Eidul Azha was near. Manahil was thrilled and excited as she was counting the days when her dad would get a goat for sacrifice. She had already decided the name of the goat and made all the arrangements.

Soon she went to the cattle market with her father. It was very hard for her to select a goat because every goat was cute and had distinct features. Her father selected a brown goat with white spots on it, and bought the goat.

Manahil was very happy and she immediately called it Kuru. She was excited to show it to her friends and spend time with the goat.

As she reached home, she ran inside to introduce Kuru to all her family members. She made a lot of plans for Kuru to make his days memorable. She applied henna on Kuru and adorned him with animal accessories.

The next morning, Manahil shared her breakfast with Kuru. She enjoyed the company of her goat and taking care of it. Kuru loved to eat fodder and grass all the time. Their bond grew stronger day by day. Now, Manahil was dreading their separation for her dear goat on the day of Eid and couldn’t think of anything else other than what would happen then.

Finally, Eidul Azha arrived and Manahil felt heartbroken. Her parents tried to explain to her the meaning and significance of Eidul Azha, but it was excruciating for her to part with Kuru. As soon the butcher arrived, Manahil left Kuru and ran upstairs to her room sobbing.

Her father came to her and rocked her gently in the arms until she quietened down.

Then he asked Manahil, “I know you love Kuru a lot, but do you love him more than I love you?”

“No, of course I know you love me more than anyone in the world,” Manahil replied tearfully.

“So I hope you realise that Prophet Ibrahim must have loved his son Ismail a lot too, but he readily agreed to sacrifice him on the command of Allah? What we do on Eidul Azha is in remembrance of that act, so we sacrifice an animal we taken care of and loved, in the name of Allah.

“You should happily give your dear goat Kuru to Almighty Allah, who is our Creator, and we will get a lot of blessings by sharing the meat with family and the poor, who don’t get a chance to eat meat every day.

Manahil quickly dried her tears and went with her father to bid Kuru one final goodbye before he was taken for slaughtering. She overcame her sadness and enjoyed the Eid with other kids. The lesson Manahil learnt about the true essence of the sacrifice on Eidul Azha remained with her, and she also never forgot the bond she made with Kuru.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 22nd, 2024