Sacrifice “Your Child”!

AP PHOTO/DAR YASIN

In this long exposure photo taken on Aug. 16, pilgrims circle the Kaaba as they pray at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, ahead of the annual haj. The annual Islamic pilgrimage draws millions of visitors to the holy city each year, making it the largest yearly gathering of people anywhere in the world.

If it was not stated explicitly in the Quran, it would have been difficult for me to believe that Prophet Abraham truly made the sincere decision to slaughter his only son Ishmael as a sacrifice.

Abraham was estimated to have been 86 years old when his second wife, Hagar, gave birth to a son, whom they named Ishmael (Ishma-El), which means “God hearing and granting our wish”. Thirteen years later, Abraham’s first wife Sarah gave birth to another son, Isaac (Idzhak), which means “joyful laughter”. Abraham thought it amusing that a couple of such an advanced age could have an infant son.

It is believed that Abraham lived to be 175 years old. Many of his descendants in Bani Israel through Prophet Isaac later also became prophets. Meanwhile, through Prophet Ishmael, Abraham was an  ancestor of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. This is why Abraham is known as the father of three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Quran mentions his name no fewer than 35 times, all with exalting praise.

Abraham was known for his politeness, patience, brilliance and bravery in upholding the truth. He is known as Kholilullah (friend of Allah). Every time a Muslim prays, they pray for blessings for Abraham and Muhammad in the same sentence.

Sarah’s envy

As a wife, Sarah felt her husband’s sadness and longing for children. At the same time, she was frustrated at not being able to fall pregnant and feared she was barren. Due to her deep love for Abraham and their sadness, Sarah allowed Ibrahim to wed Hagar, who had been a slave gifted by the Egyptian king.

Hagar soon fell pregnant and Ishmael was born. As a first wife known for her beauty and wealth, Sarah could not hide her envy. In order to prevent further rifts in his household, Abraham took Hagar and baby Ishmael out of Palestine. Their camel traveled to a barren and uninhabited desert, which is now Mecca.

Abraham heavy-heartedly left Hagar and Ishmael and planned his return to live with Sarah. It was truly a difficult test. When Abraham was about to leave, Hagar held on to his robe, crying and pleaded him to stay. Abraham then answered, “I do all of this because of God’s orders. Have faith in Him and submit to Him. He surely knows what is best for His followers.”

Hearing the response, Hagar let Abraham return to Sarah. Not long after, Hagar ran out of food and her breast milk dried up. Baby Ishmael cried incessantly. Hagar was distressed and ran to the Hill of Shafa to get water, but what had seen was a mirage.

She then ran toward the Hill of Marwah. She ran between the two hills seven times, all for nothing. Hagar then fell down in exhaustion.

Then, the Angel Gabriel came to her in the form of a man and guided her back to baby Ishmael. Gabriel stomped his foot on the ground and then water came flowing from beneath the sand. This later came to be known as the Zamzam well. “This water is not just for you. It is for the whole world,” Gabriel said. Whoever goes on the haj or the umrah pilgrimage is now required to commemorate Hagar’s search for water by walking or running between the Hills of Shafa and Marwah.

Seeing the new water spring, birds then came. The desert tribe of Jurhum, which was skilled in reading nature, understood that where birds flock, there is water. They then came to the area and, over time, resided near the Zamzam well. Near the well, Abraham and Ishmael would later build the Kaaba.

Only son

Abraham and Sarah moved around a lot, from Babylonia (now Iraq), Sham (now Damascus) and Palestine. They also traded in Egypt. Having left Hagar for so long, Abraham missed Ishmael very much, despite having his second son Isaac by his side.

Abraham’s feeling of longing for his son was responded to by God, who told Abraham in a dream to slaughter Ishmael as a sacrifice. As the story goes, Ibrahim had the dream three times to convince his doubting heart that the dream was real. Allah was upset that Abraham’s love for him was distracted by his love for his son.

Abraham’s heart was split between his love and piety toward Allah and his love for Ishmael. However, he decided to go to Mecca and told Hagar about his dream. What made Abraham both happy and terribly sad was that Ishmael agreed to the idea and pushed his father to not have doubts about what God had ordered him to do. Hagar felt the same.

Abraham and Ishmael then left the house. Abraham had prepared a very sharp knife to reduce Ishmael’s pain. Ishmael took off his clothes and told his father to give them to his mother as a sign of his love for her.

It was in the middle of this slaughtering ritual that Gabriel came and said, “Abraham, you have passed this difficult test. Do not slaughter your son. Replace him with the a nearby fat lamb. Your prayers will be answered by God. From Ishmael, a superior son will be born – the great and ultimate prophet.”

Killing worldly idols

Abraham was a fighter and leader who guided his people on the path of righteousness with the power of brilliance, patience, tenderness, compassion and bravery on making existential decisions. All of this is told in detail in the Quran.

Not all prophets have their tales told in detail like Abraham. He once destroyed idols that drew the wrath of King Nimrod, who ordered Abraham to be burned. Allah, however, saved Abraham.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Komaruddin Hidayat

Children are the symbolic manifestation of mankind’s love for worldly things. In Abraham’s time, lambs were among the most prized assets and a source of pride. Especially for leaders and those in power, love for children and wealth are the greatest temptations that can lead them to engage in corruption – all for the sake of family and children.

Because of their love for their children and wealth, leaders can fall and their dignity be eroded, their common sense lost and their countries bankrupted. The drama of sacrificing a son and a lamb is commemorated every year to prevent us from becoming worshippers of worldly materials in which the dignity is surely lower than all of us.

Komaruddin Hidayat, Lecturer, School of Psychology, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University