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.
Temporal, I won’t say what a noble idea because idea was already there in the Quran we just don’t understand it, but will definitely thank you to bring it to the fore again.
Imagine if all this money is used for charity to improve somebodies life. How many life can we change.
I would also say that all those people who go to Haj more than once should think about donating Rs200,000 each time they want to perform Haj and Rs100,000 for Umra. Would they do it? No.
@Mullah Lateef
When i was in university I never sacrificed an animal on Eid-ul-Adha. Come to think I haven’t done it even after university, thinking its something I will do when I have a family and have reached the age when kids call me “Uncle”, so does that mean I am not a Muslim? No
Your fatwa stands rejected.
Good post. It is high time that we seriously think about what we are doing and what we have lost. The purpose of this ritual is totally lost in all the show and the call to go back to the spirit of sacrifice, no matter what form it takes, is a welcome one. But I fear that most people are still too dogmatic about religion. These people who still cannot set a date for the moon on science and prefer to have mullahs “see” the moon for themselves are certainly not ready to adopt the rational approach to qurbani either.
I commend the author and ATP for having this discussion. It is important to have because maulvis have made a mockery of this issue and turned this whole thing into a racket (this is a major money raking day for moulvis, including through collection of skins). Let us all look at the real spirit of sacrifice and focus on making Allah’s world a better place through our actions. All else is just ritual.
Eid Mubarak everyone.
mr/ms lateef:
spare adil and owais please
just follow the link at the end of the article:)
here is the first quotation:
The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 22, Verse 37.
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others who have commented…first thanks…responses will come later
The[22:37]
Their flesh and their food reach not Allah, but the devotion from you reacheth Him. Thus have We made them subject unto you that ye may magnify Allah that He hath guided you. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the good.Marmaduke