Yesterday marked the feast of sacrifice otherwise known as Eid ul Adha among millions of Muslims across the globe. The climax of this feast is the observance of the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, an Islamic injunction that require every devout Muslim to undertake the trip at least once in a lifetime.
The feast honours the willingness of Ibrahim, also known as Abraham, to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to the command of God. Before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, however, Allah provided a lamb to sacrifice instead.
The feast is celebrated for between three to four days during which Muslims will attend special prayers in their new and resplendent clothings in open air centres. It is also an occasion for exchange of gifts, food and meat.
The special day of sacrifice which marks the climax of Hajj or Pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Islam, which is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially sound to do so once in their lifetime.
No devout Muslim downplays this religious feast as the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is reported to have said that, “It is a tradition that has come down to us from Abraham.”
There are very useful lessons to be learnt by not only followers of Islam but the generality of the population in their obligations to the state. Muslims, when it comes to the teachings of Islam, do not consider any sacrifices to be impossibilities. They exhibit the can do spirit during the Ramadan fast when they deny themselves of the pleasures of the flesh for 30 days and crown it with paying a fortune for the pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah.
We urge all Muslims to learn from the readiness of Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac and be equally obedient to the laws of the land. Other Ghanaians must also learn this virtue so that with their Muslim brothers and sisters they exercise their obligations and responsibilities to the state. It is all not what the state can do for us but what the citizens can do to advance the cause of the country.
While reminding our Muslim brothers and sisters of the significance of the feast, we appeal to those who are fortunate to have made the trip to Makkah to be good ambassadors of Ghana and not do things that will mar the good relations between Accra and Jeddah. We wish all Muslims happy Eid ul Adha. Barka da Sallah.