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Eid ul Adha is on or around the corner. I wish you all a safe, happy and fulfilling celebration with your family and friends.
All I ask is, please spare the poor goat or lamb or cow’s life. The purpose of sacrifice is to understand the spirit of parting with what you hold dear (your wealth), it is not some muqabla against four-legged animals.
Please pause and think … That, after all, is what religion should make us do rather than blindly following ritual.
According to the many organizations that will perform the sacrifice for you if you live abroad, the cost of one goat/sheep is US$ 160 in the US (that is more than one month’s salary for a college educated Pakistani professional). The price in Pakistan is cheaper, but not by much. Only the well wheeled can afford it. The Poor cannot even budget for a kilo of meat a month.
Is there a better way to ‘sacrifice’ the 150-200 dollars or the Rs. 10,000 or more in the name of Allah that is useful to His bandas? A way that captures the spirit of sacrifice that qurbani entails and helps us meet our religious obligation as well as the social welfare and redistribution that is its deeper purpose?
The Qur’an reminds us that Allah looks at intent not the blood. Maybe we too should pay heed to the intent of qurbani? For those who want to sacrifice this writer instead, please read Chapter 22, Verse 37 from the Holy Qur’an (I have looked at translations by Marmaduke, Yusufali, Asad and Usmani) and they all talk about your own devotion, piety, God-consciousness and taqwa that reaches Him.
The meat from the sacrificial animal is intended to be divided into three parts: 1/3rd each for your self, family and friends, and for the needy and the poor. I would suggest we fore go our share, and give the whole amount to the poor including poor relations. Charity and alms should be given throughout the year, and many people do. But with this added emphasis around Eid ul Adha I would suggest we consider giving more to the poor including poor relations.
Allah looks at intent not the blood. What better way to celebrate this Eid?
On my last visit I saw a lot of people drive up to a certain "hotel" (Pinglish for restaurant) and pay the owner X rupees to feed X number of hungry folks lined up outside. That is a noble idea. But would it not be better better to teach them to fish?
A manual sewing machine for a widow or unemployed poor woman? Tuition Fees or books for a poor student? Some money to ease the days for the unemployed people? A small monthly stipend to the poor that may bring a ray of hope in their lives and may perhaps deter them from abandoning their children to the fogs of terrorist factories?
We can think of many ways to make Him happy and spare the lamb. May Allah bless you and your family.
Note: This is based on an earlier post published on temporal’s blog Baithak.
MJ & Ray,let me answer please.
@ Monano
The atomic explosions at Hirsoshima and Nagasaki were very unfortunate, but these were display of advancement in technology against the other party, and most significantly,a part of World War. And they argue that everything is fair in love and war.
But if you want to compare it with killings of innocent animals in the name of religion year by year, tell me whether your in love, or in war against animal kingdom? Certainly, you can’t be in love with animals, as it seems to be against islam according to some learned posters here.
@ Mohammad Yusha
If your ship has a hole, you can’t prevent its sinking by pointing your fingers at another ship with a hole.You can not be acquitted if someone else commits the same crime as you.
That said,since you have shown your concern for animals being killed by Christians in slaughter-houses, please accept the fact that killing of animals is bad, whosoever does it in whatever form, across religion/countries, and that does include muslims also (on a bigger scale, ofcourse).Why not join me in condemning all forms of animal killing and torture? Your already quite close to it, lolz.
As regards your question to Ray, I find from Ray’s original post that he has already written:
Hope better sense prevails among all animal-killers across the world
To me, atleast it means that he is against animal-killing whether by muslims or by christians.
Further, as regards mass-killing of turkeys on the TG day, no doubt it is another example of selfishness of the so called ‘superior race’, which I have been writing about. I condemn it in strong words, if it consoles islamic fanatics. However, I still add that unlike here, AFAIK,they aren’t claiming that they are “sacrificing” turkeys. My this observation is in the context of the topic of this discussion.
I read in the blog from Turkey (Islamic country, not the American turkeys, lol!), that on the eid day, the sea became red due to (terrorist) attacks on countless animals.
Adnan should really wonder as to what should be my priority!
*grin*
My dearest Notanki Friend ‘born again Animal lover’ popped out and made a comment without taking a burp after having infinite bites of Turkey. :-). Mian Phanda lag jaye ga.. ek do whiskey k sip tu lay lo :-)
Thanks Moin, MJ, Ray, Abbasi, and Shoaib for your kind words. I appreciate that you understand my point that every life is precious, including that of innocent animals.
Indeed, Eid has been made into a nightmare for poor animal species by arbitrary interpretation of verses. While the truth is that it never meant you to kill animals beyond your genuine necessity;Certainly not for staging a hyped show-off of sacrifice.
The definition of ‘terrorism’ should be made to include example of Eid sacrifices. This practice is the mother of all terrorism. IMO,this should be incorporated in all dictionaries for the meaning of terrorism. And the festival of Eid should be defined as the day of biggest terrorist attacks on innocent, be-jubaan animals.
Where is animal Lover? I wonder whether he was busy to convince American not to slaughter Turkey on ThanksGiving?
@MJ: Turkey my friend ! Turkey! Happy Thanks Giving *wink*
@MJ
If animal slaughtering ritual is barbaric, brutal, uncivilized, uncultured and ugly then how would you categorize Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
My apologies for asking the question if your history teacher never told you about these two INCIDENTS
@MJ: What about animals who are killed in slaughter houses by Christians in western countries. Hmmmm….very un-Islamic.
@Ray: What about your Christian neighbours who eat meat. Have you severed ties with them all? What about your co-workers, boss, friends, etc. Don’t talk to anyone who eats meat?
A Big No to animal sacrifice from my side.
Yes, animal-lover is right. We have replaced animal-back riding with bikes,cars and aeroplanes, because it is need of today’s times. Why then, slaughter of animals can not be given up? I can’t understand this dilemma.