandard/estimating%20the%20impact%20of%20the%20hajj.pdf
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