Eid al-Adha is one of the two Islamic celebrations and commemorates the idea of “sacrifice”. The celebration marks the end of the Hajj and is known by the ritual sacrifice or Qurbani. However, I contend that the Qur’anic story of the sacrifice does not only speak to the ritual slaughter but rather to the larger themes of faith, family and sacrifice. Moreover, the story is often read independently of the Biblical tradition and other Qur’anic verses. By reading the narrative intertextually, we can better appreciate how the Qur’an views “sacrifice” and understand the larger lessons that the scripture conveys.
