Traditions Can Always Be Tweaked

‘Farishton ko nahin milta

Yeh woh jazbaa hai insaani

Naseeba saath hai jinka

Wahi dete hain Qurbani’

Human nature is such that we not only publicly demonstrate all our treasures, we also keep gloating about our achievements and our possessions. And this is where Qurbani steps in.

It is one way for the proud to be humbled. It is one way of not only appreciating what one has but also sacrificing these bestowed assets on certain occasions.

Centuries ago, when cultivation was a thing of the future, the animals were the only valuables on which human survival was based. Camels were the prized possessions in deserts. Other places it was the oxen, the goats and the sheep.

These ‘valuables’ were not only used for travel or for carrying burdens, they also yielded hair, wool and milk. And during the festival, for the want of sacrifice, these cherished companions became symbols. It was the only way the rich showed that they were willing to give up some of their own benefits for the sake of the needs of their poorer brothers.

And since sharing and caring is not inherent in all humans, the Qurbani was ordained. That was how, those that were blessed in abundance, were made to share their possessions and food with those that were deprived. What a commandment that was!

But sadly, what people have been doing all these centuries is blindly following a ritual and a tradition. Times have changed. Rituals were never carved out on stones. And traditions can always be tweaked.

They desperately need to, especially to conform to a civilised society that one lives in. Earlier wanton cruelty to animals was never in man’s thoughts. When animals were hunted or reared, it was only in need of food.

But now things are different. What could be construed as Qurbani back then, need not apply now because we are no longer dependent on animals. Rather it is the animal kingdom that is at our mercy.

Animal sacrifice is only a symbol. Just like Roza is. During Ramzan, when we fast, the food aspect is only a miniscule portion of the act.

Apart from tasting the pangs of hunger, it is also a sort of discipline that is incorporated into our lives, to refrain from gluttony and maybe ALL the other vices that cross our tumultuous and alluring path. Merely staying away from foodstuff and still continuing to harm mankind in every possible way is not in keeping with the true spirit of Ramzan. Fasting is an overall training and a gentle reminder to improve our will power, so we can stay away from temptations.

It is the same with Qurbani. To forfeit our unwarranted wants; forego our superfluous lifestyles and relinquish our desires so that someone else is benefited. It is to shun extravagance and instead contribute in the upliftment of the deprived sections of the society so it can be utilized for better purposes, like removing poverty and illiteracy.

Qurbani represents the story of the Prophet Ibrahim who sacrificed his son Ismael. Maybe Allah knew that the following generations of mortals would not be as willing as the Prophet to sacrifice their own children. So He gave us an option- to slaughter a goat instead and share its meat with family, friends and the underprivileged.

Since it is symbolic, Qurbani could also be translated by helping someone else realise their dream, by forfeiting yours. The satisfaction you get out of this act of sacrifice, say of letting a destitute person go on a pilgrimage, far outweighs the advantage of you wanting to go on a dream vacation to Switzerland.

For a true Muslim, all that is demanded as the ultimate Qurbani is the willingness to submit to one’s ego and individual will to the Almighty. It is not the idea of seeking favour with Him by offering the life of another. It is NOT absolving one’s sins through the blood of another.

The Surah Al-Hajj 22: 37 clearly states that:

‘It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah:

It is your piety that reaches Him'

For a living example, the house that we grew up in was never ever tainted with the scarlet droplets of the harmless and the innocent. And yet we had Biryani on every Eid, which we shared with family friends and the poor and the needy. But it was always cooked with the dressed meats that came from the bazaar and went directly into the kitchen.

We revelled in every festivity without having any direct blood on our hands, or in our backyard. Even if many in our community believed otherwise, often swearing that the Gates of Paradise would never open for the ‘un-sacrificial’ family that lived there.

If it was only symbolic, there were a million other ways to discover the road to Paradise, Daddy said. ‘It’s not like those who cannot afford to do the Qurbani, or don’t want to cease to be Muslims’ he said. And all the voices were silenced since he was the President of the Muslim Association and of the Jamia Mosque of Berhampur.

And yet, since tradition demands that it be carried forward, let the Qurbani go on. Nowadays you also have online donations where the funds are used to feed the hungry, with the excess being used for relief and welfare of the underprivileged. Some have even resorted to cut goat-shaped cakes in order to celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly way.

Or better still, how about, we translate it to sacrificing something which is very dear to us. Like our most prized jewellery, our treasured mobile, our best dress in the wardrobe, or our precious party shoes? How about we randomly select something precious and give it to someone who is in need?

It is imperative to understand that the more profound implication of all annual acts of Roza and Qurbani, are merely symbolic. And they lie in carrying their essence into our lives and converting it into acts of self-control and sacrifice. That is what Roza and Qurbani is all about. Bakr-Eid Mubarak to All!

Nargis Natarajan is a writer, author and novelist residing in Bhubaneswar. Views expressed are the writer’s own.