Eid al-Adha is synonymous with sacrifice; a commemoration of Prophet Abraham’sas supreme readiness to sacrifice his beloved son for the sake of God. For Ahmadi Muslims, this festival carries profound spiritual lessons. Over a century ago, on 11 April 1900 (the day of Eid al-Adha that year), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdias, delivered an extraordinary Eid sermon in Qadian that, among other themes, delved deeply into the philosophy of sacrifice.
This sermon, known as Khutbah Ilhamiyyah (“The Revealed Sermon”), was delivered in eloquent Arabic. In fact, that very morning, he had announced receiving a divine revelation: “Deliver an address in Arabic today, you have been bestowed the capacity.” (Tadhkirah [English], India, 2019, p. 456) Accordingly, he stood before roughly 200 congregants after Eid prayer and, without any notes, began to speak in flowing, rhythmic Arabic. Companions present recorded the discourse verbatim as it unfolded, marvelling as “a stream of eloquently structured sentences in the Arabic language began to flow forth in rapid succession.” (“The Revealed Sermon”, www.alislam.org)
This event is cherished in Jamaat history not only for its content but also as a divine sign. The Promised Messiahas later described that experience as utterly beyond his own capacity – “God Almighty knows that a power was given to me from the unseen and such an eloquent address in Arabic was proceeding forth from my mouth extemporaneously that was quite beyond my capability […] I cannot imagine that, except through special divine revelation, anyone in the world can deliver extempore […] a speech that comprises many sections, with this degree of eloquence and clarity.” (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation, UK, 2023, p. 457) He exclaimed, “Holy is Allah! It seemed as if a fountain had begun to flow from the unseen and I knew not whether I was the one who was speaking or it was an angel addressing through my tongue.” (Ibid., p. 458)
Those seated in the Aqsa Mosque, Qadian, witnessed his state during the sermon and attested to its miraculous nature. “We swear by God Almighty that this great sign was indeed a miracle,” an eyewitness wrote, explaining that Huzoor’sas demeanour utterly transformed as he spoke. “He started the Arabic sermon with the words ‘Ya ‘ibadAllahi, fakkiru…’ [O servants of God! Reflect…] Our pen does not have the power to capture the image of his manner and speech in words. There was an electrifying effect in his words that was cleansing the filthy evils of man’s nature. It seemed from his appearance and accent that he was not present in the world at that time and his tongue was not in his control. His half-open eyes were telling that his condition was close to unconsciousness.” (“Who was behind the Arabic works of the Promised Messiah a.s.? – Part III”, www.alhakam.org) The witness further states, “The Promised Messiahas had stood up to speak a few Arabic phrases as per the Divine command, but he delivered a two-hour comprehensive and eloquent sermon, which was full of wisdom and divine insight and a curative prescription for self-reformation and spiritual elevation.” (Ibid.)
Huzooras himself hinted at its significance: before its Urdu translation was read out, he remarked that this sermon was a sign marking the acceptance of the heartfelt prayers he had made just a day earlier (on the Day of ‘Arafah); prayers which God fulfilled that Eid morning in miraculous fashion. (Ibid.)
The true purpose of sacrifice
While the Khutbah Ilhamiyyah covers multiple themes, including an exposition on who the true Khalifatullah (Vicegerent of God) is and a bold affirmation of the Promised Messiah’sas own divine mission, its primary subject is the essence of sacrifice in Islam. The Promised Messiahas expounded on the true purpose of sacrifice with remarkable depth, uncovering spiritual meanings that many Muslims overlook when carrying out the ritual slaughter or qurbani. The sermon makes it clear that merely sacrificing animals, by itself, is not the goal; it is meant as a lesson and reminder of a far greater personal sacrifice. In a defining passage, the Promised Messiahas explains:
“This is the meaning of Islam and the true import of perfect submission. A Muslim is one who submits himself to slaughter before Allah, the Lord of all the worlds and who, for His sake, has slaughtered the she-camel of his self and has thrown it down on its forehead.” (The Revealed Sermon, UK, 2023, p. 7)
With this vivid imagery, he teaches that true Islam is total self-abandonment before God. Just as a sacrificial camel is laid down with its forehead to the ground, ready to be slain, a true believer willingly lays down their own ego, desires and attachments for the pleasure of Allah. The “she-camel” of one’s nafs, which in Arab culture symbolises something prized and valuable, must be slaughtered, i.e. one’s selfish interests and pride must be subdued and sacrificed. In short, the ritual animal sacrifices of Eid are only symbolic enactments of the deeper sacrifice: the offering of one’s self (and all that one holds dear) to Allah.
The Promised Messiahas reminds us that the very word qurban signals its purpose: “a means of acquiring qurb (nearness) to Allah.” According to Hadith, he notes, every animal offered in true sincerity carries the worshipper closer to divine communion. Only then does the physical act fulfil its name. (Ibid., p. 4)
The Promised Messiahas spells this out, saying that the outward slaughters ordained in Islam serve as “a reminder of the objective of giving oneself freely [to God]. They are also an incentive for achieving this station and a forerunner of the reality to be attained after perfect enlightenment.” (Ibid., p. 8) Allah does not need an animal’s flesh or blood, He desires our sincerity, humility and devotion, as the Holy Quran emphatically states:
لَنۡ یَّنَالَ اللّٰہَ لُحُوۡمُہَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُہَا وَلٰکِنۡ یَّنَالُہُ التَّقۡوٰی مِنۡکُمۡ
“Their flesh reaches not Allah, nor their blood, but it is your righteousness that reaches Him.” (Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.38)
Thus, what Allah truly wants from us is taqwa or righteousness and piety, i.e., the willing obedience and God-consciousness that underpin our sacrifices. The Khutbah Ilhamiyyah emphasises that a person must not be “content – like the foolish and ignorant – with the outer form and hollow shell” of sacrifice, “and not rest until they have offered [the real] sacrifice for the Lord whom they worship.” (The Revealed Sermon, UK, 2023, p. 9) In the Promised Messiah’sas own words, one ought to “offer true sacrifice and carry it out with all their intellect and with a spirit of righteousness and the spirit of sacrifice.” (Ibid., pp. 9-10) This alone, he says, “is the height of the pilgrim’s journey, the ultimate objective of those seeking enlightenment and the culmination of all the stations of the righteous.” (Ibid., p. 10) All spiritual wayfarers, the truthful (siddeeqeen) and saints (auliya’), reach their destination when they grasp this reality of surrendering themselves to God. When we reach that stage of complete submission, to “present our necks” for God’s will, as it were, then we attain nearness to Him.
To support this point, Huzooras cites the profound Quranic declaration of our lord and master, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa:
قُلۡ اِنَّ صَلَاتِیۡ وَنُسُکِیۡ وَمَحۡیَایَ وَمَمَاتِیۡ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ
“Say, ‘My Prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.’” (Surah al-An‘am, Ch.6: V.163)
By commanding the Holy Prophetsa to announce that his entire life and death are for Allah – not just his formal worship and sacrifices – God Almighty illustrated that the true spirit of nusuk (sacrifice) is complete devotion. “See how He has elaborated the meanings of the word nusuk by the words mahya [life] and mamat [death],” the Promised Messiahas writes, “By this elaboration, He has pointed towards the reality of sacrifice. Hence – O wise ones! – reflect upon this.” (The Revealed Sermon, UK, 2023, p. 18) In other words, the ritual slaughter of an animal on Eid is meant to ignite the realisation that we must devote every breath of our life, until our death, purely to Allah’s cause. Sacrifice is not a one-day performance or the shedding of some animal’s blood, it is the lifelong state of a believer’s heart.
The Promised Messiahas also referred to a beautiful Hadith of the Holy Prophetsa to further illustrate the benefit of genuine sacrifice and paraphrased it as follows:
إِنَّ الضَّحَايَا هِيَ الْمَطَايَا، تُوصِلُ إِلَى رَبّ الْبَرَايَا وَتَمْحُو الْخَطَايَا، وَتَدْفَعُ الْبَلايَا
“Verily, sacrifices are mounts that lead you towards the Lord of Creation and erase faults and ward off afflictions.” (Ibid., p. 18)
That is, true sacrifices become like a speedy ride carrying one to God, wiping away one’s sins and averting hardships by His grace. This faith-inspiring saying assures believers that every ounce of sincere sacrifice in Allah’s way is rewarded multifold. In fact, the Promised Messiahas reassures the faithful in his sermon that “Whoever offers his sacrifice with a true understanding of the meaning of sacrifice and does so with a sincere heart and pure intention, has verily thereby offered the sacrifice of his self, his children and his grandchildren.” (Ibid., p. 19) That is, God accepts such an offering as if the person had sacrificed all that he possesses – even his progeny – for the Almighty. Such a believer earns “a great reward, like the reward which was for Ibrahim [Abraham], from his Benevolent Lord.” (Ibid.) After all, it was Abraham’sas willingness to sacrifice his only son that set the supreme example of devotion; in truth, by that readiness, he had effectively sacrificed himself and his family for God’s pleasure and thus God rewarded him with immense blessings. Huzooras urges us to aspire to Abrahamic sincerity in our own worship – to slaughter the idol of self like Hazrat Khalilullah Ibrahimas shattered the idols of his people. This alone is the true purpose of sacrifice and the essence of islam, i.e., complete submission to the will of God.
Living the spirit of sacrifice in our lives
Understanding these lofty principles is one thing; living them is the real challenge. Eid al-Adha returns year after year to ask us anew: What are you willing to sacrifice for your faith? The animal we offer on Eid is meant to be a mirror in which we see our own spiritual state. (Ibid., p. 17) As we distribute the meat in remembrance of Prophet Abraham’sas obedience, we must also examine our own willingness to obey Allah in everyday life. The Promised Messiahas repeatedly taught that Islam requires practical sacrifice, of our comfort, wealth, desires, time and even reputation, for the sake of higher moral and spiritual goals. It is easy to dramatise sacrifice in theory, but much harder to “slaughter” our ego or sinfulness in real terms. The Promised Messiahas once remarked in Urdu:
اسلام چیز کیا ہے خدا کے لئے فنا
ترک رضائے خویش پئے مرضی خدا
“What is Islam? Self-annihilation for the sake of God; to relinquish one’s own desire for the pleasure of God.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V, UL, 2018, p. 26)
Every one of us who calls ourselves Muslim should ponder this: Are we holding anything back from Allah’s command? Do we secretly idolise our worldly ambitions, status or relationships above the will of God? True qurbani means to draw near to Allah by placing everything on the line for Him.
The Promised Messiah’sas Eid sermon was delivered in 1900, but its message speaks directly to us today. In fact, Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, in a recent Eid-ul-Adha sermon, echoed the same timeless lesson. He explained that while millions of animals are sacrificed by Muslims on this day, if the essence of sacrifice is not borne in mind during this practice, then these sacrifices are worthless. God is not desirous of the blood of animals, nor is He in need of this sacrifice. If anyone is bereft of taqwa (righteousness), even if hundreds of thousands of animals are sacrificed, God’s pleasure cannot be won. (“What to learn from Eid-ul-Adha”, www.alhakam.org) Sacrifice is meant to engender righteousness; without a spirit of piety and submission, a slaughtered goat or cow in itself carries no weight in Allah’s sight. Huzooraa reminded us that Allah thus explains that Taqwa is the actual essence of this sacrifice. One should be ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of Allah […] one should realise that faith must be given precedence above worldly affairs. (Ibid.) In the same sermon, he posed a poignant condition for us to truly benefit from Eid: If this Eid of sacrifice does not draw our attention towards our responsibilities and obligations, then it is no more than a festival. (Ibid.) We have to go beyond the outward festivities and renew our commitment to the purpose behind Eid. Huzooraa admonished that each of us, in celebrating Eid, should be ready to present our necks before God, i.e. be prepared to sacrifice our very lives in His path, become grateful servants of our Lord […] ready to sacrifice our life, wealth, time and honour for the sake of the Jamaat and for the service of humanity. Otherwise, our Eid would be just a social event rather than a spiritual milestone. (Ibid.)
These words strike at the heart of what it means to be an Ahmadi Muslim today. We cannot afford to relegate sacrifice to mere ritual or to the past deeds of Prophets and saints. Every day offers opportunities to live this principle: a private desire we forego out of obedience to Allah, a comfort we relinquish to serve a greater good, a difficult moral stand we take that costs us socially or materially.
We live in an age where prosperity and distraction tug at every corner of the soul; our real qurbani is the deliberate “slaughter” of the ego and its cravings so that faith, service and obedience may take their place.
For some, it may mean devoting years of their life to volunteer in difficult conditions for humanity’s sake; for others, it may mean donating hard-earned wealth to support the Jamaat’s works of faith. It certainly means enduring trials with steadfastness and not letting our faith weaken when we face hardships. True sacrifice often comes in the quiet, unseen choices we make purely for Allah. As the Promised Messiahas taught, one who offers even a small sacrifice sincerely can attain nearness to God, while someone performing enormous rituals without sincerity gains nothing.
We, as Ahmadi Muslims, should ask ourselves: Are we embodying the spirit of Eid al-Adha in our personal lives? It is all too easy to celebrate the story of Prophet Abraham’sas sacrifice and the Promised Messiah’sas elucidation of it, yet fail to apply their lessons. The Khutbah Ilhamiyyah urges us to become the “ones who submit to be slaughtered” in the cause of Allah, meaning no sacrifice should ever be too great when it comes to our faith. Do our daily priorities reflect that ideal of Islam? Each of us can identify aspects of our life where our submission could be more wholehearted. Perhaps it’s conquering a particular vice or weakness for the sake of Allah’s pleasure, or mending a relationship and quelling our pride to fulfil God’s command of kindness, or dedicating more time to prayer and the service of others even when life gets busy. The spirit of true qurbani calls for a continual readiness to surrender our nafs at a moment’s notice.
Crucially, this introspection must be free of arrogance or complacency. The Promised Messiahas warned against contentment with superficial piety, counting outward deeds while neglecting inner reform is itself a kind of spiritual arrogance. We should instead approach Allah with the humility of a sacrifice laid down, praying, “O Allah, take from me whatever is required in Your cause – my life, my death, my all are for You.” When this attitude permeates our hearts, Eid al-Adha truly comes alive for us beyond the ritual. It becomes not just an annual commemorative event, but a constant mindset of a believer.
Becoming the sacrifice that God accepts
As we learn the lessons of the Khutbah Ilhamiyyah, we realise that the greatest sacrifice Allah desires is none other than us – our ego, our will, our attachment to material things – offered willingly at His feet. The Promised Messiahas powerfully demonstrated through both his words and personal example what such total devotion looks like. His entire life was one of sacrifice – of comfort, reputation and ultimately his health – for the sake of reviving faith. In the Eid sermon of 1900, he reminded the Jamaat that Islam’s central theme is submission to God’s will. He challenged us to seek the inner Eid; the Eid of the soul that occurs when a believer’s heart becomes “sacrificed” for Allah and filled with the light of divine love and nearness.
Every Eid al-Adha, we slaughter goats, sheep, or cows to reenact Prophet Abraham’sas obedience, but the real question the day poses is: Are we slaughtering the inner idols that hinder our journey to God? This question must be answered not with our tongues, but with our lives. The Promised Messiahas has equipped us with a profound understanding of sacrifice. It is now upon us to act on it – to “reflect” (as he implored at the outset of his sermon) and then to implement these insights in our character. Sacrifice in Islam is not a bloody ritual; it is a lifelong spiritual posture.
Let us pray for the strength to offer our personal “she-camel” to Allah; to give up whatever He asks, cheerfully and with faith that no sacrifice for His sake is ever in vain. In doing so, we follow the footsteps of Prophet Abrahamas, the Promised Messiahas and, above all, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. May this Eid al-Adha be not just a ritual occasion but a renewed commitment to live as true Muslims, those who have “slain” their nafs-e-ammarah for their Lord. When we reach that state, we will find that the promise of God, as hinted at the end of Khutbah Ilhamiyyah, comes to pass: “And He Who is All-Aware of their situation will soon let them know,” that is, Allah Himself will manifest the truth and reward of our sacrifices in due course.
In the spirit of this Eid, we congratulate one another (“Eid Mubarak!”) not just on the physical celebration, but on striving towards the mubarak and blessed station of true submission. May Allah accept our humble sacrifices, inspire us with the passion of devotion and enable us to attain the righteousness that earns His pleasure. Amin.