To my beloved readers please forgive the fact that this is not the post I promised last week. When I had made that promise I forgot that Sunday, the day I dedicate to working on my posts, was a major Islamic holiday, Eid al-Adha. This post is dedicated to that holiday and my experience. What follows is a description of what the holiday is, my experiences, and a few videos I made of the sacrificing ceremony. I must caution any one who is squeamish or are very sensitive over animals not to watch these videos or view the pictures. That being said I highly encourage all Muslims, especially those who never had the chance to see this ritual to watch them. I would also highly encourage all of my Jewish and Christian readers to watch them as well. This ritual is how the patriarchs made sacrifices and is similar to what was done in the Jerusalem temple, watching this will give you a better appreciation and understanding of your scriptures.
What is Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year. It commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, as an act of submission to God’s command, God then intervened and provided Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead. The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy. In the lunar-based Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for three days. In the international Gregorian calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.
My Experience of Eid al-Adha
I was very excited to see the goats and cows get slaughtered and had been waiting for it with much anticipation. I had wanted to see this for both spiritual and academic reasons. I am Muslim man, but also I am a secular scholar who has studied Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for the later half of my life. I have never had the chance to witness something like this. This is very similar to how the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, and their children would have sacrificed goats, as well as very similar to how the sacrifices were done in the Jerusalem Temple. This ritual in particular was connected to Abraham, it goes back to when God asked him to sacrifice his son. Seeing that he was willing to, God stopped him and commanded him to sacrifice a goat or ram instead.
Once I got there to the Masjid (mosque), the slaughterers were in the process of slaughtering a cow. As the cow lay dying it looked up at me. At that moment I had to walk away. It had nearly brought me to tears. I had to pause and reassess the situation, myself, and my view. The problem was that I was a 27 year old, white American, viewing a ritual that likely originated thousands of years ago in the ancient Near/Middle East, through the eyes of a modern American. In order to appreciate this I had to try to see it the way it would have been originally viewed.
The cow that looked at me.
After getting myself together, I viewed quite a few more ritual slaughterings of goats and cows. When an animal is to be killed, the butcher makes sure his knife is sharp and perfect, to make sure the animal suffers as little as possible. The animal is tied up with their neck laid over a hole. The phrase “Allahu Akbar” is recited, then their throat is sliced. The meat is then divided up and distributed to the poor and needy.
A goat being butchered to divide up its meat.
What really surprised me more than anything was how much of a spectator event, this ritual slaughter was. More so I was amazed that there were children, some were just two or three years old, who eagerly awaited the ritual. Not only were they excited to see it, they also joined in in saying “Allahu Akbar”. They sat around eating snacks, drinking juice, and joking. Though I was uneasy at first, by the time I left I was very grateful that I had the opportunity to witness this ritual. I feel as though I have a somewhat improved understanding of the world view of the prophets.
Children watching a cow get slaughtered.
Most children were not bothered by the ritual, but one was.
Videos
Perspectives Of A Fellow Traveler 