The Great Sacrifice: An Ismaili Ta'wil of ‘Id al-Adha — Part I (10 Min. Read)
Part 1: ‘Id al-Adha (The Festival of Sacrifice) and the Covenant of Imamat
“Do not forget that our branch of Islam is an esoteric branch of Islam. Esoteric means that what is written is there, but its meaning is not there to everyone. It is there only to those who are part of our Jamat. And it is important, therefore, that if you learn parts of the Qur’an, you should be able to explain the esoteric meaning of those parts. . . .
If you recite parts of the Qur’an, certain words must represent to you a concept. If you study the Qur’an-e-Sharif, this concept will become well known to you and through you to the Jamat at large. This takes many years of study, I do not want you to think that this can be learnt easily or without hard work.”
— Imam Shah Karim al-Husayni⁽ᶜ⁾
Bombay, November 22, 19671
‘Id al-Adha commemorates one of the most profound and symbolically rich narratives in the Qur’an: the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham)⁽ᶜ⁾ and his son Hazrat Ismail (Ishmael)⁽ᶜ⁾. In Sura 37, Ibrahim⁽ᶜ⁾ sees in a vision that God commands him to sacrifice his beloved son. Father and son both submit with complete faith and trust in God’s wisdom. Yet at the decisive moment, Ismail⁽ᶜ⁾ is ransomed and replaced with a “momentous sacrifice,” traditionally understood by many Muslims to be a ram.
In the Ismaili tradition, however, this story is not confined to its outward or historical form. According to the teachings and farmans of the Imams, believers are called to seek the batini ta’wil — the inner spiritual meaning and deeper wisdom contained within the Qur’anic narrative.
For this reason, Ismaili thinkers and sages have never understood the story in a purely literal sense. The true meaning of Ibrahim⁽ᶜ⁾’s sacrifice cannot be that God commanded His Prophet to kill an innocent child. Such an interpretation would contradict the Qur’an’s own affirmation of the sanctity of life and the divine prohibition against taking innocent life:
“Whosoever kills a soul for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all humankind, and whoso saves [the life of] one, it shall be as if he had saved all of humankind.”
— Qur’an 5:32
Rather, the narrative points toward a deeper spiritual reality — one that accords with the Qur’an, with God-given intellect (‘aql), and with the timeless ethical truths at the heart of revelation. In accordance with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad⁽ˢ⁾ and the Shi‘i Imams⁽ᶜ⁾, the exoteric (zahir) aspect of the Qur’an contains not only one but multiple levels of esoteric (batin) meaning — spiritual and intellectual truths (haqa’iq) that lie beneath the outward wording of its verses and stories.
In this first part on the Ismaili interpretation (ta'wil) of ‘Id al-Adha, we will focus on one esoteric interpretation that reveals and affirms a fundamental pillar of religion. In part two, we will, insha'llah, explore additional layers of the batini ta'wil that further unveil the depth of the sacrifice undertaken by Hazrat Ismail⁽ᶜ⁾ — and what that sacrifice may mean for those who wish to spiritually observe and personally participate in the great “festival of sacrifice” by following the one straight path (sirat al-mustaqim) — the blessed path of those upon whom God bestows His spiritual bounties (1:6–7).