I have been a bit late here I wanted to share why, along with a few thoughts that have been on my mind.
I have been thinking about what it really means to give. To me the ultimate test of faith is choosing the exact same good things for others that we would choose for ourselves. It’s not just a nice saying it’s a proper mindset that should guide everything we do from helping a stranger to supporting our own friends or relatives.
The real meaning of sacrifice is giving up something we love for a bigger and better cause. In Islam sacrifice isn't just about the physical ritual. It’s a way to get closer to God and earn His pleasure. There is a beautiful verse in the Holy Quran that says neither the meat nor the blood reaches God, but what truly reaches Him is your piety and pure intentions.
We can see the greatest example of this in the story of Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ismael. When God tested them both father and son completely trusted the divine plan. Sadly nowadays a lot of people focus so much on the ritual but they forget the actual spirit behind it the deep devotion and the heartfelt conversation they had which is the main thing Father was going to sacrifice his own son for the sake of his Almighty.
With everyone facing tough economic times right now the world can feel a bit selfish. That’s why true sacrifice today means stepping outside our own desires to help humanity. It’s about treating people with the same respect love and empathy we want for ourselves. That’s the most beautiful kind of giving to give the same exact thing we choose for ourselves.
This brings me to Eid-Ul-Adha which we just celebrated! For those who might not know this is a major Muslim festival centered entirely around this beautiful concept of devotion, charity and sharing with the community.
Because of Eid my schedule went completely out the window which is why I couldn't sit down to write a proper post but I spent some of my time to engage with others!
Here is a little peek into how I spent my days:
To be honest, the night before Eid, I didn’t sleep at all. I stayed up the whole night. Right after offering the Eid prayers in the morning we got straight to work with the Qurbani which is the main thing of this Eid.
Once that was done it was time to distribute the meat. I made sure that whatever we packed and gave to others was exactly the same quality as what we kept for our own home. No picking the best parts for ourselves everything was shared equally and honestly that is the true spirit of sacrifice after all.
By the time we finished everything I was completely running on empty. I crashed so hard that I didn't wake up until 5:00 PM the next evening. Once I finally woke up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes I met up with my friends and we went out to hang to relax and to enjoy the Eid vibes.
And just like that the days flew by in a blur of duties with family and friends. It was busy and tiring but incredibly rewarding.
