spare the poor goat or lamb or cows 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.
I am very glad you wrote this. We need to focus on th essence religion not just on ritual
It is bad enough that there are enough – much more serious – problems facing Pakistan at present. So it is bewildering to see that Muslims are intent upon manufacturing even more meaningless strife for themselves on top of what they already face.
There is a very simple resolution for the argument advanced by this article and its supporters; those who are opposed to the practice of animal sacrifice on Eid-ul-Azha should simply stop doing so and spend their money in some other way as they see fit. Why get into a needless spat with those who would believe in the benefits of the established practice and prefer to stay with it?
It is not as if the law of the land will put someone in jail if they did not sacrifice an animal on this occasion; so why all the fuss.
Must the so-called liberated ones who are opposed to animal sacrifice be at other Muslim’s throats insisting that their way of looking at things is the right one and must be accepted and practiced by all? How does it make them any different from those who insist upon imposing length of beards on all men and tents around all women?
Can we all grow up, please?
Charity
Dear All,
If there is an indidual in need, hungry or sick and somebody is in a position to help him then it is his moral obligation to help the person in need.
Is it necessary to seek a Divine guidance for Why?, What?, When? and How?? If a man does need the guidance, he is not a human yet.
“Morality is doing what is right, regardless what we are told; Religious dogma [Divine guidance] is doing what we are told, no matter what is right.”
Charity is human morality.
AHsn
@Kashif, Temporal et all: If you guys would have bothered to read Entire verse then you would not have asking baseless question again and again and felt embarassement. The ayah(22:37) temporal mentioned to put forward his shallow argument. The ayah just before the mentioned one clears every thing.
From 22:36
“The animal offerings are among the rites decreed by GOD for your own good.* You shall mention GOD’s name on them while they are standing in line. Once they are offered for sacrifice, you shall eat therefrom and feed the poor and the needy. This is why we subdued them for you, that you may show your appreciation. “(22:36)
then it comes 22:37 which the author has already mentioned. The verse clearly exposes those exhibitionist who spend millions in “janwar” rather than celebrating true spirit.
Iqbal said somethng for Jahil Mullahs of his time. Today it fits well on our left wing psuedo-intellectuals.
“Khud Badalte Nahin Quran Ko Badal Dete Hain
“Hain Huwey Kis Darja Faqeehane Haram Be Taufiq”
Makes a lot of sense to me.