After having settled Hagaras and Ishmaelas in the Valley of Becca, Abrahamas would occasionally visit and then return. When Ishmaelas grew older, that is to say in light of various narrations, when he reached the age of thirteen, Abrahamas saw a dream in which he was slaughtering his son, Ishmaelas. Since no injunction on the prohibition of actual human sacrifice had been revealed to Abrahamas and human sacrifice was a custom in the country, Abrahamas desired to fulfill this dream in the literal sense. Abrahamas indicated his intent to Ishmaelas, who responded, “Indeed, fulfill your dream, for I present myself to fulfill the command of God.” Hence, Abrahamas took Ishmaelas to the outskirts of the inhabitation and lay him on the ground in order to sacrifice him. This extraordinarily loyal son also placed his neck before his father in complete silence and contentment. Abrahamas was about to proceed, knife in hand, when an angel of God called out, “O Abraham! Verily, you have fulfilled your dream. Now release Ishmael and in his stead sacrifice a ram in the way of God. Apparently, this is its symbolic allusion. However, the actual purport of this dream shall be fulfilled in another manner.”2 Therefore, Abrahamas did as he was commanded, and in its remembrance the custom of sacrificing animals at the occasion of Ḥajj was established among the Muslims.
There is a disaccord in the actual inference of this dream. However, in our belief, the true meaning is that ‘slaughtering’ symbolically refers to devoting one’s life for the sake of God, which in relation to one’s worldly life, is equivalent to bringing it to an end. Therefore, it is apparent that the purpose of settling Ishmaelas in Makkah was the construction of the Ka‘batullāh and that the life of Ishmaelas be devoted in the service of God and in the establishment of monotheism. When with the passage of time, idolatry overcame monotheism, God the Almighty gave rise to Muḥammad, the Prophet of God (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) from the descendants of Ishmaelas in order to fulfill this sacred dream. This man (peace be upon him), along with his companions, sacrificed his entire life in the propagation and publication of monotheism in its true letter and spirit. It is this great slaughtering, or in other words, this magnificent sacrifice to which the Holy Qur’ān alludes3 whilst stating that we decreed a glorious sacrifice in exchange for the literal slaughtering of Ishmaelas. The custom of slaughtering animals among the Muslims at the occasion of Ḥajj is also to rejuvenate this sacred memory, in that everyone should always be prepared to sacrifice themselves in the way of their Lord.
1 Sacrificial Offering of God (Publishers)
2 * Aṣ-Ṣāffāt (37:102-108)
* Jāmi‘ul-Bayān ‘an Ta’wīli Āyatil-Qur’ānil-Ma‘rūf - Tafsīruṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Under the commentary of Aṣ-Ṣāffāt (37:102-108), Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)
3 Aṣ-Ṣāffāt (37:108)