MY EID-UL-ADHA COW

-

Somewhere in Aboabo, as I find my way to Bohyen, Alhaji Moro's cow has escaped and Mumuni and Abdullai are after it. This cow must die today.

When I reached Asawasi, I heard Inusah shouting, " the one who has taken the head and legs of the cow should bring them back, otherwise today will not end well".

Descending the hills of Alarbar, I noticed all the gutters were filled with bloody water, some even had faeces of animals in them. I am wearing all white, It is Eidhul-Adha, the Hausa man will say "Layya" or "Babban Sallah", and the Ashanti man will directly translate it and say "Sallah K3se3".

It is a moment of immense joy. When we fry, cook and roast as much meat as we want, we even keep some in the refrigerator for future use.

At Old Suame, Hajia Amina and Hajia Rahmatu are done preparing the rice, and waiting for Baabangida to bring the meat. Baabangida slaughtered the cow 15minutes ago and is cutting it into sections.

Upon reaching New Suame, i saw Sheikh Nuhu and the Scout boys of Islamic Propagation and Research Center working on the meat they received from the Islamic Aid Organization.
Yes, there are Islamic Aid organizations around who either kill the cow and share the meat to the people or give out the animal to the organization for the leaders to slaughter and  distribute  it among its members.

It was no different when I reached the Gambo House at bohyen, as usual, the kids in the community have lined up to take their share of the meat. I found a seat in front of Hajia Ramatu's Dressmaking shop trying to remind myself of the significance of this occasion. It felt like something is missing, we have been over excited we are loosing focus.

People are now more focused on how much meat they will get on Eid-day than How much meat they are supposed to give out.

The meat from the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is mostly given away to others. One-third is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The act symbolizes our willingness to give up things that are of benefit to us or close to our hearts, in order to follow Allah's commands. It also symbolizes our willingness to give up some of our own bounties, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. We recognize that all blessings come from Allah, and we should open our hearts and share with others.

But what do we see lately,everybody is waiting to see their freezers get filled to the last corner.
We have forgotten we only have  one third of the whole Meat to ourselves and immediate family.

Eating everything you sacrificed makes your sacrifice insignificant. Others go the extend of stealing the meat. Subhaanallah, this is a Holy day and we are stealing meat that is supposed to be given out to the poor, yet we stand with long white jalbab and a very big hat and shout about injustice to the poor and needy, when we can't even share our food with them.

Maybe it happens unconsciously due to how frequent we have been practicing  it.
Drawing our attention back to the original divisions of the meat is very necessary. We have only one third and it must be so.

Eid is just along the way, you can send me my share of the one-third via ATM,I am always ready to recieve it.

May Allah grant us the blessings of this Eid, and grant us good health to witness many more.

Your sister,
Nuhu Alimatu Sadia
Ummuabuuha.blogspot.com
Ummi.ug@gmail.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NSS Personnel, We want to serve our Country, but we are tired.

-
Image
So I met this long queue at the entrance of Nestle Ghana, I was at the bottom wondering when it will be my turn to get my paper endorsed. Suddenly there was a false alarm that stirred up everybody and got them to start running. I was the only one left standing confidently at the gate  without turning, and that was when this guy came out to call me in, since I was the only one there. My heart was filled with joy as I looked at my posting letter getting endorsed by my dream Company. I started feeling a bit cold and I saw myself drag a cloth towards my shoulder, that was when I realized it was a nightmare. I laid on my bed in awe; waiting for the call of fajr, so I can get up to pray because my sleep was swallowed by a nightmare. The first thing I do after thanking Allah for my life every dawn is to check my phone for the missed call of a number that is not on my phonebook,  maybe Nestle called i tell myself, and I was fast  asleep, I check my mail more than I check my whatsApp, because
Read more

A LIFE IS LOST, WHEN OUR TRIBESMEN MARRY FROM AMONGST THEM.

-
Image
It became a habit, and it became like the most discussed topic between mum and I. She had her own way of getting it all out of me. She could get me to discuss every single marriage proposal that came my way during my time away from home. Sometimes we discuss past proposals to see if they should be thrashed out or can they still be considered, we then come into the present and jot down new proposals. Amazingly we sometimes even discuss those I think are showing signs of putting in their proposals the next semester I guess. These chats became our most enjoyed ones. Most of them were passive until we landed on an active one. The one that changed my heartbeat and mind pattern. I so wanted the semester to end so I can for once come home for an active chat. I was ready to talk mum into buying my reasons for liking Zayd :). But what I met was not what I expected. My mother was not totally against my choice, but she was a worried about my choice of tribe. She went ahead to say, " You s
Read more

THEY CALL ME KAYAYO; MY NAME IS MARWAH

-
Image
I don't know what dragged me into this big city filled with tall buildings and big cars. I was happy downtown with my family. I remember when we rode on donkeys to the farm every dawn. Now the only sounds I hear at dawn is the dragging of pans and teenagers like me shouting "The Bus Has Arrived"!!! Was it the big barrels and shiny utensils Saratu returned home with after spending 2years in the city that attracted me here?, or my will to put a smile on my parents face  that got me into this regretful existence?. My name is Marwah Abdullah. I am 14years old and hail from Kpalsi, a farming community in the Northern part of Ghana. I used to live there with my parents and my seven siblings. Life was as beautiful and refreshing as ever. I wasn't a fun of schooling, because I didn't see the essence of sitting in the classroom for hours; only to go back home with a book with couple of Alphabets in it to rewrite. I will rather follow my parents to the farm, kill and roa
Read more