Eid Al-Adha khutbah 2006

The story of the sacrifice of Ismail and the obedience of Ibrahim (peace be upon them both)

O Muslims! The animal sacrifice we make on Eid Al-Adha reminds us of Ibrahim (AS), the father of prophets. Allah gave Ibrahim the blessing of a son in his old age. The Quran speaks of this in Surah Ibrahim: 39: Praise be to Allah who has given me Ismail and Ishaaq in my old age. Indeed my Lord hears all prayers Ibrahim was very happy by this news as any one of you would be upon hearing that you are to become a parent. So then imagine the test he went through when he left both baby and mother in an empty desert, where even a plant could not be seen! But this land, even though it was bare desert, was the purest and most blessed place on earth as it was near the Holy Kabah in the noble city of Makkah (mentioned in Surah Ibrahim:37) So Ibrahim left his wife and son in the care of Allah alone. Ibrahim believed that only Allah is to be most trusted and it is He alone that helps those who believe When Ismail had grown up and reached the age of maturity, it was then that Ibrahim returned to them. Ibrahim (AS) had returned an old man; he was now back together with his family in his homeland. Ibrahim (AS) was full of joy at the prospect of watching his son grow up and spending their lives together as a family- But now this Prophet of Allah was to face a test of a different kind Ibrahim (AS) saw in a dream that he was slaughtering his son and from this dream he understood that his Lord was directing him to sacrifice Ismail. So what did he do? Did he lose his faith, doubt, fear, or delay in the hope that it might change? No, he did not. Instead with all calmness and tranquillity he spoke to his son, and this is how the Quran tells the story: Ibrahim said: "I am going to take refuge with my Lord, He will surely guide me. O Lord! Grant me a righteous son. So We gave him the good news of a forbearing (and patient) son. When he reached the age to work with him, Ibrahim said to him: "O my son! I have seen a vision that I should offer you as a sacrifice, now tell me what your view is." He replied: "O my father! Do as you are commanded: you will find me, if Allah so wills, of the patient. And when they both submitted to Allah and Ibrahim laid down his son prostrate upon his forehead for sacrifice; We called out to him: "O Ibrahim stop! You have fulfilled your vision." Thus do We reward the righteous. That was indeed a manifest test. We ransomed his son for a great sacrifice and We left his good name among the later generations. Salutations to Ibrahim. Thus We reward the righteous. (37:99-110) It was indeed a very hard test which required true faith, complete obedience, patience in the face of tests and an expectation of a reward from Allah. And so the relief came and Allah provided a sacrifice in its place.

Thus does Allah rewards the people who do good (Muhsineen) (37:110) Allah does not want the blood or meat of anything as He is the Rich (Al-Ghaniy) and is free of need. He wants them to believe in Him alone, to be patient in times of difficulty and to act according to the Shariah as Allah says in Surah Al-Hajj: 37 It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him The command to sacrifice this young boy came from the Heavens and so from this year on became the year of sacrifice. This great event is a reminder for our Ummah of its father Ibrahim whose religion we follow (in Arabic this is known as MillataIbrahim as mentioned in Surah Nahl: 123). The Sunnah of slaughtering

O Muslims! On this day of Eid and the great Hajj, the Prophet (SAW) would also slaughter an animal. It is reported that he slaughtered two sheep and so the Muslims after him followed this Sunnah. Allah says in Surah Al-Hajj: 26: We have included the sacrificial cattle among the Symbols of Allah, for there is much good for you in them It is an emphasised Sunnah for us to slaughter on this day and disliked for anyone who is able to make the sacrifice not to do so. Slaughtering on any of the three days of Eid either during the day or night is fine but it is preferred to do it during the day. It is Sunnah straight after every obligatory prayer on the three days of Eid as well as the Eid prayer itself to say: God is great God is great God is great, and to Him is All Praise It is also a Sunnah to eat from the sacrifice you made, to give some as a gift to family and friends and to give some in charity to the poor as mentioned in Surah Al-Hajj. O Muslims! Eid Al-Adha is one of the festivals of Islam, a time of joy and celebration, a time which is prescribed for us to show happiness and delight in all ways that are permitted in Islam and to develop this meaning in the hearts of our children and families and for them to know that it is a time of celebration for us and a time to remember, thank and praise Allah. It is a day of joy, eating and drinking and so the Prophet (SAW) said that fasting on these days was not permitted. It is also a sign for people to know that we have room for these things in our religion. A special note for the sisters

Know my sisters that the Muslim woman has a great role to play in the spread of this religion for she is the foundation on which the children of the future-the next generation- rest upon;. She plays an active part in society and carries the responsibility of spreading the message (dawah) through her wisdom, confidence, certainty and her good conduct and behaviour.

The Prophet (SAW) specifically addressed the women in his reminder on Eid day, giving them advice and guiding them through his Prophetic teaching. He instructed them to give in charity; in hope for the good that they will find with Allah Almighty. So keep your duty to Allah in all your affairs as Allah loves those who observe Him, those who are pious and do good deeds. O Muslims! Keep your duty to Allah and do good just as Allah (SWT) has bestowed good upon you, follow the Quran and Sunnah and you will be successful, take care of your prayer as it is a pillar of the religion and if you lose this then you are yourself in loss. O Allah! accept our good actions and make better our condition. May He the Almighty forgive us all.