What does the word mean? In a wider sense, ‘sacrifice’ means
giving up things which are valued or desired. Those things may be tangible, countable like
time, wealth or life, or intangible, unmeasurable like feelings, attitudes, opinions or
aspirations. They are given up for the sake of something that is more worthy or more
important or more urgent. It is important to bear in mind, though, that primarily
sacrifice means slaughter of animal as offering to Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala), and hence, surrender to
Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) of some possession.
Why Sacrifice?
Cannot a person become a good Muslim without involving in a struggle
that necessarily requires sacrifices? The answer is no. Being a Muslim requires becoming
Muslim. Turning towards Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) requires both will and effort; it also entails turning
away from all false gods besides Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala). It is a total change of direction, inner and
outer. Progress, then depends on striving: ‘Those who strive hard in Our way –
surely We shall guide them onto Our paths’
[Al-Qur'an; 29:68].
Struggle: The Indispensable Key
Not much comes to us in life without struggle. We gain only what we
earn by our strivings. What purpose in life could be more valuable, more compelling, more
important, more urgent, than that of bringing the whole human – his inner
personality, his environment, his society, the entire world – to the path of Allah
(subhanahu wa Ta'ala). Without struggling hard, merely by wishing, desiring, professing, making claims and
statements, how can we ever reach our destination? If one’s daily bread cannot be
earned without effort, will Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) give His greatest blessing – success in this
life and in the life to come – unless we prove that we deserve to receive it?
Do you think that you should enter Paradise unless Allah establishes
who among you have struggles hard and who are patient?
[Al-Qur'an; 3:142].
Do the men think that on their [mere] saying ‘We believe’,
they will be left to themselves, and will not be put to the test? We certainly put to the
test those that were before them …
[Al-Qur'an; 29:2-3].
Sacrifice and Inner Resources
Sacrifice contributes to the success of our struggle in two ways.
Firstly, they strengthen our inner spiritual and moral resources and develop qualities of
character, which are essential to our struggle at every level. Secondly, they develop and
reinforce cohesion and discipline within a collectivity, giving it the strength and
resources to conduct struggle at a wider societal level.
Every act of sacrifice nourishes and increases our Iman; for it
transforms a verbal confession and a mental conviction into a living reality. It confirms,
and thus increases, our love for Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala); for at every step we give up something for
the sake of this love. It reinforces our loyalty to Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala); for all other loyalties
become secondary as they are sacrificed for the sake of this loyalty.
Sacrifices facilitate development of many morals but especially the
development of patience, endurance, perseverance, fortitude, resolve and determination.
These can be summed up in just one word: sabr. Every sacrifice reinforces the
quality of sabr, making it grow in quality and strength. Sabr, in turn, sustains
and increases the capacity to sacrifice.
WHAT TO SACRIFICE?
There are two types of sacrifices; tangible and intangible.
TANGIBLE SACRIFICES
TIME
Time is our most precious commodity. Nothing we covet and desire in
life can be obtained except by spending time, and spending it properly, in its pursuit. We
spend our time to seek pleasure, to earn money and worldly possessions, to work, to enjoy,
or we may simply idle it away — doing nothing.
Time is the first thing that Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) demands of us. It takes time
to strive in the way of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala). It takes times to pray. It takes times to do Dawah.
It takes time to read the Qur'an. Every moment should be spent in seeking His pleasure, in
fulfilling our commitment to Him.
But to give up your time for Islam, before anything else, you must be
ready to sacrifice many other things which claim your time. Sacrificing time for the sake
of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is the essence of Islam: whenever summoned, you must respond!
Worldly Possessions AND Money
The love and desire of worldly things, let us remember, is not bad or
evil. Money and wealth are not despised; it is called the khayr (good). What makes this
world evil is when we forget that all has been placed at our disposal for the duration
of this world only, as a means to real and eternal goals. You must understand that;
Nothing belong to you; everything belongs to Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala)
Whatever great value you may attach to worldly possessions, these will
become naught with your last breath.
Only by giving it away for Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) can you receive it back,
increased manifold.
Think for a while: What worth can your commitment to Islam has if you
spend more money on pleasures, like smoking and eating, than on your cause? Sacrificing
wealth has never been easy, especially in the age when a better standard of living,
enjoyment and pleasure, consumerism and material gains have become the purpose of life.
Life
A time may come when you will be required to sacrifice your life for
the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala). Not that everyone will be asked to give away his life, but the
yearning to do so must burn in every heart.
INTANGIBLE SACRIFICES
Time, money, life and other similar things are no doubt hard to
sacrifice. But making sacrifice of things that are intangible and abstract is not only
more difficult, more important, more necessary, but also more likely to be overlooked.
They include things like love and hate relationships, likes and dislikes, preferences and
prejudices, desires and motives, pleasures and comforts, hopes and expectations, habits
and customs, values and attitudes, status and roles, or merely the ego. Let us discuss
some of these in more detail.
Familial Love
Familial love demands obedience to parents, to elders, to the ways of
forefathers or customs and society. Such obedience, if contrary to the demands of
obedience to Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) then must be given up. You must abide by your conscience, your
faith, the guidance you have received from Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala).
Friendships
Friendships are formed around common temperaments, interests, pursuits
and goals. As Muslims you have only one goal and one pursuit: ‘one who surrenders his
whole being to Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala)’. Hence many friendships you will have to sacrifice.
Equally significantly, many enmities and dislikes you will have to put an end to.
Conversely, you will have to make new friendships: someone you may have always disliked
may find a place in your heart and become dear to you.
Views and opinions
Your own views and opinions are always very dear to you. Your feelings
of attachment to your views only grow stronger once you have become committed to a purpose
in life. It may happen that your views — on a particular matter, strategy —- may
not find acceptance by others. You may then be required to forgo them, withdraw them, or
even act against them. Unless you view something as a clear matter of violating Allah’s
injunction, you must sacrifice your views. This may be more important for strengthening
collective life than the sacrifice of wealth.
Feelings and Emotions
At times you should suppress your urge to speak, and fall silent, even
if that urge is compulsive; at times you may have to overcome your desire to remain
silent, and speak up. You may feel anger rising up in you, an urge to revenge, to speak
evil — yet you must hold your tongue.
At times you may prefer solitude and quiet, yet you may have to plunge
into intense social activities and contacts; at others, you may very much want to mix
socially, but you may have to withdraw into solitude.
E G O
Your ego, your image of your own self, your love of this image may have
to be sacrificed. Sometimes hidden, sometimes open, it lies at the root of so many evils.
To annihilate ‘self’ may be a desirable station on a mystic’s path, but on
the path of the prophets of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala), the only thing required is to surrender your ego
to the will of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala). Our ego becomes so important to us that it breeds
stubbornness, arrogance and contempt of others. To sacrifice it is one of the most
difficult acts in life, but it has to be done.
CONTINUAL SACRIFICE
We are required to make small sacrifices every moment of our life. For
at every step we are faced with a choice. Every choice made to please Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) means
taking a decision to sacrifice something. Even as you choose to offer Fajr prayer, you
sacrifice your sleep and warmth of your bed. Here are some guidelines that may help;
Be alert and watchful and grab opportunities
Develop a steady and constant will
Small sacrifices can yield huge results
Don’t look to sacrifice only in moments of crises