The Ontology of Sacrifice in the Abrahamic-Sufi Imagination

اعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم         بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

«الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ‏ وَصَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَی ‏جَمِيعِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِين

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لَنا خَيْرًا

We are blessed to celebrate this great day of Eid Al-Adha, the Eid of Sacrifice in this peaceful and blessed environment, alhamduli’Llah. This is the day that marks the end of the Hajj. It is also the day that marks the great trial of Sayyiduna Ibrahim.

Ibrahim has a strong presence in the Islamic universe. His name is mentioned 69 times in the Qur’an where he is called the Nabi, Imam, Siddiq, an Upright Muslim, an Umma, but most importantly the Intimate Friend of God (Khalil Allah).

The story about the great trial of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is unique among other prophets. In it, a father and a son are both going through a trial. We read in Q. 37:100-101 that Ibrahim (AS) had prayed to Allah (SWT) to grant him a son. Allah (SWT) fulfilled his wish and gave him the Prophet Isma‘il (AS) at very old age. Ibrahim had a vision when the child reached 13 years of age when God commanded him to sacrifice his son Isma‘il for His sake. Both the father and the son surrendered to God’s Will and His command.  (Qur’an, 37:102) They resisted the temptation by Shaytan when he appeared to them and tried to change their minds. Shaytan failed because of their strong faith. The Qur’an describes this episode in the following terms:

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وَنَٰدَيۡنَاٰهُ أَن يَـٰٓا إِبۡرَاٰهِيمُ  إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ البلاء ٱلۡمُبِين 37: 104-10    

وَفَدَيۡنَٰاهُ بِذِبۡحٍ عَظِيمٖ

لَٰمٌ عَلَىٰٓ إِبۡراهِيم إِنَّهُۥ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ

وَٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ خَلِيلًۭا 4: 125

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As they arrived at the sacrificing spot at Mina, Ibrahim blindfolded Ismai‘l and tied his hands and legs. Imagine a father sacrificing his own son for God’s pleasure! We may wonder what was in Ibrahim’s heart as a father at that moment.  But Ibrahim was not an ordinary father!

After going through the most difficult trial that the Eid al-Adha is all about, God honored him with the title Khalil Allah.  What he did on the Day of Sacrifice was more important in the eyes of God than what he had accomplished as an Imam, a Nabi, an Umma, an upright Muslim, and a Prophet. He became God’s Purified Friend, Khalil Allah.

Therefore, Eid al-Adha is the story of man’s perfection and his freedom from all attachments and above all his selfhood and his ascension to a station even higher than prophethood. That is exactly the deeper meaning of Khalil, a word that is connected to takhliyah, i.e. emptying oneself from oneself and filling one’s being with God-like qualities. Ibn Arabi calls this process emptying Ibrahim from all his self and filling him with all qualities that describe the Divine Essence.

And Rumi describes this process:

He who emptied himself of his self will be filled with the Friend

His command will be like the command of the friend.

The lessons of the Day of Sacrifice apply to us all.  On this day of Eid Al-Adha, God indeed commands us to identify our Isma‘il and prepare to sacrifice him. Who is our Ismail? Anything that can cause an obstacle to reach our Lord and be worthy of friendship with God. To overcome these obstacles one has to sacrifice one’s Isma ‘il his like Ibrahim did; but to be able to that one must become like Ibrahim.

Sufism often speaks of the inner Ka‘bah, that is our heart. The real Hajj that can transform the soul is in fact to the Ka‘bah within.

The following story is attributed to Junayd al-Baghdadi.  It describes the real essence of the Hajj as understood and expected in Sufism.

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Junaid: From the moment you first journeyed from your home, have you also journeyed away from all sins?

Hajji: No.      

Junayd: In that case, you did not even depart for the Hajj.

Junayd: At every stage when you stopped for the night, did you traverse a station on the way to God?

Hajji: No.    

Junayd: You have not trodden the road, stage by stage.

Junaud: When you put on the ihram, did you discard the qualities of human nature as you cast off your clothes?

Hajji: No.      

Junayd: Then you have not put on the pilgrim’s garb.

Junayd: When you stood at Arafat, did you stand one moment in contemplation of God?

Hajji: No.        

Junayd: Then you have not stood at Arafat.

Junayd: When you went to Muzdalifah and achieved your desires; did you denounce all sensual desires?

Hajji: No.        

Junayd: Then you have not gone to Muzdalifa.

Junayd: When you circumambulated the Ka‘bah did you behold the immaterial beauty of God in the abode of purification?

Hajji: No.        

Junayd: Then you have not circumambulated the Ka‘bah.

Junayd: When you ran between Safa and Marwa, did you attain to purify (safa) and virtue (muruwwah)?

Hajji: No.    

Junayd: Then you have not run.

Junayd: When you came to Mina, did all your wishes cease?

Hajji: No.        

Junayd: Then you have not yet visited Mina.

Junayd: When you reached the slaughter-place and offered sacrifice, did you sacrifice the objects of worldly desires?

Hajji: No.        

Junayd: Then you have not sacrificed.

Junayd: When you threw the pebbles did you throw away whatever sensual thoughts were accompanying you?

Hajji: No.        

Junayd: Then you have not yet thrown the pebbles, and you have not yet performed the pilgrimage.

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Circumambulate around the Ka‘bah of the heart

For that Ka‘bah was built by Ibrahim Khalil

And this one was created by the Lord of Khalil.

Performing the Hajj is a duty, an obligation. Without belittling its importance, if one truly understands the difference between that and the pilgrimage to the inner Ka‘bah,  one would realize that it is indeed the Ka‘bah that circumambulates around the pilgrim. An interesting dialogue between a proud man and the Ka‘bah describes this difference in a simple yet profound way:

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I told the Ka‘bah I am made from dust and so are you!

Why should I circumambulate around you!

A call came saying: “You came to me on (with) your feet

So you should circumambulate around me,

Return home and come back with your heart

Then I will circumambulate around you!

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لنا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ  وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ  فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ     إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا   اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ.

Let me conclude with a hadith:

As narrated by Abu Hurayrah, “When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us the remembrance for these 10 days, he made a remarkable statement, ‘The best thing I and the prophets before me had said on the Day of Arafah is:

Lā ilāha illallāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-ḥamd, wa huwa ʻalā kulli shay’in qadīr.’”

لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير

When we recite these words during these sacred days, we are in fact joining a spiritual feast where every prophet is present. How fortunate and blessed are those who make this prayer as part of their daily prayer.

الحمد لله رب العالمين، وبه نستعين على أمور الدنيا والدين، والصلاة والسلام على أشرف الأنبياء والمرسلين، سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

EID MUBARAK

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