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.
Dear Nan Haleem
With due respect, I must submit that I chose not to reply because I did not want to repeat what has previously been said last year. In fact, your citations are all there already in the last year’s discussion. Kindly discover some time to go through all previsous posts.
What you have quoted is not being disputed, but the relevance of animal-slaughter in today’s world in the way it is being carried out year after year,is what many of us do not accede to.
I do not agree that I am abusing Islam in any way. It’s only difference of opinion and way of looking at things.
Please enlighten me for the sake of my knowledge:
Is there a single reference in Holy Quran, that asks muslims to repeat slaughter of animals year after year, (to fill their fridges with heaps of meat that is used for days)?
Next I take up your interpretation of 22:34 :-
The above ayya’s clearly show that Allah has created (herbivorous) animals as a form of food but with condition that only His name must be taken when slaughtering the animal in order to reflect total submission towards Allah.
Agreed. But have you ever wondered, why the condition of His name has been stipulated?
It is to remind you that you are killing one of Allah’s creations for meeting out your necessity.(It also means that if you have other means to feed you, you must excercise restraint in killing animals unnecessarily. Since livestock belongs to none other but Allah, they are precious enough not to be wasted unnecessarily!).
There is difference in feeding for living, and feasting for days at the cost of countless animal lives which you and other posters must understand clearly.The quoted aayyas do not give you absolute authority to start killing animals on your free will. That’s why there is condition that you must keep in mind that you are taking one life for your dire and unavoidable necessity, hence you cautiously recite Allah’s name in gratitude.
Hope this makes me clear.
@ Animal Lover
Looks like you did not read or (more probably) avoided my previous comment. This is why you are not only abusing Islam, Allah’s commands, Prophets, Quraan and the tradition of sacrifice but also making things worse for you.
For your reference, i am giving the link to below
http://bit.ly/a28ua8
Good excuse to evade my questions.
Mohammad Yusha says:
I don’t need to spend any more time arguing with you.
Thanks for letting me know that.
Where wisdom ends…
@Animal Lover
>>>Obviously, it is difficult for an ordinary man to kill his son, but it is damn easy for him to take countless lives of animals!
And how does killing a son compare with killing animals?
>>>All we have been saying is that mass-killing of animals on eid day is not at all justified in today’s world.
Mass-killing of animals by non-Muslims in slaughter houses is certainly justified.
>>>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.
Ask the hundreds of thousands of poor people in the subcontinent if them getting meat once a year is a shallow reason. By the way, how many people would help the poor once a year, let alone 365 days, if it wasn’t for Eid al-Adha.
>>>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!
Typical comment from someone who deviates from the subject. Talk to me when the colonies are built.
>>>YES, NOTHING HERE IS FOR ALLAH, EVERYTHING IS FOR YOUR OWN ENJOYMENT. ALLAH GAVE BIRTH TO A LAMB (i.e., ALLAH WANTED ITS CREATION TO LIVE ON ITS OWN), BUT AGAINST THE WISH OF ALLAH,THE MERCIFUL, YOU ACTED ON YOUR OWN ACCORD TO TAKE ITS LIFE. AND STILL YOU CLAIM IT HAS SANCTION OF ALLAH.
There was a direct order from Allah (SWT) to sacrifice the lamb. Thanks for typing that with CAPS LOCK. Now that I know you don’t even know the very basics of Islam, I don’t need to spend any more time arguing with you.