What is 'Qurbani' ?
One such sacrifice in
Islam commemorates the event where Hazrat Ibrahim (as) offered the life of his
son at the command of Allah (swt) but which afterwards Allah (swt) replaced
with a sheep [ram]. This manifestation of love from Hazrat Ibrahim (as) to Allah
(twt) has marked an unprecedented event in the history of Islam. This gave rise
to a rite called Qurbani or Udhiya which has been perpetuated in
Islam. This practice has been followed by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and
Allah (twt) has made it mandatory (Waajib) for Muslims who have the
means to do so. This kind of sacrifice is not only prescribed for us, the
spiritual people of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but it was also applied
to the past peoples before us, as mentioned in the Holy Quran:
“For every community We have appointed a rite of sacrifice so that they may pronounce the Name of Allah over the sacrificial animals He has provided for them.” (Al-Hajj 22: 35)
Therefore, the Qurbani is an Ibaadah (act of worship) that gives us the opportunity to maximize its many blessings and benefits.
The aim of performing the Qurbani
If viewed externally, Qurbani
is an action where an animal is sacrificed in the name of Allah. But it must be
remembered that the true purpose of doing Qurbani is really to please
Allah (twt) only, as Allah (twt) has announced in the Quran:
“Say (O Prophet), ‘Indeed, my prayer, my rites of
sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of all the worlds.’” (Al-Anam 6: 163).
This verse indicates
that Allah accepts the Nusuk (Sacrifice or Rites of Sacrifice such as the
Qurbani) which is done with sincerity, both in deed and intention (i.e.
only for the pleasure of Allah).
In the times of
ignorance (Jaahiliyat) people used to perform Qurbani in such a
way that they rubbed the blood of their sacrificial animals (Qurbani)
with the door of the Ka’aba and suspended the meat thereof on the door of the
Ka’aba thinking that Allah needed all that! But Allah negates this practice and
puts it clear in the Quran that:
“Neither their meat nor blood reaches Allah. Rather, it is your
piety (Taqwa) that reaches Him.” (Al-Hajj 22: 38)
The story of Qurbani
The practice of Qurbani already existed in the era of each prophet, but the
Qurbani
that we - the Ummah (Community) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) -
do, has a great relationship with Hazrat Ibrahim (as). The companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) asked him: “O
Messenger of Allah, what is Qurbani?” He answered: “It is the Sunnah of
your father Ibrahim.” (Ibn Majah)
There is no Muslim,
Christian or Jew who does not know Hazrat Ibrahim (as). More than 2/3 (two
thirds) of the world population have accepted Hazrat Ibrahim (as) as their
guide. Prophets like Hazrat Musa (as), Hazrat Isa (as), and Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh) are all descendants of Hazrat Ibrahim (as).
More than 4000 years elapsed
since Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was born in the region of Iraq. He was a great
prophet of Allah, the father of two prophets with the title of “Khalilullah”
(Friend of Allah). After the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), his rank is
highest among the Prophet (as).
Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was
born in an era when the majority of the people forgot Allah. The place where he
(as) was born was more prosperous in material terms, but the people was lost, i.e.,
in spiritual darkness. The people prayed to the stars, statues, etc. but Hazrat
Ibrahim (as) was an intelligent person who reflected on creation. He had
another vision than the one those people had of the world and God, and as such
he began to think that: the sun, the moon, the stars are in motion under one command,
and that the idols are but objects that the people make with their hands and
that the king is no more than a human being like all of them - he does not have
the power and position of being a god on earth. So, when Allah made him reflect
on the truth so as to reveal the bad practices and thoughts of his people, he then
finally understood that it was not possible for the idols and humans to be
considered as gods instead of Allah.
If you think about it,
what do they have that makes people pray to them? Those statues are unable to
move without the help of the ones who created them, as well as other people
[who buy them], they don’t have power to give life or death, and they do not
even have power on the ones who created them, and besides, they are powerless
to help themselves (as they are mere lifeless creations). Following those
reflections, Hazrat Ibrahim (as) finally declared to the people:
“O my
people! I totally reject whatever you associate (with Allah in worship). I have
directed my face exclusively towards the One Who originated the heavens and the
earth—turning away from all that is false—and in no way am I one of the polytheists.” (Al-Anam, 6: 79-80)
Since his youth, Hazrat
Ibrahim (as) had reflected upon all this, and when the time came to begin his
mission, Allah raised him as His prophet and representative. When he invited
the king - Nimrod - and as well as all the inhabitants of his native town to
the one God, they all became his enemies. They started creating difficulties
for him to make him stop propagating the truth about Tawheed (the
Oneness of Allah). So they decided to burn him alive in the fire.
According to some
narrations, they prepared a large extent of wood that they had collected for a
month. They lit it up and kept the fire burning for a week. The fire became so
huge that it was impossible for a bird to fly above it (at such distance and
altitude). They finally decided to put Hazrat Ibrahim (as) in there, but a
problem arose in how to approach such a large fire. So Satan indicated a way to
them, to use an instrument to project Hazrat Ibrahim (as) from afar. While they
were throwing Hazrat Ibrahim (as) into the fire, Allah ordered that fire to
become coolness and a protection for Hazrat Ibrahim (as).
When Hazrat Ibrahim
(as) understood that those people would not believe in Allah, he (as) then
migrated to other countries to continue his mission. Everywhere he kept on
calling people to pray to Allah only. He did so until he reached the age of 80
years and by that time he still had no child to call his own. So, at this
advanced age he invoked Allah (twt) to give him a child, an heir who will
inherit his worldly and spiritual heritage. Allah finally accepted his invocation
and subsequently, his second wife, Hazrat Hajra (ra) gave birth to a boy named
Isma’il (as). After much supplication, and despite old age, a father finally begot
his first child, a boy. We can imagine how beloved such a boy was for his
father!
Allah then put Hazrat
Ibrahim (as) to the test with the same son that He gave him. Hazrat Ibrahim
(as) dreamt that a voice was telling him: “O Ibrahim, perform Qurbani.”
When he woke up in the morning, he (as) made the Qurbani of 100 camels.
The following night, he
saw the same dream in which he was commanded: “O Ibrahim, perform Qurbani.”
When he got up in the morning, he sacrificed 200 camels.
But when he received
the same message during the 3rd night, Hazrat Ibrahim (as) then
said: “O Allah! What Qurbani do I do in Your path?” At that moment,
Allah said: “O Ibrahim, perform Qurbani in My way with what you love the
most in this world”
Hazrat Ibrahim (as)
instantly understood that he was being ordered to sacrifice his son Isma’il.
Seeing that the command came from Allah and because of his love for Allah,
Hazrat Ibrahim (as) thus took a firm resolution - without the slightest
hesitation - to sacrifice his son. He waited for his son to reach the age of
maturity when he could take his own decision in order to execute the command of
Allah so that Hazrat Isma’il (as) also had his word to say in the sacrifice
that he also had to make. This was a test of faith and of love for Allah. At
that moment, Hazrat Isma’il (as) who was physically, morally and spiritually
fine submitted to the will of Allah. He showed himself to be obedient to the
command of Allah and this obedience shows his great intelligence.
Before Hazrat Ibrahim (as)
brought Ismaël (as) for the great sacrifice, he said to his wife Hazrat Hajra
(ra): “Today, your son is invited to the King’s place.” When she heard
such news, Hazrat Hajra (ra) prepared her son to go with his father. They left
Mecca and took the route to Mina. Satan thought that Hazrat Ibrahim (as) will
become dearer to Allah if he managed to execute what he was ordered. So he
started looking for a way to prevent Hazrat Ibrahim (as) from doing this.
He [Satan] thus went
quickly to Hazrat Hajra (ra) and informed her that Hazrat Ibrahim (as) had lied
to her, and that he had gone to sacrifice her son at the command of Allah. He
believed that Hazrat Hajra (ra) would rebel against that decision, but Hazrat
Hajra (ra) said to him: “In that case, I have no objection, even if I had
thousands of Isma’il to sacrifice at the command of Allah, I would have done
it.”
Satan lost face in
front of such a statement because his ruse to take advantage of the tenderness
of the heart of Hazrat Hajra (ra) as the mother of Hazrat Isma’il (ra) did not work.
Without losing hope,
Satan immediately went to Hazrat Isma’il (as) to influence him, but there also
he got the same kind of answer. So, he tried again and again to influence
Hazrat Ibrahim (as) before he put the neck of his son to the knife so that he might
show doubt and disobedience towards Allah but even then Hazrat Ibrahim (as)
didn’t let the Satan tempt him with his words.
For him (as), despite
the immense love he had for his son, but that love did not exceed his love for
his Rab. His Allah came first.
So, to prevent Satan
from influencing him, he ended up throwing stones at him. This is how the
symbolic rite of throwing stones at the Satan at Mina in the period of Hajj has
been introduced and has been perpetuated until today.
So, Hazrat Ibrahim (as)
tied up his son and then put a piece of cloth over his own eyes because of the
love he held for his son. As he was going to pass the knife on the neck of Isma’il
(as), Allah stopped him through the Takbeer that Hazrat Jibreel (as) was
ordered to recite, and by this Hazrat Ibrahim (as) understood that Allah has
already accepted his sacrifice and he was thus ordained to sacrifice an animal
in the place of Hazrat Isma’il (as). At that time, Allah manifested a ram
(sheep) which Hazrat Ibrahim (as) then sacrificed and his son was standing next
to him in this sacrifice.
Alhamdulillah, Allah (twt) thus informed Hazrat Ibrahim (as) that his/
their Qurbani has been accepted.
Now we see how many
lessons this great sacrifice holds for all Muslims until the Day of Judgement. Qurbani,
during the first day of Eid-ul-Adha, as well as the remaining two days of Eid
(because the Great Eid is celebrated for three days), is a reminder of that
great event. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) declared that Qurbani is
the Sunnah (practice) of Hazrat Ibrahim (as). So it is necessary for a believer
to do it with all his heart, with love and sincerity.
The Philosophy of Qurbani
All expenses that are usually
made create a decrease in wealth. But spending in the fulfilment of Qurbani
or in the way of Allah undoubtedly produces blessings in wealth as Allah says
in the Holy Quran:
“The example of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah
is that of a grain that sprouts into seven ears, each bearing one hundred
grains. Thus Allah multiplies the action of whomsoever He wills. Allah is
Munificent, All-Knowing.” (Al-Baqara 2: 262).
“And the example of those who donate their wealth,
seeking Allah’s pleasure, and as an affirmation of their own faith, are like a
garden on a hill: heavy rain falls and it produces double its normal yield;
even if no heavy rain falls, it will still be watered by the dew. Allah sees
all that you do.” (Al-Baqara 2: 266).
Now, let us reflect on
the animal sacrifice as it is. Some animals such as cows-oxen, camels produce
one little per year, and goats and sheep produce two or three little ones per
year. Those animals are born weak, while thousands and thousands of those
animals are being slaughtered every day, but their numbers never decrease and
there is never a shortage of them. This is because they are animals that are usually
sacrificed for Qurbani in the name of Allah. On the other hand, a bitch
(female dog) gives birth to five or six puppies and a sow (female pig) gives
birth to ten to twelve piglets every year. Their births have a high rate and
they are such animals which are killed in lesser quantity. And there number
remains low. This is because it is forbidden to sacrifice all illicit animals
as proclaimed by Allah, and it is forbidden to even sacrifice them in the name
of Allah!
So we see that the
animals that are sacrificed in the name of Allah have blessings in their breed,
and their number increases compared to other animals that are not licit (whether
for consumption or for sacrifice in the name of Allah).
It is known to most of
the Muslims who are well educated and who know Islam that Hazrat Imam Hussein
(ra) was the son of Hazrat Ali (as) and Hazrat Fatima (ra) and he was the
grandson of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Hazrat Imam Hussein (ra) sacrificed his
life, i.e. he was Shaheed (martyred) in the path of Allah during the
holy battle in the plain of Karbala (in Iraq) against the army of Yazeed. All his
sons also suffered the same fate, with the exception of Imam Zainul Abedeen
(ra). Through this one surviving boy, Allah (twt) propagated his progeny to
such an extent that currently thousands and thousands of his family exist in
the whole world. On the other hand, 22,000 soldiers of Yazeed’s army returned
alive after that battle. Despite the impressive number of survivors, their
names as well as their generations have all been erased from the face of the
globe; they are non-existent, Alhamdulillah.
So it is clear that the
sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussein (ra) in the path of Allah has produced
blessings by thousands in his descendants unlike the army of Yazeed who did not
fight for the cause of Allah, and his generation has died.
All this leads us to
the conclusion that everything sacrificed or spent in the way of Allah will
reap a benefit that will continue to increase. All sacrifices done with true
sincerity of the heart, whether it be the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim (as), of
Hazrat Isma’il (as), of Hazrat Hajra (ra), or that of Hazrat Imam Hassan (ra)
and Hazrat Imam Hussein (ra), as well as the sacrifices of Sincere Muslims from
all over the world, their sacrifices will never be refused.
We will soon enter the New
Year, 1445 Hijri, and it was in the month of Muharram of the year 61 that
Hazrat Imam Hussein was martyred. May Allah manifest in all of us the example
of the sacrifice of those excellent servants of Allah, and may Allah enable us
to perfume our Islam with humility and sincerity, and that we fight in the path
of Allah to restore the prosperity of the True Deen of Allah, Insha-Allah,
Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 23 June 2023~ 03 Dhul-Hijjah 1444 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.