Today, Muslims, the world over, commemorate an important landmark in the history of their faith, a day after the special pilgrims’ service on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia. Muslims are encouraged to fast on the day preceding the Eid el Adha which some of them did yesterday; this is by no means compulsory anyway.
The willingness of Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismail or Ishmael, as he is known in the Christian faith, is an important test of faith administered on the prophet of God. He passed the test as an angel replaced Ismail with a ram. Both father and son exhibited the most outstanding show of loyalty and faith under the circumstances.
If Prophet Ibrahim was ready to do the will of God, even if that meant sacrificing his beloved son, Ishmael too deserves special mention given his readiness to be sacrificed if that was the will of his maker, the Almighty God.
We wonder how many of us can pass the kind of test of faith administered to Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail.
The religious event is laden with the important lesson of sacrifice and commitment for mankind, especially Muslims, to emulate.
In modern times, as we are in today, mankind must here and there make sacrifices at home, at workplace and even for the country in which we live.
As human beings, we must not shy away from making necessary sacrifices if these must lead to the betterment of our lives, those of others or even our country.
As a country faced with many challenges of governance, especially some of us in leadership positions have refused to make the necessary sacrifices and to show adequate commitment to move the country forward.
The problems the foregone have created for the country are myriad solutions to which remains a matter of empty rhetoric by people at the helm of affairs, as they hop from one country to the other pleading to be given another shot at running the affairs of state.
We need people at the helm who are ready to go the extra mile or die a little for the country as did the prophets of God in the days of yore.
Although ours is a secular world, religious lessons such as Prophet Ibrahim’s should guide us to be strong in our faith because such a religious commitment can make a positive trickle effect on our everyday lives and help us to tackle such challenges as corruption and the lackadaisical approach towards service to God and country.
We wish our esteemed Muslim readers a wonderful Eid el Adha.
Source: Daily Guide Ghana
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