The first Qurban was done a very long time ago, by prophet Adam's sons, Habil and Qabil (Abel and Cain), which lead to the first murder incident because only one of them, Habil, whose Qurban accepted by Allah.
Al-Maidah:27
(Allah) doth accept of the sacrifice of those who are righteous.
Another story of Qurban, which become the example of what we're doing nowadays, done by prophet Ibrahim and his sons, Ismail. One day, Ibrahim got an order from Allah who wanted to test his faith through dream, to sacrifice, not a goat or anything, but sacrifice his own son. It has to be noted that Ibrahim used to not having any child even after years of marriage with Sarah, until she finally let him marry her (at that time) slave so they could obtain a child. And with that, we know how hard it was for him to sacrifice Ismail.
After the dream repeated for a few times, Ibrahim finally understood that it's Allah's order, and went to talk to his family. Ismail, on the other hand, accepted it as well, saying that if it's Allah's command, then it should be carried on.
As-Shafaat:102
Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: "O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!" (The son) said: "O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practising Patience and Constancy!"
And so the the sacrifice happened. But instead Ismail, Ibrahim found a sheep died in place where Ismail should be dead, while Ismail himself was unscathed.
This ritual is continued even now in Eid Al-Adha, which takes place every Dzulhijjah 10th on Islamic lunar calendar. This becomes a "monument" of Ibrahim, who overcame trial in order to do Allah's command. But sadly, many people have forgotten about it's point, and tend to do it as a mere ritual. Many rich people and government officials sacrifice many Qurban animals. But the irony is they still aren't using Quran as their guideline in life. Not all, but I fear most of them only pursuing fame, which I hope I'm wrong about it.
With this story that I'm sure most of you know it already, and can describe and tell it better, let's remember the main point of it. Allah's commands are absolute. Unlike to prophets, Allah doesn't talk directly to us through dreams or anything. But He gave us Quran to be our guide in life. Not only about ritual are written in Quran, but also the law, system of life. as Muslim, it's a must to follow it. It's not how many money or animals we use in Qurban, but the feeling to get Allah's mercy and kindness that's counted. Of course, it's better if one do both of them, since giving the meats to others to help them is the second most important thing.
Hope this little writing will be useful for you. I apologize if there's a mistake in my writing. Thanks.
