I Suspect Christians And Jews, Just Like Muslims Should Celebrate Eid -By Saliu Momodu

Muslims slaughter a ram during the Eid or Sallah festival as known to everyone across the world. Some more clarity here would show that even Jews and Christians could join-in to commemorate the significance and blessings of this festival. But what is the origin and purpose of this religious practice by Muslims?

Thousands of years ago, there was a man by name Abraham. He was a prophet of God and his messenger who devoted every of his time to the knowledge, remembrance and worship of God. He was so close to God that God called him his personal friend.

But Abraham was without a son and as he grew older going to a hundred years, he realized there was need to leave a legacy of the worship of the one true God after his demise.
How best to fulfill that exalted legacy so it would endure than to have a child, a son to continue the faith and practice for generations unending?

So Abraham prayed to God for a son -a son to carry on with the pure and unadulterated worship of the one true God.
In his prayers, he promised God that the son will be raised in devotion and worship so as to continue the line of sincerely devout faithfuls after his own demise. In summary, Abraham had a covenant with God and
God in his boundless mercy and love for his friend Abraham granted him a son Ishmael (though Judeo-Christianity claim the son to be sacrificed is Issac but that’s beside the point for now).

But as time went by and against the promise of Abraham, his love and devotion to his only and dear son robbed from his devotion and remembrance of God his friend.
The rest of the story is well known to us all whether Muslims, Christians and Jews.

In response, God directed Abraham to sacrifice or cut off his earthly object of love so that his love and devotion to God almighty would prevail in his life. This was a big test which would be impossible except for a true man of faith and certainty in God.

Interestingly and miraculously, Abraham and his beloveth son submitted their wills and desires to that of God who has commanded. They complied though in great pain but with faith and courage to do as God had commanded. Alas as Abraham attempted to slaughter his only son, God intervenes and rescues the boy, replacing him with a ram. From that day onward, Abraham was to realize that our dedication, love and commitment to earthly things should never take priority over that which we should have and demonstrate to God. This is the message of the test of Abraham and this is what Muslims commemorate as they follow in the steps of our father Abraham to renew that covenant and commitment to sacrificing everything else for the love of Allah.

God rescued Abraham’s son because God has no use of blood sacrifice, not human sacrifice, not animal sacrifice, not their blood nor their flesh is of any interest to God but the piety of the hearts. God needed no human sacrifice at the time of Abraham, he need it not at the time of Jesus, he certainly needed it not at the time of Muhammad and would never need blood sacrifice whether of human or animal.

The purpose of the sacrifice is that we put ourselves in the place of Abraham the father of faith and in a like manner yield all our earthly distractions as a sacrifice for God’s love and worship.

For this singular test passed by Abraham, God pronounced him the father of faith, the Imam of believers- what maybe the Christians call Abraham’s blessing. If you read the Qur’an, you shall find this story told in a most captivating fashion in truth and with some fresh details you never knew existed. But I don’t want to quote copious verses to make this piece even longer.

In conclusion, I have noticed how Christians continue to purport that Muslims are simply following or keeping to useless rituals while Jesus has already paid with his blood as sacrifice. This is a topic for another day. But let me quote you a Bible reference to set the stage for our next engagement on this topic.

Matthew 5 verses 17 to 20: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven”.

What a great way to have Muslims, Christians and Jews live together as children of Abraham and to again assemble in heaven by obeying God’s laws.

Eid Mubarak!

Saliu Momodu can be reached via saliumomoh123@gmail.com