MUCH has been said and written about sacrifice. Books and poems have been written on the subject. Likewise, movies have been made. Even Elton John wrote a song with sacrifice as its title and theme.
� Tomorrow, Muslims will be celebrating Aidiladha. As many are aware, it is one of the biggest and most important events in the annual Muslim calendar.
� While Muslims all over the world celebrate the 10th day of the Muslim month Zulhijjah, pilgrims in the holy city of Mecca are performing the fifth pillar of Islam, that is the haj.
� During Aidiladha, a ritual known as qurban or sacrifice is carried out after the Aidiladha prayer. Animals such as cows, goats and camels that meet certain religious criteria are sacrificed as a symbolic gesture to remember the sacrifice that was instructed upon Prophet Ibrahim Khalilullah.
� This act of sacrifice is an attribute of the spirit embodied in Islam. Islam encourages its believers to be everwilling to sacrifice in the name of God. While the sacrifice on Aidiladha is specific in nature, sacrifice can come in many forms.
� It should be realised that sacrifice should not be limited to the day of Aidiladha. Instead sacrifice should be part and parcel of a Muslim's character which is practised every day of his life. This form of sacrifice can be tangible or intangible, be they in the form of material, financial, time and/or energy.
� From the perspective of Islam, sacrifice is a form of characterbuilding. Muslims would be able to better themselves through this act of devotion. This is mentioned in verse 2 of Surah al-Kauthar in the Quran: "Therefore to thy Lord turn in prayer and sacrifice."
� There is nothing new about sacrifice in man's long history. Ever since the time of Prophet Adam, there is a story about sacrifice that revolves around the Prophet's sons Qabil and Habil. Aside from this, the Quran also mentions the sacrifice carried out during the time of Prophet Musa.
� Sacrifice is performed in the name of God Almighty. However, throughout the chronicling of man's time on this planet, we have read or heard of sacrifice in the name of other deities or even tales of human sacrifice.
� Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, the sacrifice as carried out by Muslims today is in remembrance of the sacrifice of the Abu Al-Anbiya (father of the Prophets), Prophet Ibrahim.
� Indeed, the true apotheosis of qurban goes beyond the sacrificing of animals. In the context of contemporary society, we need people who are willing to come forward to help others in need.
� Sacrifice is capable of ridding one's self of individualism and materialism. This is the true spirit behind the act of qurban as practised by Muslims during Aidiladha.
� Qurban is conducted to seek the pleasure of God, and at the same time, it is a way to share one's wealth with others, in particular those who are less fortunate.
� The act of qurban should be extended to our everyday lives in the form of altruistic acts. One form of altruism is organ and tissue donation. In Malaysia, the number of organ pledges has increased over the years.
� Yet, much still needs to be done to encourage people, particularly Muslims, to come forward. While the National Fatwa Committee has
deliberated way back in 1970 that organ donation is permissible in Islam, many Muslims are still reluctant to do so.� This reluctance may be the result of a lack of information, lack of understanding or pure selfishness.
� If we were to make a comparison by looking at the rest of the Muslim world, we would find that many Muslim countries have sanctioned organ and tissue donation.
� One of the earliest countries to do so was Egypt. Way back in 1952, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Makhloof, issued a fatwa (decree) allowing for corneal transplant.
� Many other fatwa have been issued by religious scholars and authorities around the world pertaining to the permissibility of organ and tissue transplant.
� In Malaysia, we have thousands of people who are dying of diseases because they could not find a donor.
� The Health Ministry has been carrying out continuous public awareness campaigns to encourage more people to come forward to pledge their organs for donation. Thus far, the campaign seems to be successful.
� However, much still needs to be done. The majority of the pledges are from non-Muslims. Muslims need to be reminded of the need for organ donation because a significant number of those waiting for organs are Muslims themselves.
� In actuality, there is really nothing new about organ transplantation in Islam. Imam Nawawi and Asshir-bini, two renowned Muslim jurists, are known to have sanctioned transplantation of the teeth and bones.
� Today, with rapid advancements in the area of medical science, hazards involving organ transplantation have been minimised.
� Saving the life of another human being is a philanthropic and unselfish act that is much encouraged by Islam. In fact, the preservation and protection of life is one of the purposes of Islamic jurisprudence (maqassid shariah).
� The reward for saving other people's lives is also significant in the eyes of Islam. This is stated in verse 32 of Surah al-Maidah where God says to the effect: "If anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people."
� This verse should actuate more Muslims to come forward to pledge their organs for donation and transplantation. Nonetheless, it should be noted that in Islam, the selling of organs for commercial purposes is not allowed.
� As a matter of fact, the United Nations under the auspices of the World Health Organisation states that the selling and buying of organs is prohibited.
� The questions that we should ask now are: Have we got what it takes? Have we enough courage to come forward? Are we too selfish or ego-centric to give that which is important to us?
� The answer lies within each and every one of us. There is no pressure or obligation for us to sacrifice something that we hold on to dearly, in particular our organs and tissues. If we have the drive to come forward, then we should do so on our own free will.
� Sometimes it is worth being reminded of the short time that we have in this world. We should try to make a difference, no matter how small.
� We should also remember that in life, we often find ourselves more privileged than the next person. This is a ni'mah (blessing) from God that is bestowed upon us.
� When we are blessed by God, we should never forget those who are less fortunate.
� How would we feel when the situation is reversed? Surely, if we are stricken with an illness, we would work hard towards finding a cure. In fact, Islam does not allow its followers to simply give up.
� Today, organ transplantation is a viable option to cure many diseases and illnesses that may have claimed a lot of lives in the past. But would it not be a pity if we have the technology to cure the diseases, yet we lack donors to provide the needed tissues and organs?
� How would we feel if we find ourselves in a situation that requires organs and tissues, yet none is available. Try putting ourselves in that situation. Only then would we know the gravity of the importance of organ donation.
� Again, as stated earlier, organ donation is a form of sacrifice. The lesson that we learn from Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice is one that needs tobe imbued within each and everyone of us.
� Sacrifice must not be something that only manifests itself once a year during Aidiladha.
� Therefore, we must try to inculcate the spirit of qurban into our lives so that altruism would be one of our characteristics. Coming forward to pledge organs and tissues - hence, saving other people's lives - is perhaps one of the ultimate sacrifices that one could make.
� It is easy to write or read or listen to stories of sacrifice whether in the form of a story or a poem or a song. Even this article is
comparatively easy to write.
� But in actual fact, the true and most difficult challenge is for people - like us - to carry out the sacrifice ourselves.
