On 10 Zulhijah, Muslims all over the world carry out the Idul Adha prayer, slaughter animals (those who are capable to do so) and carry out compulsory haj rituals (also those capable) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.The animal sacrifice and the haj are included in the traditions of all Abrahamic religions (millataibrahimahanifa). David L Weddle in his book Sacrifice in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (2017, p9) wrote that “sacrifice is pervasive in religions of Abraham”.
It is similar with the haj. All Abrahamic religions recognize the tradition (see Simon Coleman and Johan Eisner, Pilgrimage, Past and Present in the World of Religions, 1995). This historical relation and continuity between the rituals of sacrifice and haj and the traditions of other religions reflect the inclusivity and universality of these two rituals.
In Islam, sacrifice and haj mean sincere offerings to Allah. It also has a humanitarian meaning. Hassan Hanafi, an Egyptian modernist thinker, once discussed the need to emphasize the aspect of anthropocentrism in Islam, including in the aspect of the rituals’ meaning instead of the rituals themselves.
People of faith believe that all major (mahdhah) religious rituals come from God. An anthropocentric meaning of these rituals gives people the opportunity to develop aspects of universality, inclusivity and humanitarianism. Here, we talk about how the rituals have meanings for people’s lives, for both the haves and the have-nots, for both men and women, for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Identity politics
Indonesians recently have been faced with the phenomenon of identity politics. In this situation, each individual or group feels the need to showcase and emphasize their tymos, the term Francis Fukuyama uses to show the universal aspects of the identity of people wishing for recognition of their identities (Francis Fukuyama, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, 2018).
The most obvious thing we are facing right now is the emergence of a religious identity that has begun to create problems for the deep-rooted tolerance and harmony in our lives.
In reflecting upon the humanitarian aspect of sacrifice and haj rituals, intolerance, disharmony, segregation and polarization that have been rising in our public sphere are the real challenges for the implementation of the humanitarian messages of these two rituals.
Praying people will feel alienated from their rituals if they are unable to curb the rising intolerance, disharmony and conflicts that serve as the humanitarian aspects of these rituals.
If everyone is trapped in emphasizing their own tymos, then who will sacrifice to stop this, so that tymos will not ruin our collective life?
Sincerity is key
Both sacrifice and haj rituals are offered by people to God. Therefore, sincerity is key in carrying out these two rituals. However, God also includes messages of wisdom within these rituals so that they can serve as lessons for humanity. From the sacrifice ritual, which takes the form of sacrificing animals, people can learn that the willingness of sacrifice exists within every person.
Through sacrifice, people’s character of seeking validation finds peace with the reality of socio-political life in which many are waiting for our sacrifice. This is why people willing to sacrifice for others are called dignified.
Greek philosopher Socrates said that if dignity is a title for those willing to sacrifice for the service of humanity, Abraham was a prime example of a dignified man as he was willing to sacrifice for his God and for human dignity.
Haj as a person’s pilgrimage for his or her God also reflects unity on humanitarian solidarity. In the haj ritual, Muslims from all over the world gather with the same goal and wear the same type of clothes. If the modern humans have the tendency to emphasize their own identities, the haj ritual is a religious practice in which it is not impossible to merge multiple identities. If identity can be used to divide people, in the haj ritual, identity can also be used to unite.
More than ritual
However, this message of humanitarian piety in the ritual is often overshadowed by the verbalistic perspective. As men of faith, we often merely fulfill the ritualism aspects of our rituals. Sacrifice is only about slaughtering animals and haj is only about carrying out a series of compulsory rituals.
If our rituals are meaningful for the human identity, we cannot simply stop at fulfilling the minimum requirements of these rituals. We need to dig deeper and connect our rituals to our humanity. If we can achieve this, we will have prayed the way the dignified people prayed: Only Allah is ever knowledgeable and ever righteous (Wallahua’lambishshawab).
Syafiq Hasyim, Lecturer, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta; Deputy Chair, Nahdlatul Ulama Higher Education Institution, Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board