Eid-ul-Azha is one of the major religious festivals for the Muslim community. And, hajj is a significant one among the five mandatory practices in Islam. It’s a 'farz' or compulsory to perform hajj for every able Muslim. And a prominent part of hajj is the rite of qurbani or sacrifice.
Alike every other year, millions of devoted Muslims have gathered at Arafat in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Makkah to perform hajj. Just like all other countries, as many as 85,000 devoted Muslims from Bangladesh have also traveled to Saudi Arabia on this occasion.
The teaching of Eid-ul-Azha is that there’s also joy in sacrifice. Allah had ordered Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) to sacrifice his most favourite thing. Hazrat Ibrahim then took his beloved son Ismail (AS) out to sacrifice. This way he showed ultimate obedience to Allah. Then at the will of Allah, a sheep was sacrificed in place of Ismail (AS).
Not just those who are performing hajj but every capable Muslim from around the globe perform the rite of sacrifice following that incident. Those who do not have the capability of performing the rite of qurbani too have their rights on the sacrificial meat. That’s why affluent Muslims after sacrificing the animals distribute a certain portion of it among the poor.
While distributing this meat, one should be mindful that none of the poor people are left out. Many people cannot afford to eat animal protein throughout the year because of the high price. So, the sacrificial meat will somewhat make up for their protein deficiency.
In many countries including Saudi Arabia you cannot sacrifice animals outside of the secured designated spots. That arrangement could not be implemented in our country even today. Yet, everyone concerned has to be alert the matter that the environment isn’t polluted by the spilled blood and other wastes of sacrificial animals.
Agencies under the local government are responsible for doing this job and cooperating with them is the duty of us all. Waste from the animals that are sacrificed on the occasion of Eid, have to be cleared away fast. Even, the hides must not be left aside for long. It is only expected that everyone concerned will come forward to ensure a hygienic environment.
Meanwhile, the economy of Bangladesh is also re-energised centering the qurbani. In fact, farmers rear cattle throughout the year keeping the day in mind so that they can get a good price for them. The production of cattle such as cows, goats and sheep has been increasing in the country for the last couple of years.
So, there’s no need to depend on imported cattle anymore to meet the demand of sacrificial animal on qurbani. The smuggling of cows on the border has also declined to a great extent. This needs to be brought down to zero.
We also need to stress on preserving hides of the sacrificial animals. These hides can play a major role in flourishing the country’s leather industry. And, the government has to come forward with support to create facilities for investment in this industry.
While millions of Muslims have travelled to Saudi Arabia from all the corners of the world to perform hajj, none of the Palestinians from besieged Gaza could go. So far, the Israeli forces have killed more than 37,000 innocent people there since last October.
Even the calls and protests from the global community including the United Nations couldn’t disarm them. Our sympathy and solidarity are with the oppressed and helpless Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Let the joy of Eid and spirit of sacrifice be spread to all homes. Greetings of Eid-ul-Azha to all our readers, writers, clients, hawkers, advertisers and well-wishers. Eid Mubarak.