Rumi on Eid al-Adha, Eid Qurban or Feast of Sacrifice

Wishing all Muslims a very happy Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice 2016. 
Eid Mubarak!

For Rumi Poems on Eid al-Fitr- Feast of Breaking the Fast- please see my previous post:

Rumi on Feast of Breaking the Fast

Eid Al-Adha, Eid Qurban in Persian/Farsi, or Islamic Festival of Sacrifice commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son, Ishmael, at God's Command (according to Biblical teachings and within the Judeo-Christian traditions, Abraham's other son, Isaac was offered by Abraham to be sacrificed).

Within the Islamic traditions, at the end of Hajj (Muslims' annual Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia), the three-day Festival of Sacrifice is commemorated throughout the Islamic world by offering prayers, visiting families and friends, and exchanging of 'Eid Mubaraki' greetings and gifts.

As an integral part of the sacrificial ceremony to remember and honor Abraham's willingness to obey God's Command, an animal- traditionally a ram, goat, lamb, cow, or a camel- is sacrificed. A major part of the sacrificial meat is then distributed to the poor and needy families as an Islamic act of generosity and charity giving.

Islamic painting depicting Ibrahim [Abraham] sacrificing his son, Ismael [Ishmael] at God's Command

"And Abraham said [after being saved from the fire]: �Verily, I am going to my Lord. He will guide me!� �My Lord! Grant me (offspring) from the righteous.� So We gave him glad tidings of a forbearing boy. And, when he [his son] was old enough to walk with him, Abraham said: �O my son! I have been seeing in a dream that I am offering you in sacrifice [to Allah]. So look what you think!� He [Ishmael/Isaac] said: �O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha Allah [God willing], you shall find me of the patient. Then, when they had both submitted themselves [to the Will of Allah], and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead, We called out to him: �O Abraham! You have made the dream a reality.� Verily, thus do We reward the good-doers. Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice [a ram]; And We left for him [a goodly remembrance] among the later generations. Peace be upon Abraham."
The Holy Quran 37: 99-112.

 Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac at God's Command -
Famous 'Abraham's Sacrifice' painting by Dutch painter, Rembrandt (1606-1669

The most astonishing aspect of the following verses by Rumi in praise of the Islamic Festival of Sacrifice lies in the fact that on numerous occasions, Rumi mentions Isaac instead of Ishmael to be sacrificed. As we all know, within the Islamic perspectives, it was Ishmael who was offered for sacrifice by Abraham, while the Judeo-Christian and Biblical teachings mention Isaac. Was Rumi deliberately trying to reconcile the holy teachings of the three eternally interconnected Abrahamic Faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by repeatedly mentioning Isaac instead of Ishmael?

He (God) said: "O My servant,
Only an exceptional one like Isaac
Would happily sacrifice himself at My Command.
It takes a righteous messenger like Isaac
To accept being sacrificed and scattered like dust at My Doorstep.

Even the fatherly love of Abraham for Isaac
Did not deter him from sacrificing his beloved son 
Like a sacrificial ram at My Command.

Abraham then said to his son: "You are Isaac,
You are my son, you are my joy and pride. 
I'm your father, how can I lose you o my precious pearl?
But I must obey my Lord's Command."

As I listened to my Lord's Divine Words,
I felt the soft breeze of dawn passing over me.
Then tears started flowing down my face...
~Rumi~ my translation~


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O heart, 

Since Abraham's willingness
[to sacrifice his own son at God's Command]

Was compensated by holding back his hand,

Sacrificing Isaac wouldn't have caused him any harm.

~Rumi~ my translation~

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I'm intoxicated and bewildered by You (God)

I pay good attention to obey all Your Commands.

I'm the Isaac to be sacrificed at Your Command

This is my Festival of Sacrifice.
~Rumi~ my translation~

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Overly eager to obey his Lord's Command,
The soul of Abraham has started to act
Like the mad-lover Majnun:
Abraham has placed his sharp knife
Under the throats of both Ishmael and Isaac!
~Rumi~ my translation~


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Jirjis (Saint George) got martyred a hundred times over*
For the sake of His Divine Love.
Isaac was willing and ready to be sacrificed
By His Sacrificial Dagger.
~Rumi~ my translation~

*Saint George - known among Muslims as Jirjis - is deeply venerated as a righteous Saint. He's also widely recognized as a symbol of bravery, love, and devotion within the Islamic traditions and Middle Eastern culture and folklore. Hence Rumi's using St. George in above verse as a metaphor for love and sacrifice.


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You're covered in blood like the red rose flower
How come you're so happy and in such a good mood?
Don't tell me you are Isaac son of Abraham
Happily going under the knife while fasting!
~Rumi~ my translation~


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Stick your neck out, become our Isaac.
Take a vow of silence, become our ocean.
So your ship doesn't get wrecked
So you don't end up shipwrecked on our island!
~Rumi~ my translation~



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Like Ishmael, sacrifice your own self in this love.
A night's sacrifice brings the dawn of a new day.
~Rumi~ my translation~


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I go around in circles for Your Love.
I sacrifice my own self for Your Love.
Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice
Doesn't even compare to my kind of sacrifice!
~Rumi~ my translation~


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Go and sacrifice the best cow in the world
For this Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice.
Unless you are a poisonous scorpion
Crawling crooked through the thick mud!
~Rumi~ my translation~


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We should all gain weight and get fat
Like those well-fed sacrificial animals of
Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice!
Because that 'Butcher of Lovers' knows perfectly*
How to cut and slice our sacrificial meats!
Rumi

* By 'Butcher of Lovers' metaphor, Rumi is referring to God. Rumi has also used 'Sacrificial Meats' as a Sufi metaphor for devout believers in God.


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Tell the Festival of Sacrifice

Tell the Candlelight of Holy Quran

Tell the Pride of Paradise:

The drunkard Sufi mystics are sending 

Their warmest Feast of Sacrifice greetings!

~Rumi~ my translation~

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The blessed Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice is here.

Just like its sacrificial ceremony,

may all your rivals be also slaughtered

like that soon to be sacrificed and resigned camel!

As you celebrate the blessed Festival of Sacrifice,
May you be surrounded by all your friends and loved ones.
May you are bestowed the best of lucks.
May you have a happy heart,
and may you enjoy the best of health.

~Rumi~ my translation~

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Open your eyes and see
How I'm so happily taking my soul towards my Beloved.
To celebrate the blessed Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice,
I'm also taking my humble soul to be sacrificed.
~Rumi~ my translation~


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You (God) are the Soul of this Festival of Sacrifice

all Your lovers get sacrificed by Your Presence.

Sacrifice me in Your Divine Kitchen

I'm ready to get scarified for Your Soul.

~Rumi~ my translation~

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He (God) said with a smile:
"Go and be grateful that it's Eid Al-Adha
and you've been finally sacrificed for Me."
I asked: "I've been sacrificed for whom?"
"FOR ME! FOR ME! FOR MY SAKE,"
The Beloved loudly responded!
~Rumi~ my translation~



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O Most Beautiful Moon (God),
May all the rams, calves and cows
Of this whole world be sacrificed for You.

Because all the sacrificed ones
Become immortal by Your Eternal Grace
During Your Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice.
~Rumi~ my translation~



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Everyone else celebrates two Eids per year.*
For us, Sufi soul-seekers though,
Every instant brings a couple of new Eids!
~Rumi~ my translation~

* By 'Two Eids', Rumi is referring to Eid Al-Fitr of Festival of Breaking the Fast at the end of fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice at the end of Hajj-Pilgrimage commemorating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son (Ishmael or Isaac) at God's Command.


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You (God) has given us both the Sacred Day of Arafa*
and Eid Al-Adha of Festival of Sacrifice.
I am a Hajj-Pilgrim shouting cries of devotion**
During Dhu al-?ijjah or the Sacred Month of Pilgrimage***
But I can neither reach You nor fully know You yet.
~Rumi~ my translation~

* By Day of Arafa, Rumi is referring to second and holiest day of Hajj-Pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia when Pilgrims stand on the plains of Mount Arafat to fast and pray, commemorating prophet Muhammad's Final Sermon. The very next day after 'Day of Arafa', Eid Al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice begins.

** By "Shouting Cries of Devotion", Rumi is referring to Hajj-Pilgrims' devotional chants of "Labaik Allahum Labaik/I am responding O Lord, I am responding to Your Call.", as they make their way towards Mount Arafat - near the holy city of Mecca - to offer prayers and also engage in remembrance.

*** By Dhu al-?ijjah, Rumi is referring to the Sacred Month of Pilgrimage in Islamic Calendar when Muslims embark on Hajj-Pilgrimage to Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

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Rumi's following mystical poem is one of my all time favorites. This deeply meaningful poem clearly manifests Rumi's profound mystical Sufi argument that a believer's "Inner" reality always outweighs the "Outer" practices and rituals of his/her faith. Through these highly mystical and meaningful verses, Rumi is effectively teaching us that while it's a noble Islamic cause and a Muslim's lifelong obligation to embark on the Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, our genuine pilgrimage must first start by not only helping our next-door neighbors and loved ones under our own roofs , but also by embarking on the Sufi mystical pilgrimage deep within own self in search of our hidden inner realities.

Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the 'Five Pillars' of the Islamic faith, and also a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for any Muslim who has the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey. Rumi is simply at his best in this short poem. I hope my translation can capture Maulana's intended Sufi mystical messages and teachings. By Kaaba (House of Allah/God), Rumi is referring to the Cube-shaped structure in Mecca, Saudi Arabia where Muslim make their annual Hajj-Pilgrimage after which Eid al-Adha or Festival of Sacrifice is celebrated (see above image).


O People Gone On Hajj Pilgrimage, Where Are You?
By Rumi (Ghazal/Ode # 648 from Divan-e Shams)


O people gone on Hajj Pilgrimage
Where are you? Where are you?
The Beloved is right here
Come on back! Come on back!

Your Beloved is your next-door neighbor -
Wall-to-Walls -
Why are you wandering in the Arabian deserts?

If you take a good look at Beloved's Faceless Face,
You 'll get to see clearly that
The Master, the Holy House, and the Kaaba
Are all in reality You!

You've already journeyed like ten times
On the path of Hajj-Pilgrimage
To visit that Holy House.
For once in your life,
Also climb up to the roof of your own house.

That Holy House is indeed magnificent
You've already talked about its many wonders.
But from the Master of that House,
Did you even get its correct address?

Where is your flower bouquet
If you've seen that Divine Garden?

Where is your soul's pearly essence
If you now belong to the Ocean of God?

Well, despite of it all,
May all your sufferings turn into your treasures.
Alas, you're always veiling your own treasures.
~Rumi~ my translation~


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