COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Ten cows were slaughtered and the meat distributed to poor residents of Maguindanao as part of the celebration of Eid’l Adha, the Islamic feast of the sacrifice, yesterday.
Acting Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Mujiv Hataman said they decided to embark on the charitable gesture to show the government’s sincerity in dealing with Muslim constituents in the South.
“That was also meant to show to the people that we have an ARMM government that is sensitive to the religious practices of Muslims in the region,” he said.
The meat was distributed with the help of clerics and volunteers from Hataman’s office.
Esmail Ibrahim, a commissioner of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, said Islam espouses Muslims to give food to the poor, not just during religious festivities.
Eid’l Adha precedes the culmination of the hajj, or symbolic pilgrimage, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
However, the hajj is non-obligatory for Muslims who cannot afford the cost of travel to Mecca.
“I hope that would set a precedent that our leaders will follow suit,” he said. Muslims celebrate Eid’l Adha yearly in remembrance of the biblical story of how prophet Ibrahim nearly sacrificed his son to show loyalty to God.
The supposed ritual was to take place after God, as written in the scriptures, told Ibrahim to offer his only son, Isaac in a mountain in the region of Moriah, somewhere in what could now be Israel.
Instead Ibrahim sacrificed a ram in lieu of his son after having passed the test of his willingness to submit to the will of God, according to scriptures.
Eid’l Adha is a symbolic repetition of Ibrahim’s sacrifice of a ram in place of his son.
Islamic preachers use the occasion to remind Muslims that Islam is a religion of peace, piety and sacrifices, and that they are obliged to serve mankind with their time, effort and wealth.
Lawyer Anwar Malang, foreign-peace advocacy outfit Mindanao Think Tank (MTT) presiding chairman, said the ARMM’s offering of Qurban was a “reform initiative” could show that the caretakers of the region are keen on propagating Islamic charitable practices.
Performing the hajj is one of the so-called “five pillars” of Islam, which include fear and absolute submission to Allah; praying five times a day facing the direction of Mecca; giving of zakat (alms) to the poor; and fasting from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan.