By: Imanudin

The real meaning of sacrifice is not only killing an animal but also killing our ego, our greedy personality, our love to goods, power and our suspicious feeling. That is why Idul Adha should be a good moment to sacrifice. Sacrifice for your country and nation not the other way around.

All this time the meaning of sacrifice in Idul Adha is always related to killing goat, cow or buffalo. What do you think? Can sacrifice have contextual meaning?
So what is the contextual meaning of sacrifice? One thing that we must memorize, word “qurban” comes from Arab sentence qaraba-yuqaribu-qurbanan-qaribun which means near. Sacrifice in Islam means to get rid of things to be far away from God. Obstacle to get near of image or animal behavior such as ego, passion, love of power, love of things, speak evil of someone and etc.

What was the actual message of history of Ismail obedient behavior; he was sacrificed in Idul Adha instead of sheep?

Two essential things. First, he became closer to Allah because he had killed his passion. Second, he loved poor people more. Third, meat has symbolic meaning only and most important thing, he succeeded in killing his ego.

Sacrifice also shows that social status and property is nothing in the eyes of God. The Koran said faithfulness is the only one that counts by Allah. So, by sacrificing we can kill our ego, ego which becomes obstacle for our closeness to Allah. Both Pilgrimage to Mecca and sacrifice are also made us feel peace and safe, and both of them make us feel enthusiasm.

In sacrificing, if we do not have spirit to sacrifice and to love our people and society, our country will be ruined. We should realize, our country will be destroyed if our leader and society do bad and evil things which do not obey the rule. Disaster will be happened, it is stated in the Koran (QS. 17:16--red).

So, what lesson that we can take from this Idul Qurban? Spirit to sacrifice to other people, share with week people and build our apathy. I am sure, this spirit will generate a strong human generation who will sacrifice and be useful for other people.