The true purpose of sacrifice is to give without expecting any reward from anyone other than your Lord. It means to fulfill the commands of Allah , without worrying about the consequences. The term sacrifice has a lot of context , but the essence of it is that the intention made for Sacrifice should only be to  please Allah(S.W.A) and no one else. Let’s take a look at some aspects of sacrifice .Monetary sacrifice, Keep in mind that sacrifice doesn’t always entail giving up large quantities . It means to give with pure intentions and  an open heart. All for the sake of gaining the acceptance of Allah(S.W.A). Attaining the sincerest intention of sacrifice is a gradual process. It all depends on your intentions , whether you do it to gain appraise from society or you do it solely for the purpose of gaining  acceptance of Allah(S.W.A). Because when our intentions are pure , He surely guides us, He eases the path for us and gives us strength for pursuing our task. Hence, when spending in the way of allah, one must keep in mind that every penny you spend is going to raise your ranks in the hereafter. One of the greatest blessings of Allah(S.W.A) is TIME. Giving up your time , is one of the hardest tasks out there, but the reward of this sacrifice will surely be enormous. Allah(S.W.A) is ash-shakoor (the acknowledging one) , he is bountiful in giving and bestows great reward for small amount of good.

Now let’s focus on SMALL SACRIFICES. The deeds We all can do easily. Smiling , assisting around in household chores, teaching our siblings, helping our friends with their studies etc. such small acts of kindness should motivate us to do more good in this world. Allah (S.W.A) has blessed us with the bounty of his blessings and one of the best ways to thank him , is to utilize those blessings to bring joy to people all around us. Another aspect of sacrifice is to stay away from all that is prohibited .There are moments in life where one might benefit from a task, but as it turns out , that task requires you to go against the commandments of your deen. Knowing that allah(S.W.A) is our sole provider and believing that only HE can provide better opportunities in the future, one forgoes that opportunity. A true momin is one who is cautious about not crossing the limits set by allah (S.W.A).

Let’s shed some light on the upcoming Eid ul azha. Eid ul azha is an event that marks the willingness of prophet Ibrahim(A.S) to sacrifice his beloved son  Ismael (A.S) upon allah (S.W.A) command.

In surah as-saffat, Allah(S.W.A) mentions this incident …..

“And,when he(his son) was old enough to walk with him,he said “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you(offering you in sacrifice to allah). So look what you think!” He said “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha Allah, you will find me of As-Sabirun(the patient). Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the will of allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead; We called out to him: “O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream!” Verily thus do We reward the Muhsinun(good-doers). Verily, that indeed was the manifest trial. And we ransomed him with a great sacrifice(i.e- a ram); And We left for him (a goodly rememberance) among the later generations.”

Thus every lunar year , muslims all over the world commemorate the devotion of  Ibrahim(A.S) by slaughtering livestock animals in the name of allah. Eid ul azha serves as a reminder of how blessed we truly are to have meat available to us throughout the year, while many of our muslim brothers get to eat meat only on special occasions such as eid. Thus we must make the most of this eid by sharing the meat with the poor and needy, to show Allah (S.W.A) how thankful we are for his blessings. In order to embody the essence of sacrifice ,we must ensure that our actions mirror our intentions. So this time , When you go for purchasing an animal , choose as best of an animal that you can within your (capability) isteaat. Buy the animal a few days before Eid , rather than purchasing it on the eve of Eid day. Take care  of it with love and affection. Feed it the best fodder and make sure that the animal remains healthy. As the day of eid dawns up, perform your prayers and sacrifice the animal in the name of Allah , making sure that the animal feels least of pain. Then enjoy the delicacies of meaty dishes and praise Allah(S.W.A) for all that he has blessed us with. Do remember that when proportioning the meat for relatives or charity, give away similar pieces of meat that you would choose for yourself. As prophet(S.A.W) has said

“None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (muslim) brother what he likes for himself”

Keeping the akhirah in our minds ,our eventual goal in life should be to please Allah (S.W.A) . Being selfless and sacrificial, allows us to climb up the levels of taqwa, it fuels us to reach that height of taqwa where giving up our priced possessions for the sake of Allah(S.A.W) is something we don’t even have to think twice about.