Ultimate Sacrifice

Eid ul-Adha is one of the holiest celebrations in the Islamic calendar. Eid ul-Adha translates as the “festival of the sacrifice” and is also known as the Greater Eid. The festival honours the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, as an act of submission to Allah. The celebrations symbolise Ibrahim's devotion to Allah and they mark the end of the Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca which thousands of Muslims all over the world participate in as the fifth pillar of Islam.

In our opinion, Eid-Ul-Adha is a strong reminder of the need for sacrifice in nation building. As the late revered Maulvi Wahab Adam, Ameer in charge of the Ahmadiyya Mission once said: If the Prophet Abraham and his family settled on a desolate land and prospered, there is no need for us to migrate to other lands to seek greener pastures.

We know that with the right attitude on the part of the people, the resources within the country will be enough to guarantee sustainable development.

Our determination to make impact in critical sectors like education, health, agriculture, water supply, rural development among others should remain unshaken and needs the sacrifice of all. The government in this respect should continue to prioritise the welfare of the citizens. They should continue to find lasting solutions to the challenges confronting the country and take practical steps to impact on the lives of everybody.

We believed that for democracy to flourish, there is the need to do away with unsavoury language, falsehood, intimidation and violence. Let us re-dedicate ourselves using the example of the great Prophets and stay away from all vices that tend to undermine national development.

It is the prayer of everybody that our Muslim brothers and sisters translate the meaning of the festival into deeds by making the necessary sacrifices for the overall good of mankind and the nation. This is a period of selflessness and sacrifice. In nation-building, you need everybody to contribute his/her quota.

Eid-Ul-Adha being a celebration of sacrifice enjoins us as a people to pull together and pursue nation building with a unified front and work even harder to maintain the peace and stability we enjoy through tolerance and inter-religious dialogue.

We wish all Muslims Eid Mubarak!