What is 'Qurbani'?
Hazrat Zaidi bn Arqam (ra) states that the
companions of the Prophet (pbuh) asked him: “What is Qurbani?” He
replied, “It is the Sunnah (tradition) of our father Ibrahim (as).” They
inquired, “What benefit do we derive from it?” The Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) replied: “A reward for every hair of the sacrificed animal.” [And
they asked again], “And what is the reward for the animal whose body is
covered with wool?” He (pbuh) replied, “A reward for every strand of
wool.”
The Aim of the Sacrifice
The immolation of an animal in Islam is not
done to appease the anger of Allah by offering Him a bribe in order to succeed
in any work. Far from all this, Allah does not need anything from us. He is the
Almighty and the One to Whom everything belongs. However, the sacrifice is made
only in the Name of Allah and to please Him.
“Tell them: ‘Verily my prayer, my devotion [sacrificial service], my life, my death, belong to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.” (Al-Anam, 6: 163).
Islam forbids the consumption of any food
offered as a sacrifice for the pleasure of another other than Allah.
"Do not eat of
what is not slaughtered in Allah’s Name, for that indeed would be a grave
disobedience." (Al-Anam
6: 122)
It is absolutely necessary that the name of
Allah be pronounced before and during the immolation so that the meat becomes
clean [i.e. pure] for consumption.
“Therefore eat of
that on which the name of Allah has been mentioned if you are believers in His
verses [signs or revelations].” (Al-Anam
6: 119).
DEEDS ARE JUDGED ACCORDING TO INTENTIONS
Money spent on sacrifice [the intention for which
has already been done] is not to be considered. It is obedience to the orders
of Allah that must guide our actions and our intentions. Otherwise, a sacrifice
offered according to other principles will not be acceptable to Allah.
“Tell them in all truth
the story of the two sons of Adam, who each presented a sacrifice [an
offering]. And one of them saw his sacrifice accepted, unlike the other whose
sacrifice was rejected.” (Al-Maida
5: 28)
So the sacrifice should not be made out of
ostentation but out of fear and devotion to our Creator.
“Neither their flesh
nor their blood ever reaches God, but it is fear and piety [Taqwa] which reach
Him.” (Al-Hajj
22: 38).
SACRIFICE, A SHIELD AGAINST FIRE
By making sacrifices to please Allah, one draws
closer to Him and moves away from the fires of hell.
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever
sacrifices an animal voluntarily and with the intention of receiving rewards,
then on the Day of Judgment this sacrifice will serve as a shield [for him]
against the fires of Hell.”
THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF QURBANI
The meat of Qurbani should be shared with the
poor, neighbours, close families and used for one’s own consumption [i.e., for
the one who offered the sacrifice]. By this gesture, fraternity develops and
the needy take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy a sumptuous meal.
“... and pronounce
the Name of Allah on appointed days over the sacrificial animals He has
provided for them. So eat from their meat and feed the desperately poor.” (Al-Hajj 22: 29)
THE DANGERS OF NEGLECTING THE QURBANI
God in all His mercy has not imposed a burden
on us. Instead of asking us to sacrifice our life or the life of our children,
He simply ordered us to immolate an animal in his Name, thus symbolizing the
will of Ibrahim (as) who voluntarily agreed to sacrifice his own son.
Thus, it is incumbent on each one of us who has
the means to do so to keep alive this tradition [Sunnah] so loved by
Allah. Otherwise His wrath will be upon us [i.e. the Muslims].
In a very stern warning, the Holy Prophet
(pbuh) said, according to Abu Huraira (ra): “He who has the financial means
to observe the Qurbani but does not do it, let him not approach my Eid-Gah.”
THE PROCEDURES FOR ‘QURBANI’ (ANIMAL SACRIFICE)
Now I will explain to you the procedure one
should adopt to perform the Qurbani.
The animal should be lying on the ground, its
face facing the Qibla, and should be slaughtered with a sharp knife, as much as
possible by the person offering the sacrifice himself; if he cannot [do the
sacrifice himself], he must at least be present to see the sacrifice. The
following supplication should be recited before passing the knife to the animal’s
throat:-
Inni wajjahtu wajhiya lillazi
fatwarassamawati wal-ardwa alaa millati ibrahiima hanifawn wa maa ana minal
mushrikiin. Inna swalati wa nussuki wa mahyaaya wa mamaati lillaahi Rabbil-Alamiinn,
Laa Sharika lahu wa bizaalika umirtu wa ana minal muslimiinn ; Allahumma
laka wa minka.
Translation:
“I have sincerely turned [my face] to the Being Who created the heavens and
the earth, in the way of Abraham [way treaded by Ibrahim (as)] and I am not
those who commit (the sin of) idolatry. My prayers (Salat) and my worship, my
life and my death are all for Allah, Lord of the Universe, Who has no partner.
This is what I have been commanded (by Allah) and I am one of those who have
submitted to Him. O Allah! This (i.e. this sacrifice) is for You and from You.”
Then the person must slaughter the animal by
saying “Bismillahi Allahu Akbar” (In the name of Allah, Allah is
Great), after which he must recite this prayer:
Allahumma taqabbal minni kamaa
taqabbalta minn habiibika Muhammadaniww wa-khaliilika Ibrahima,
alaihimas-swalaatu was-salaam.
Translation:
“O Allah! Accept this sacrifice from me, as You
accepted the sacrifices offered by Your beloved Muhammad and Your friend
Abraham, peace and blessings (from You) be upon them
THE SACRIFICES OF IBRAHIM (AS)
At the age of 86, Abraham felt the need to be
succeeded by one of his own. He implored his Creator to give him a patient and
obedient successor.
“Lord, give me a
[child/ heir/ successor] who is among the good people.” (As-Swaffat 37: 101)
It should be noted that a believer should only
ask for what is good for him in this temporal world and in the hereafter, thus
following the advice of Abraham [Hazrat Ibrahim (as)] and the divine injunctions
that Allah has made obligatory.
“Some [people] say,
‘Our Lord! Grant us the goods of this world and the goods of the Hereafter, and
preserve us from the punishment of the fire.”
(Al-Baqara 2: 202).
God was quick to grant Abraham’s wish. He sent
His angels, bearers of the good news.
“ So we gave him the good news of a
patient boy (Ismail).” (As-Swaffat
37: 102)
Following the example of Abraham [Hazrat
Ibrahim (as)] a believer must always implore his Creator with zeal, confidence
and ardour because nothing escapes the powers and abilities of Allah. All he
has to do is say QUN [Be], and FAYAQUN [And He is].
That is to say, it suffices for Him to decree or wish for the existence or
creation of a thing or a person, and the thing or the person begins to exist.
After the birth of his son Isma’il (as), Hazrat
Ibrahim (as) under divine command migrated to Mecca: At that time, Mecca was
just a vast and barren desert. There was no water or vegetation.
“Our Lord! I have
settled some of my offspring in a barren valley, near Your Sacred House, our
Lord, so that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of (believing) people
incline towards them...” (Ibrahim
14: 38)
At that time, Ibrahim received the command from
his Creator to leave his family in this desert region. Abraham quickly obeyed.
He left them [his family: his second wife and their son – i.e. his only son]
under the protection of Allah with a bag of dates and a water-skin containing
water. The food soon ran out and there was nothing to give the baby who was
already starting to suffer from hunger and thirst. Hajra (Hagar) panicked, and began
to run between the As-Safaa and Al-Marwa hills in search of help.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The
ambulation between As-Safaa and Al-Marwa that one makes during the pilgrimage
(Hajj) is in memory of Hajra who on this same ground was looking for water for
her son. On the seventh time she saw an angel digging the sand at the feet of
Isma’il until water sprang up from that place known as the Zam-Zam well.”
Ibrahim alternately visited Hajra in Mecca and
Sarah (his first wife) in Palestine. Soon Isma’il grew up and became the joy of
his family.
And this joy was interrupted because Allah
wanted to test His servant, because when Isma’il was very small, Abraham (as)
saw in a dream that he was sacrificing Isma’il by slitting his throat. He
waited until the latter became old enough [that he had reached an age of
understanding - even small] so that he could make a decision concerning the
dream in question.
“When the child
[Ishmael] was old enough to accompany him, he [Abraham] said to him: “My son! I
saw myself in a dream immolating you. What is your opinion [about this matter]?” (As-Swaffat 37: 103).
It was Isma’il, his firstborn whom Allah asked
him to sacrifice - not Isaac.
In the Qur’an in verse 113 [of the same chapter
As-Swaffat], it was only after having agreed to sacrifice Isma’il (as) that
Allah rewarded him by announcing to him the birth of Isaac - and this good news
is the reward for the sacrifice that not only did Hazrat Ibrahim (as) made, but
also the sacrifice of Hazrat Isma’il (as), and the sacrifice of Hazrat Hajra
(ra), where they submitted - all three - to the command of Allah without
hesitation.
But at the very moment when Hazrat Ibrahim (as)
was going to pass the knife around the neck of Hazrat Isma’il (as), the angel
Jibreel (as) came to stop him in his act by reciting the Takbir and
announcing to him by divine order that his sacrifice has already been accepted
even before he cut off his son’s neck, and instead of sacrificing Isma’il (as),
he only had to sacrifice a ram [an animal (cattle)].
“Then when both of
them had submitted (to the command of Allah) and he had thrown him on the
forehead, We called him: ‘O Abraham! You have confirmed the vision. This is how
We reward the doers of good.’ This indeed was a manifest test.”
(As-Swaffat 37: 104-107).
And Allah soon rewarded His servant for this
great sacrifice. Allah says: “We gave him the
good tidings (announcement) of Isaac as Prophet from among the righteous
people.” (As-Swaffat 37: 113)
And they continued to make other sacrifices -
the construction of the Holy House of Allah. It was Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and
Hazrat Isma’il (as) who rebuilt the Holy Ka'aba and laid its foundation. And it
was doing this blessed work that they asked Allah to bless their progeny in
this place and to raise up among them [i.e., from their own progeny] a
Messenger who will recite to them the revelations of 'Allah and purify them.
It is in remembrance of the great sacrifice of
these outstanding prophets of Allah and Hazrat Hajra (ra) that Allah has
established the Hajj and has included all the symbolic acts they do while staying
in this blessed place and [Allah] has made Mecca, the Holy Ka'aba, the center
of the earth. In truth it is this House which was first ordained to be built by
Allah, a House for Humanity, and this house must always breathe Islam, and not
the least Shirk.
May Allah strengthen the spirit of Muslims
around the world so that no Shirk touches them [touches us] and that
they can preserve the sacred rites taught by Allah through Hazrat Ibrahim (as),
Isma’il (as) and Muhammad (pbuh). May Allah bless and protect the sanctity of
the Holy House and protect His House from all evils that come from outside and
even from within the country [i.e., Arabia]. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
And may Allah accept our sacrifices for the Eid-ul-Adha and all the other sacrifices we make for His cause. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
[---Friday Sermon of 08 July 2022 ~08 Dhul Hijjah 1443 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius].