Animal Activities #92

◉ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ◉

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Guys hope you are all well and enjoying the beautiful moments of your life. Nowadays there is a slight change in the weather. Sometimes the warmth of the sun and sometimes the cool breeze makes the weather pleasant. In such weather when we look around us along with nature. The small activities of animals also attract our attention. My writing today is also about one such old and beautiful memory related to animals. Which belongs to my childhood and is still very close to my heart.

◉ Goats We Couldn't Forget. A Memory of Sheru. 🐐A memory of love sacrifice and childhood ◉

For our family, Eid-ul-Adha has always been more than just a festival. It is a time when our home comes alive with a unique vibrancy. Every year Father brings home a goat for the sacrifice. And for a few days the animal becomes an integral part of our household. We observe it and spend time with it and feed it. Somewhere along the way a strange sense of familiarity develops. With this creature that was once a stranger.

Perhaps the most peculiar and beautiful thing about animals is that we know they haven't come to stay with us forever. Yet our hearts still form a bond with them. Our Eid memories are filled with various goats. Sometimes a beautiful white goat with small black spots would arrive. Other times a brown one and once even a black goat. Whenever a new goat came. We wouldn't simply call it "goat". We would give it a name. Each had a different name, but among them all, the name "Sheru" stands out most vividly in our minds to this day. I do not know why. But some names become so deeply etched in our memories over time. That they seem to encapsulate an entire era rather than just being a name. Sheru became one such name for us.

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In our childhood we did not grasp the purpose of the sacrifice. Or its religious significance as we do now. To us the goat brought home was simply an innocent animal with whom we were to spend a few days. We would watch its antics. Call out to it approach it. And spend time in its company. We knew that a sacrifice would take place on Eid. Yet our childhood hearts despite grasping the reality could not quite accept it. I still remember the first time a sacrifice was performed at our home. We were young and witnessing the scene left us in tears. At the time it was difficult to comprehend why the animal we had grown to love. The one we had seen right before our eyes was now being taken away from us.

Perhaps in childhood we viewed the sacrifice more through the lens of separation than its true purpose. All we felt was the animal to which we had given a name. And with which we had bonded would no longer be among us. Time passed. We grew up and gradually came to understand. That sacrifice is not merely about slaughtering an animal. It is the Sunnah of Ibrahim (AS) a profound lesson in obedience. Self sacrifice and submission performed to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty. That is why even today when Eid-ul-Adha arrives and Father brings a goat home for the sacrifice. Our household is filled with both affection for the animal. And the joy of fulfilling this act of worship. Yet perhaps that early childhood memory still lingers somewhere within us.

Even now if we happen to be nearby during the sacrifice. Father sends us to another room and closes the door so we do not have to witness the scene. To me this is a quiet yet beautiful example of Father’s love.

He knows how quickly we bond with animals. And that witnessing such a scene is not easy for us. Thus he fulfills the act of worship. While remaining mindful of our sensitivities.
Even after the sacrifice. A peculiar atmosphere settles over our home. The meat is prepared. Some is cooked at home. While the rest is distributed among relatives and the needy. However. We siblings generally do not eat the meat of an animal we have seen at home. And grown attached to over the course of a few days.

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This is not a religious injunction. But rather a sentiment of our own hearts.

Mom and Dad certainly eat the meat if they wish. But we siblings generally avoid eating the meat of an animal. We have personally seen and bonded with. The rest of the meat is happily distributed among others. And perhaps this is the very point where our childhood affections. And the true spirit of Qurbani (sacrifice) intertwine. We know that this sacrifice is for the sake of Allah Almighty’s pleasure. We also know that its purpose is not merely to obtain meat. But to embody selflessness obedience submission to Allah’s command. And sharing joy with others. An animal arrives at our home. Lives among us for a few days. Find a place in our hearts. And then after the sacrifice its meat reaches numerous households. In one home, it is cooked into a curry. In another kebabs or pulao and perhaps it even reaches a home. Where buying meat is not easily affordable on ordinary days.

Thus the sacrifice of a single animal does not remain a story confined to our home. It becomes a source of joy for many households.

When I recall those childhood tears today. I feel they were genuine in their own right. They were not tears rejecting a religious act. But rather the expression of an innocent heart’s affection and sensitivity. Today we understand that Qurbani is a profound act of worship. Yet alongside this understanding. Feeling affection for the animal remains a natural state of the heart. Perhaps that is why every year when Dad brings a new goat home. We bond with it even though we know. It will stay with us for only a few days. Sometimes it is white sometimes it has black spots. At times it is brown at others black. Everyone has their own unique style. And a small cherished memory often becomes attached to each one of them.

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But Sheru remains a memory that stands apart from all the rest.

He was not merely the name of a goat. he became the embodiment of an entire era of our childhood. Sometimes I wonder. Why is it that certain animals remain in our memories. Long after they have passed out of our lives? Perhaps it is because love does not always require a long span of time. Even a bond lasts just a few days. Can leave an imprint on the heart that endures for years. In childhood we saw only the pain of parting today. We also perceive the purpose that lay behind it. And perhaps that is the beautiful sign of growing up with the passage of time. Eid still comes around. Father brings home a goat for the sacrifice. And the house comes alive with bustle and joy. We look at the animal. And somewhere deep down that childhood memory is rekindled. The only difference is that today. Our eyes do not hold merely tears. They also reflect gratitude, understanding love and the joy of fulfilling the Sunnah of Ibrahim. The goats that passed through our lives may not remember us. But we have never been able to forget them.

And Sheru...

To this day Sheru remains in our memories as that same innocent goat. Who taught us that having a tender heart and submitting to Allah’s command can coexist beautifully. Perhaps this is my most beautiful memory of the sacrifice.

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Thank you for being with me.

@m-princess

@xkool24