Victor EzejaThe celebration of Eide-el-Kabir, also known as Eid al-Adha, is often marked with the slaughtering of rams but the financial challenge faced by many in Nigeria has made it difficult for many faithful to afford it this year.
Imam Raji Abdul-Ganiyy, Secretary, NASFAT Mission Board, says slaughtering of ram or other animals during the celebration is a beautiful act of sacrifice and sharing of love but it is not compulsory for those who can’t afford it due to hard times.
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Muslims in Nigeria are celebrating the festival on Wednesday, June 28, and Thursday, June 29, 2023.
The festival of Eid al-Adha is to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah’s command. According to Islamic tradition, Prophet Ibrahim (Alayhi s-Salaam), saw a vision in which he was divinely commanded by Allah to offer his only son Ismail, then, as a sacrifice. However, when Prophet Ibrahim laid his son prostrate in readiness for the sacrifice, God provided a ram in place of his son. According to Islamic teachings, this act reflects patience and submission in which both Ibrahim and his son cheerfully offered to suffer self-sacrifice in order to obey Allah’s command. Since then, it became a rite for Muslims who possess the means to offer animal sacrifices, annually, on the 10th day of the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah.
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Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday morning, Imam Abdul-Ganiyy pointed out that God looks at the hearts of the people, not the physical celebration, and urged the faithful who can’t afford the luxuries for marking the festival not to worry.
He said: “The beauty of Islam is that God will never place on you a burden that you cannot carry. The slaughtering of animals on the day of Eid, of cause, is a beautiful act but it is not compulsory for those who cannot afford it. If you can’t afford ram, just go to the abattoir and buy some meat and prepare it for your family and make them happy. So, it is not a must that you go out there and borrow money or you go out of your way to get money to buy a ram. It is not compulsory for those who cannot afford it.”
“But for those who can afford it, if they choose not to buy it, it becomes a sin and they have to seek forgiveness from God but if you cannot afford it, and last year, you bought one or two, God has accepted your sacrifice; so, if this year things are hard, you don’t need to put yourself under unnecessary pressure by saying that you must buy because I don’t want to be put to shame by neigbours. I don’t want a situation whereby my neighbours would think that this year I am not slaughtering a ram. That does not mean you are no longer a Muslim; that does not mean you are not celebrating Eid-el-Kabir, you are celebrating it like any other person. God sees your intention and does not deal with our appearance or most of the things that we do,” the Islamic scholar stated.
He added that God in Quran 22, says “he is not interested in our rams, he is not interested in the meat or blood of our rams but only interested in our piety.”
He further explained that those who can’t afford a ram but wish to do so, would get Allah’s reward for their good intentions.
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The Imam called on parents to educate their children to have understanding when there is no money to make a big celebration and avoid unnecessary pressure adding that it is God they are pleasing not fellow humans.
On the issues that breed intolerance and rivalry between Muslims and Christians, Abdul-Ganiyy said none of the two religions preaches violence but human weaknesses predispose them to such vices. According to him, both religions encourage love and peaceful coexistence.
The Islamic scholar called for peaceful coexistence, irrespective of religious and ethnic affiliations for the sake of nation-building. To do this, he stressed that conscious effort should be made right from the family level by parents to educate their wards about good morals that encourage love for neighbour, peace and hard work.
“The Eid-el-Kabir is a festival of sacrifice, it’s a commemorative festival that reminds us of Prophet Ibrahim known as Abraham in Christianity. What he did was a sacrifice of true love of God. The Eid is a festival of true faith in God. Ibrahim was a true servant of God. He went through trials and was patient. So, God wants us to learn from the story of Ibrahim. When we come together on a day such this when we are celebrating Eid-el-Kabir, we are actually commemorating Ibrahim. We are also reminding ourselves that we should actually live our lives like Prophet Ibrahim lived his life. He was patient, childless for a very long time, but he never gave up on God. So, this festival is about you not giving up on God seeing that there is light at the end of the tunnel and not being hopeless or despondent.”
He also said it is a festival of love and urged the people to show love to one another.
He also urged leaders at various levels to imbibe the lessons of the season and lead by example.
The recent hike in petrol prices and surge in food prices are said to be impacting the purchasing power of Nigerians consequently, affecting the Sallah celebration across the country.
Consumers complain about the high costs of ram and other livestock used for the celebration. Ram dealers blame the situation on high transport costs as a result of petrol subsidy removal.
According to reports, the price of ram ranges from N120,000 to N400,000, while cows sell from N 500,000 up to N1 million.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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