Vegetarianism Scientific And Spiritual Basis

Author(s): Jashwant B Mehta
Publisher: Jashwant B Mehta

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Now the knife of a father was going to slit the jugular of his only son! But Ibrahim's faith in God was unshakeable. When he asked for Ismail's consent, the child replied, “Oh father! please go ahead with God's will. I will be the fortunate one to be presented to God.” Such was the boy's submission. On the way, Iblis (Satan) tried to lead Ibrahim astray, but father and son walked firm. At the sacrificial altar, the son gave his father a handkerchief to cover his eyes so that Ibrahim would not waver. As the father slashed his son's throat, the hearts of the angels in heaven were shattered. After having completed his heart-rending task, Ibrahim removed the cloth from his eyes - and what he saw was a miracle. His son Ismail was safe and sound, playing near the altar. What had been sacrified was a ram Faith had been vindicated.
Through this, God had made it clear that He did not want a blood sacrifice. He wanted to test the love and steadfastness of His messenger. After this sacrifice. Ibrahim came to be known as 'Khalilullah', God's loved one. As the Surah-e-Kausar, in the Koran, says: "Fasalle le rabbeka wanhar”. sacrifice is not to be made merely for one's own appeasement but for the sake of God. It is said that a sacrifice is accepted in heaven the moment it is made, even before a drop of blood falls to the earth.
The revered Islamic scholar, Late Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, relates in his book - Eiden - that Eid-ul-Azha does not mean the sacrifice of animals for the satisfaction of one's ego or sense of custom. The inner sacrifice is that of one's own existence for the uplift of the needy, the weak, the aged, the downtrodden. That is the message to be learned from the example of Ibrahim and Ismail. Response to the above article :
"Inner Sacrifice"
I write to thank you for Mr. Firoz Bakht Ahmed's eye-opening article "Offering the sacrifice of the self" ("The Speaking Tree'. April 13). Islam is misunderstood on many counts, and the festival of sacrifice, Eid-ul-Zuha, is a case in point. Mr. Ahmed has helped us understand the real significance of the qurbani or sacrifice.
In this context, I would like to offer a suggestion. If every Muslim would stop the killing of animals on the occasion and, instead, donate a sum equivalent to the price of the animal sacrificed to any charitable organization of their choice, s/he would do humanity a great service. At the same time, the inner spirit of Ibrahim's sacrifice would be preserved in the finest possible sense.
R. Hoosein, Mumbai (The Times of India, April 20, 1998)
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