MUSLIMS all over the world mark Eid-el-kabir, also known as Eid-el-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice, to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his only son, Ismail, as an act of obedience to God. According to the story, which is also recorded in the bible, God intervened by providing him with a ram to sacrifice in Ismail’s place.

Each year, Muslims enact an ancient ritual of demonstrating unquestioning faith in the Almighty Allah as exemplified by the slaughtering of livestock – camel, cow, sheep and goat – and a reminder of the same act Ibrahim performed. The meat is divided into three parts; one part for the family to eat, the second part of the animal is donated to the poor. The third part of the animal meat is cooked and shared with friends, neighbours, and relatives.

The sacrifice is symbolic as God does not eat the flesh of the sacrifice nor does He need the blood of animals. The symbolism re-enacts Ibrahim’s obedience. He satisfied God about the quality of his faith and acting on God’s instruction found a ram to be slaughtered in place of his son, Ishmael, who Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice because God so commanded. The world over, Eid-el-Kabir is celebrated in commemoration of the day God tested Ibrahim’s faith.

There are important lessons that should be imbibed and practised. Proceeding from the common ancestry of Ibrahim is the imperative of our living together as brothers with mutual benefit of peace, harmony, and stability.

Islam teaches peace; it teaches love; it teaches tolerance. It teaches dependence on Allah. So does Christianity. Love and unity should not be practice of festival times alone; it should revolve round our lives. In a country like ours where the tendency is to emphasise our plurality in destructive directions, the commonality of Ibrahim to the two key faiths should be a moderating influence.

The lesson of sacrifice, we believe, is very clear by now: because Ibrahim sacrificed, he became the recipient of perpetual blessings. We must all make the necessary sacrifice for our individual future and the well-being of our country. The demands of sacrifice increase daily, especially the demand of exemplary and inspiring leadership.

While we celebrate, it is a sobering moment for our country. The signals remain unimpressive. It is therefore our hope and prayers that we allow the spirit of this occasion to impact on our political life as well.

The deaths of two top security officials, during last year’s celebrations, remain reminders of the insecurity in the country. Garba Bello, of the State Security Service, serving in Sokoto, his wife, and three children were murdered in their Kano home. A day after, Abuja-based Abdullahi Muazu, Head of the Forensic Unit of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was killed in his home in Kaduna. The security chiefs were home to celebrate the festival with their families.

How would their families celebrate without the sad memories, more so when the securities agencies have failed to find the killers? In the case of the EFCC chief, EFCC boss Mrs. Farida Waziri said the FBI would assist in resolving it.

Eid Mubarak to all Muslims in particular and our readers in general.