The spirit of Idul Adha

The spirit of Idul Adha

On Monday, Muslims in Indonesia and all over the world mark
Idul Adha by slaughtering cattle, as a symbolic gesture of their
readiness to sacrifice their most treasured possession whenever
so ordained by their Creator. This willingness to make the
ultimate sacrifice -- Islam forbids the act of suicide -- in the
name of one's own faith, is also taught in other religions.
Christianity, like Islam, for example, takes its cue on the
concept of sacrifice from the story of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).

Idul Adha is therefore a good time for everyone in Indonesia
of whatever religion to ponder on the moral and spiritual meaning
of "sacrifice". Given the sorry state of affairs this country is
in at the moment, the occasion hopefully could enlighten our
leaders to grasp the real message that this sacred day conveys.
Symbols are indeed powerful tools to convey a message to the
public, but we are all required to act on that message, and not
simply to observe or practice the rituals.

According to the Koran, Prophet Ibrahim was one day ordered by
God to slaughter his son Ismail (the Bible version says it was
Abraham's other son, Isaac, but the moral message is essentially
the same). To slay one's own son was a tall order for any man,
even a prophet of God, to comply with. After long and careful
consideration, including a talk with his son Ismail, Abraham
accepted that he had no choice but to comply with God's order. On
the appointed day of the sacrifice Ismail was switched to a
sheep. But Abraham had proven his faith to God by his readiness
to sacrifice his most treasured possession, his son.

Thus Idul Adha has also come to be known as the Day of
Sacrifice.

Some two million Muslims from all around the world will be
celebrating the day in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as Idul Adha marks
the climax of the haj pilgrimage. They have been going through
many rituals to remind them of the hardships and difficulties
that Prophet Ibrahim went through. Among the 200,000 or so
Indonesians performing the haj this year is none other than
President Abdurrahman Wahid. Other Muslims around the world will
celebrate in their own neighborhoods, by slaughtering a sheep,
goat or cow, after mass prayers on Monday.

As we mark the rituals, we should ask ourselves if we, as a
nation, have tried to go beyond the symbols of Idul Adha and make
the necessary sacrifices in life when and where called upon. Is
it possible that, if we had really absorbed the moral lessons
conveyed by Idul Adha, we wouldn't be in such a big mess today?

That Indonesia is in such a state of affairs suggests that
many government and nongovernment leaders have not lived up to
their responsibilities. Except for the single resignation by a
senior official at the Ministry of Communications last year over
a train crash, we have not heard of any other officials resigning
-- which would be a personal sacrifice -- because of their
failures in living up to their task.

In most civilized countries, resigning from one's job is not
only a personal sacrifice, but also an honorable gesture whenever
one feels that he or she has failed to live up to expectations in
their job. This is true particularly for people holding positions
in public office, where accountability is of the utmost
importance.

If such a practice was widely observed in Indonesia, there
would have been mass resignations by people in various positions
in public office -- elected or otherwise -- for allowing
political conditions in this country to degenerate to the present
condition. Instead, these same people have been blaming everyone
else but themselves for everything that has gone wrong in this
country as they fight to keep their posts. And as national
leaders play this endless blaming game, they very often are
turning their own people into sacrificial lambs.

This is just one area where personal sacrifices for the
greater public good would probably made have this country much
more bearable to live in. These officials are not being asked to
slaughter their own children, but only their individual or group
interests and ambitions. As we watch the cows or goats being
slaughtered on Monday, those of us who are in a position of power
should ask ourselves: Have we done our part in making the
necessary sacrifices for this country?