The Hardest Cut I’ve Ever Made

If you own at least 52 tola of silver or 7 tola of gold, then it is an obligation for you to offer a sacrificial animal on Eid ul Adha. Fifty-two tola of silver equals around 500 dollars, and 7.5 tola of gold equals around 7,000 dollars.

Every year, for thousands of years, billions of Muslims have commemorated the sacrifice that Abraham made. Those of you who follow an Abrahamic faith may relate to the story of the sacrifice Abraham made so many years ago.

Every year, at least a million animals are sacrificed across the globe, and trillions of metric tonnes of meat are distributed among the poor as charity. I was reading an article about this Eid, which mentioned that a trillion-dollar business cycle is initiated through this sacrificial event. This cycle ends up feeding hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

I have always longed to have a sacrificial animal of my own. Since I could not afford it before, only my parents used to offer sacrifices. That changed last year when I began earning and had more than 500 dollars to my name. That was when I officially started performing the sacrifice myself.

I now buy a goat and offer it for sacrifice on Eid. It is recommended for the one making the sacrifice, especially a man, to slaughter the animal himself. While it is permissible to ask a butcher, it is better to do it yourself.

In Islam, the true essence of this act is to sacrifice something you love dearly for the sake of God, just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son. The real meaning is to give up something you care about deeply simply because God asked you to. That is why people are encouraged to form a bond with their animal. You grow attached to it, and when it is time to draw the knife across its neck, tears fall from your eyes.

That is one aspect of the sacrifice. The other is the wisdom behind it, which lies in the fact that millions of poor people are fed through this charitable meat.

Last year, I had no issues with sacrificing my animal. I slaughtered it confidently. But this year, I do not know what came over me. I felt uncomfortable while using the knife on its neck. As the blood gushed out onto me, my heart melted and my grip loosened. The butcher took over from me to ensure the animal did not suffer, cutting off the blood supply to its brain immediately.

I do not understand what changed. I know it is an obligation, and I knew I had to do it. Then why was I reluctant this year? Even though I had not bonded much with my goat this time, why did I hesitate to slaughter it?