Living up to spirit of Eid-ul-Azha

Of the two greatest festivals of the Muslims, Eid-ul-Azha perhaps poses a challenge to an objective interpretation. It is because of the oversimplification of a highly spiritual experience any mortal has ever gone through. In his total submission to Allah the benevolent, what Prophet Ibrahim was prepared to do stands as the ultimate sacrifice man could ever do. He was asked to sacrifice his dear son - dearer than the life of his own. The prophet was put to the greatest test by his creator and he did not demur because he knew life is a gift from the Almighty. Prophet Ibrahim proved equal to the test. When he was all set to sacrifice his son, he was asked not to do so by Allah himself. Instead, he was told to sacrifice a lamb.
Thus the ritual of sacrificing animals has come to stay. But the message underlying the festival is more often than missed. The ritual has taken over the spiritual. The depth of the eternal bond between man and his creator remains unexplored. One should always remember that it is a festival meant to renew the union with the creator. The sacrifice of animals is simply symbolic. Love for and obeisance to the Almighty Allah, as expressed by Prophet Ibrahim, should have acted as the bench mark for ordinary mortals to aim at. Also it asks for the killing of the animal within. Instead, there is an unhealthy competition among the moneyed people to procure the biggest sacrificial animal available.     
Sacrifice of an animal follows total submission of the self through prayer to Allah, the omniscient. An animal is a mere substitute for the spiritual urge that prompted Prophet Ibrahim to do the offering. Pleased, Allah suggested an alternative only because the prophet was true to his commitment. Today people rarely take cue from the original source of this great festival. Yet its socio-economic implications cannot be overlooked. Society is in a festive mood because of the sharing of food delicacies among its well-to-do segments. Even the poor also get a share of the meat of the animals offered as a sacrifice.
Religious occasions like the two Eids should leave humbling influences on the followers. Attaining an unalloyed state of soul is no mean job. What prophet Ibrahim did is set an example for all others to follow. The true spirit of that original sacrifice needs to be inculcated by today's followers in order to get over enmity and strife. The two Eids were meant to bring people closer to each other and forget violence and differences. When the followers of Islam pray together, they pray for the well-being of the entire mankind. Through prayer and sacrificial mentality can one overcome one's shortcomings and isolation. Here lies the significance of festivals like Eid.