It isn’t about how much money or how many animals you have
With Eid-ul-Azha just around the corner, the entire country is engulfed in a buzz of excitement. This excitement can partly be attributed to the enthusiasm with which the Pakistanis honour the sacrifice made by Hazrat Ibrahim, and partly because this Eid contributes to one of the biggest economic activities that take place within the country: the buying and selling of overpriced cattle.
Each year, in order to commemorate a significant event in Islamic history — a Prophet’s devotion to God so great that he agreed to sacrifice his son — thousands of animals are slaughtered as a symbolic gesture. However, for many people, this Eid isn’t about sacrificing as much as it is about making profits enough to last them the entire year. As Eid approaches, the prices of cattle go sky high. Cattle is sold at supernormal profits; a goat that would otherwise cost less than 10,000 rupees manages to get sold at a price of 22,000 rupees. This year, it is expected that a total of 300 billion rupees will be generated thanks to the buying and selling of cattle.
While most people will see this figure as a symbol of great devotion that Pakistanis show towards their religion, this figure disturbs me owing to a number of factors.
For a country where clean drinking water is a luxury in many rural areas and healthcare and education services are practically non-existent in many areas, spending 300 billion on cattle that may not even be worth half the amount seems like a waste of resources
Pakistan is a poverty stricken country. This 300 billion is an amount generated by a mere 35 per cent of the country’s entire population. The remaining 65 per cent of the population makes no contribution whatsoever to this significant amount. For a country where clean drinking water is a luxury in many rural areas and healthcare and education services are practically non-existent in many areas, spending 300 billion on cattle that may not even be worth half the amount seems like a waste of resources. Speaking in very logical terms, the sacrifice that most individuals make is that of a certain amount of money which makes me question why the money can’t be used somewhere other than the purchase of overpriced cattle. While the symbolic significance of the event cannot be ignored, the needs of the situation should not be ignored either.
While most people argue that donating money in the form of Zakat is a concept that already exists, they fail to take into account the fact that a majority of the people withdraw their savings from their bank accounts just a day before Zakat is deducted from these accounts. If we aren’t willing to part with our money for the sake of religion at some point in time, why is it that sacrificing a goat becomes so important at another point in time?
As much as we like to portray our unconditional love for our religion, there’s no denying the fact that on Eid-ul-Azha, the spirit of the sacrifice gets tainted by the fact that sacrificing animals has managed to become a status symbol too. While many people want to be a part of that 35 per cent that contributes to the PKR300 billion budget, others want to be distinguished amongst this 35 per cent too. In comes the concept of sacrificing not one or two but up to five to ten animals. In a country like Pakistan, where camel meat is not regularly consumed, isn’t a prominent part of the local cuisine and isn’t readily available all year round owing to its practically non-existent demand, hundreds of families choose to sacrifice camels. The number, and size, of the animals sacrificed becomes directly proportional to the family’s status in society.
The whole purpose of a sacrifice is to part with something dear to us. It makes sense if a person raises an animal, loves it and then sacrifices it for the sake of their religion. In this case, however, we’re only parting with our money which can be done in other ways too
While it is true that many underprivileged members of the society get to consume red meat only at this occasion, wouldn’t it be better if the 300 billion rupees were injected in the economy each year to promote education and the development of the economy which would result in the availability of jobs for a larger number of people? That way, the underprivileged would probably be able to afford red meat on their own, without having to wait an entire year for Eid to come.
Currently, Pakistan is severely affected by floods. People’s houses, their sources of livelihood and their savings have been destroyed. In such a scenario, is spending Rs300 billion on sacrificing animals and spending a week, or longer, on barbeque parties thanks to all the excess meat, justified?
The whole purpose of a sacrifice is to part with something dear to us. It makes sense if a person raises an animal, loves it and then sacrifices it for the sake of their religion. In this case, however, we’re only parting with our money which can be done in other ways too. For most people, this sacrifice is a key to heaven, an investment that will ensure that one’s afterlife is pleasant. It is ironic that while we go on and on about sacrificing, we can’t bear the thought of sacrificing this key to heaven in order to be able to help the community in a more effective way. The selfishness, therefore, takes away the essence of the sacrifice. If only we could stop thinking about the rewards that this sacrifice promises us in the afterlife and think of how the lives of hundreds of thousands of people can be improved with our contributions, we’d be adding to the essence of Eid-ul-Azha. With all due respect to the significance of this sacrifice, I highly doubt God will get angered by the fact that we didn’t slaughter a goat and gave the money to help rebuild a flood victim’s life.
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