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 used to wonder why this country is inflicted with Azab even though other countries sin more. The reason is because other countries don’t go against Islam the way they do in this country.
While it is true that animals should not be sacrificed in front of little children, this alone is not a reason to say that Qurbani should not be done at all.
On the order of Allah (SWT), Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) was ready to sacrifice his son, and today people are having difficulty sacrificing an animal.
“It’s not about having love of animal, its all about displaying hatred against the religion,the Islam which irks him all the time. Had there been order of eating vegetables only on Eid days, I am sure same kid would have been given lectures to stop eating vegetables.”
Why stretch your imagination that far. There’s the other eid also – Eid-ul-Fitr with traditional sewaiyan and I never opposed that tradition in the name of anti-islam.
Although, Adnan’s comments do not merit any attention and are not worthy of a reply due to his sheer narrow minded approach in making personal attacks on other posters.So naturally I have decided to ignore his inflammatory venomous remarks.
However, I must reiterate that no poster, including me, requires an endorsement of faith or a certificate from such proponents of religion. None of my posts exhibit slightest of hatred towards Islam. That is neither the subject matter of this discussion.
All we have been saying is that mass-killing of animals on eid day is not at all justified in today’s world. Reasons like poor get the meat are just shallow reasons. If you really want to help poor, you can do it all 365 days, not just on the eid day.
Today, man is about to develop colonies on Moon and Mars. Will Adnan take a camel or a cow with him there in the name of Islam? Or would there be a fatawa that a muslim can’t go there as it is haraam!
Regarding turkey-killings in the US, it is never acceptable to me. But my house will not get cleaned by looking into dust-bins of the United States. Only if fanaticism could realise this.
Watan Aziz, akhir kaar dekhadia na “Kath Mullah Pan” tum ney? What’s the difference between you and Mullahs you curse 24/7? Learn to read others comments first. First of All I wrote as ‘Muslim’ which itself indicates it’s being described “Literally” and the Quran you quote does define the definition of the word “Muslim” clearly so don’t throw out Fatwas so fast.
And yet you have not used the right term,”Shirk”. Next time come up with the right term when you wish to declare me “Mushrik” *grin*
@Adnan,
If what @Watan Aziz says above is valid then you have not just called me a ‘Non Muslim’ but also dozens of other people in this topic who have expressed their opinions contrary to your’s. As far as I am concerned I am not offended at all. You can call me a Martian for all I care. By the way, contrary to what you and @Nan Haleem says (the ‘Qadiani’ insinuation), I was brought up as a very mainstream Sunni Muslim who could (and did) offer prayers in most mosques of Pakistan.
Coming back to the topic.
This debate has been going on for over a year. I don’t think I have tried to hide behind Scriptures to propound my ideas. I contributed to this debate before this year and I have done this year as well. I am appealing to common-sense.
Oh, by the way, if Americans start slaughtering turkeys and goats in their front yards while encouraging kids to watch then I will have a problem with that too. As it is, I have a problem with eating most red-meats because of much higher environmental costs. I have greatly cut down on that. Even poultry and fish is much less for me.
But you would not understand the gradations and the evolutions in human existence. You have it all figured out despite Islamic teachings of Ijmah and Ijtimah.