Respecting the Dead

 

Photo courtesy: Freepik.com 

It was a cloudy day in our neighborhood as the wind signaled the arrival of Eid-ul-Adha. At the evening, everyone started to go to their rooftops for the moon sight and the final call of the special Eid day.

Like everyone who was watching the fireworks being performed , our grandfather was indulged in taking a cup of tea. An old man with a loose, creased skin and a hunched back, he could barely call out our names properly. He was the eldest of our family and the wisest of our the locality. During Eids, when the family gathers to leave for the mosque, my father helps him into the car.

As the next day was Eid, our joint family was together. My parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, siblings, and I surrounded the wisest of us all. Another special thing about Grandfather was his love for cleanliness. He often reminded us that hygiene is loved by Allah and is a part of faith.

That night, he started calling out, “Children, come closer.” The children gathered around him.

“ Do you know apart from bringing happiness and prosperity, Eid also brings with it a thing that needs to be taken care of? ” Grandfather questions, astonishing all of us around him.

All the family members started dropping their answers in about the things that should be avoided during the Eid, like shunning fireworks that destroy the peace and sanctity of the occasion and unclean markets and roads.

“You all are right in your places. We have seen people loving and respecting their animals being sacrificed. Some children decorate their animals with jewellery while others spend time playing with them all night long in their enclosure. While it is a trend that we respect our sacrifical animals when they are alive, we don’t respect them when they are dead.”

“ How to respect a dead body, grandpa? ” Asks Chirag with a serious smile.

“ Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated throughout the world in remembrance of Hazrat Ibrahim who sacrificed Hazrat Ismail for the love of Allah. To respect this, Muslims around the world sacrifice different animals like sheep, goats, cows and camels according to their budget. These animals that are sacrificed produce a significant amount of offal that includes hides, intestines and internal organs that aren’t consumed. But without proper disposing them off, they are thrown on motorways, highways, roads and public places which carry a unpleasant smell.” Suggests Grandfather. “ Respecting a dead animal means disposing off offal properly after they have been sacrificed. This offal, if unattended and undisposed, attracts swarms of flies, parasites and harmful bacteria, becoming the cause of various diseases.”

“ Grandpa, how can we dispose them and help others too, if we have limited amount of space at our locality?” Questions the small Shah Faisal.

“ Those who have space in their locality, they should bury them there. While others, should first pack them in plastic bags properly. And then inform the municipal authorities about designated public places where they would be carted away.” He answers

“ Do you know that if they are disposed off properly, we can get rid of many diseases like chorea, dysentery and other gastrointestinal infections. Eid is a very special day and it is altogether significant to maintain the spirit of this occasion by ensuring that the streets and public places are odor-free and clean, which is what Islam teaches us. Lastly, the way we handle the offal reflects our respect for the animals we sacrifice and our responsibility to our neighbors and our environment. It’s an act of faith and community.” Ends Grandpa.

The next day, after sacrificing the animals, we ensured to dispose off the offal properly so that our environment is healthy and clean.