Lessons from Prophet Abraham’s sacrifice test

As Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, here’s a review of some of the lessons the dramatic story of God’s testing prophet Abraham’s faith has to teach you, in a story narrated by many faiths’ books, similarly.

Prophet Abraham (PBUH), was granted the gift of having a child at very old age, and that makes the test of sacrifice even more striking.

LESSON 1

Abraham (PBUH) had all the night and the next morning, after he had the dream in which he was ordered to sacrifice his son, for thinking about it and being panicked out of imagining such a tragic deed. Had a father ever been tested by God to sacrifice his son, like what you do with a sheep?

He had all those hours to talk himself out of the test.

Imagine one of your deadlines that was truly dreadful for you, possibly a surgery or the like. The difference is you know why those fears had to be tolerated and faced, and you had reasons to give yourself the go ahead. But Abraham’s story was a different one; no explanation was given, and the trial itself is an unimaginable one, for a parent.

LESSON 2

Imagine you’re in the altar, facing the crisis of your life. There’s no help, or sign of change. Seems provision and relief have been banned. You go ahead, and tie your son’s hand, and put his head on the altar. That’s horrible and shocking. You’re sweating all the way through, as your hand is trembling, and your mind cannot even think of seeing the next moment, after your hand starts to cut the neck. You’re between a rock and a hard place, and the internal conflict propels you toward a heart attack, or a brain stroke. It’s absolute dire situation. But there’s no way, and you raise your knife, waiting every moment for God’s mercy, for an angel to inform you that it’s over. But, in all dismay, you’ll have to continue, and cut the short life of your beloved son. And you finally move your hand and start to cut, but the knife doesn’t cut.

You know the rest of the story. Even the quick description of all those appalling seconds would do it, and you’ll go light-headed. But eventually, God comes through, just as Abraham (PBUH) had hoped, and bestows his reward upon his prophet.

On this day, Muslims are reminded to plan and strive to break things that we’ve made an idol, and by doing so, they expect the gift of their lives, sooner or later.

MF/MF