Eidul Azha

The beautiful festival of Eidul Azha is around the corner — the day when we remember the great sacrifice Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) gave, the day which teaches us to obey Allah’s command, even if it is to sacrifice our most beloved thing and for which we sacrifice domesticated animals.

However, regardless of the day’s importance and what it teaches us, most people are only concerned about the meat they will get to eat.

They are more interested in discussing and eating the meat of the sacrificed animal than realising the significance of the day.

And sadly, each and every event has now become a reason to show off and compete with each other. Buying the biggest or most expensive animal to show off makes people happy.

Eidul Azha never teaches us show off or compete, or that feasting is the main part of this occasion.

It is about obeying Allah’s command and sharing with others, the meat of the sacrificial animal, so that they too can enjoy this occasion.

Ehsan Khanzada,

Islamabad

Cruelty with sacrificial animals

Eidul Azha is here, kids are excited about taking their goats and cows on a walk and race them against each other.

But when the Eid day comes, I have noticed that many kids show careless and ruthless behaviour towards their animals. They cheer when an animal tries to free itself at the time of sacrifice, or the more it fights back the more they get excited to watch it go through the struggle.

I think this is completely wrong. It is the responsibility of parents to tell their kids to sympathise with animals and not cheer or make fun of the already scared animal.

We should remember that Eidul Azha teaches us about sacrificing our most loved thing, not cruelty or ruthlessness!

Nighat Waseem,

Karachi

Congo virus

To everyone’s delight, the great festival of Eidul Azha is here and we are excited to have our sacrificial animals in our homes and it is hard to keep away from these animals.

However, with Congo virus being a threat, people can get the infection from these animals as many positive cases have surfaced around the country. While one cannot completely stay away, strict measures should be taken when petting animals or feeding them.

One should always wear gloves and mask as a precautionary measure and also wash oneself after being close to these animals. Always wear full pants and full sleeves when near the animals.

Danish Shuja,

Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 10th, 2016