ACADEMICS.web.id – In the remote valley of Mina, Prophet Ibrahim was determined to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail. This act symbolized total devotion and obedience of Ibrahim to Allah. Emotionally, for Ibrahim, Ismail was more than just a son. He was a son longed for over decades and fervently prayed for, as immortalized in QS. Al-Shaffat: 100. Ibrahim only received him when he was nearly a century old.
Secondly, from a religious-spiritual standpoint, Ismail represented Ibrahim’s greatest hope for the continuation of the “millat Ibrahim” message. Therefore, as immortalized in QS. Al-Baqarah 127-129, Ibrahim and Ismail prayed for a messenger to be sent from their descendants. In a hadith, Prophet Muhammad emphasized that: “I am (the result of) the prayer of my grandfather, Ibrahim.”
Thirdly, the command to sacrifice was delivered by Allah through a dream to Ibrahim, who, as we read about his struggle to explain monotheism to his people in QS. Al-An’am: 74-78, was so rational. It seemed as if this episode was where Allah wanted his rationality to bow at His feet, similar to a similar episode where the highly rational Prophet Musa was commanded to submit to the seemingly irrational commands of Prophet Khidir.
Moreover, in his nearly century-long life, Prophet Ibrahim faced various challenges and struggles: from the oppression of Nimrod to the resistance against idols.
In short, for Prophet Ibrahim, he had endured a long and arduous journey in a desert, and Ismail was like the water found at the end of the road. To him, Ismail was something truly joyous (comforting his heart) and a pillar of hope.
Therefore, when Ibrahim dreamt that Allah asked him to sacrifice his son, Ismail, who had previously been a joyous reward, suddenly seemed to turn into a burdensome test. More difficult than the struggles he had experienced for nearly a century. He was strong and successful in the “lesser jihad” against Nimrod, but he still had to undertake the “greater jihad” against himself by being asked to give up Ismail from his embrace.
At the moment Ismail was truly about to be sacrificed, Allah replaced him with a ram. Why did Allah replace him? What did He actually intend for Ibrahim and humanity afterward? What is the secret behind all these symbols?
Firstly, it seems to be Allah’s way of ending the tradition of human life and blood sacrifices to God, a practice prevalent among the Masochists before Ibrahim’s time. Allah wanted to eliminate the misguided tradition of religiosity and godliness. It was as if He wanted to assert that He is never thirsty for blood. He also wanted to emphasize to us today that there should no longer be violence—especially sacrificing human lives—in His name. He is far above all that.
Especially if the greatness of Allah is used as a slogan and shout to act anarchically in the name of religion. That is not His will; it is the will of human egoism and beastly nature. Hence, He commanded us to “sacrifice” the egoism and beastly nature that may reside within us.
Secondly, He wanted to assert that each of us is like Ibrahim. Each of us has our own “Ismail”. “Ismail” doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of a child, but could also be a wife, grandchild, parent, friend, sibling, and so on. Even “Ismail” doesn’t necessarily have to be a person. It could take the form of wealth, position, social status, and so on. Therefore, don’t let our “Ismails” nurture egoism within us, blind our hearts, and cloud our minds, leading us to become rebellious servants of His.
Who is our “Ismail”?
No one knows for sure. Only we ourselves know best. Don’t ask others. Look in the mirror and ask yourself: “Who is my ‘Ismail’?” Clearly, the rule is that “Ismail” is anything that weakens faith, blinds the heart, clouds the mind, incites desire, nurtures ego, makes one arrogant or envious, causes one to feel the most righteous while accusing others of being wrong and infidel, and anything that distances oneself from goodness and drags them into the abyss of darkness. That is our “Ismail.”
“Sacrifice” it! Because, in the eyes of Allah, it is the beast within.
Of course, the term “sacrifice” here refers to oneself, in the context of the desires and feelings based on lust that make us veiled from Allah due to excessive love for family, wealth, position, and so on. Including, performing Hajj or sacrificing to affirm the ego about wealth, position, and so on.
That is our “greater jihad”, just as Ibrahim’s was. Happy Eid al-Adha!@
