The House of Humanity
The House of Humanity
The Rise of Isma'il, the Father of Islam
Among those prophets there is Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah. He
is known to be the Patriarch of not one, but three great monotheistic religions
of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We even find traces of his
teachings and belief in his existence in the Hindu teachings as well.
And this exceptional man, Allah tried him in so many ways that
it is reasonably fair for us to say that he survived all those trials with
flying colours and showed forbearance at an exceptional and praiseworthy level.
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)
As the Holy Qur’an notes concerning sacrificial animals such as Ox or Camel, ‘There is much good in them for you, so invoke God’s name over them as they are lined up for sacrifice, then, when they have fallen down dead, feed yourselves and those who do not ask, as well as those who do. We have subjected them to you in this way so that you may be thankful. It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches God but your piety. He has subjected them to you in this way so that you may glorify God for having guided you. Give good news to those who do good.’ (22:37-38)
In this context, devout
Muslims who plan to perform Qurbani may have related questions to clarify and
understand. ‘How to share a Qurbani ?
In case a poor man is giving a Qurbani
and a rich one is giving a Qurbani,
how to share the Qurbani?’
[In
the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As the world of Islam
enters the Month of Hajj [Dhul Hijjah], Imam-
Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir
Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius profoundly explains the larger,
inner meaning and spiritual significance of this ultimate voyage to the House
of God in Makkah that the Muslim pilgrim undertakes in quest of Divine pleasure
and salvation].
The pathway to salvation
‘The Hajj, being the fifth and last of the five pillars of Islam, it represents the readiness of the Muslim pilgrim to let go of all worldly attractions and desires, and to make the firm intention for a purified reform in his self and soul, to tread the pathway to Salvation, like a submitted soul offering his whole life and being to Allah, promising a complete reform within himself and seeking the help of Allah to achieve it.’
Read the Eid-ul-Adha Sermon below:
The Story of Abraham/Abram/Ibrahim/ Brahma
Ibrahim, the Patriarch
and Friend of Allah, saw in a vision that he was offering his only son Isma’il
as a sacrifice to the Lord. He said to the boy: “O son of mine, I have seen
in a dream that I was slaughtering you; So, tell me what you think of it.’
The boy replied: “O Father, do as you have been commanded; you will find
me, if Allah please, of those who are steadfast.”
Ibrahim made the
necessary preparations. When all was ready and he was about to proceed to the fulfilment
of what he thought he had been commanded to do, he received the revelation that
he had indeed fulfilled his dream. (As-Swaffat 37: 104-108).
The true meaning of the dream was not that he should sacrifice his son in the manner in which he had seen himself doing in the dream, but that both he and his son should be ready to make a great sacrifice to win the pleasure of God. This great sacrifice was that the boy and his mother should be settled in a distant, barren valley, so that the boy should be made an instrument for the purpose of establishing the true worship of God in and around the Sacred House. (Ibrahim 14: 38).
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).
Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in India commemorated the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha on 10 Dhul Hijjah 1443 AH~ 10 July 2022 with spiritual fervour, collective prayers, distribution of sacrificial meat and community feasting.
Read the Special Article Below:
The Muslims enjoy two major celebrations in a year, i.e. the Eid-ul-Fitr and the Eid-ul-Adha. While the Eid-ul-Fitr is the day of rejoicing which the Almighty gives the Muslim believer after a month of fasting for His sake, the Eid-ul-Adha is a time for deep reflection and analysis of one’s own obedience to Allah’s commandments and the teachings and practices of His beloved prophets and role models for mankind.
In obedience to Allah and His Khalifatullah’s instructions, the members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, Mayotte, and India recently came together to partake of the Divine blessings in the company of fellow brothers and sisters, in their own respective places. In India alone, Eid-ul-Adha Retreats were organized at the Siraj-um-Munir Masjid in Tamil Nadu, as well as at the Noor’ul Islam Masjid at Mathra, Kerala. Likewise, members of the Jamaat in distant places within the country organized programmes of devotional worship and remembrance of the Divine with family and friends in their own local settings in these Holy and Blessed Days of Dhul Hijjah, experiencing the joy of togetherness and spiritual upliftment, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.
The Sacrifice of the Self
“Here I am, O Allah, here I am, Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and thanks and all blessings and all sovereignty are Yours. You have no partner.”
Pilgrims chant this prayer during their pilgrimage, from within the boundaries of the Ka’aba to the plains of Arafat; A prayer that elegantly underlines the process of this enterprise- total devotion after a complete renunciation of worldly desires.
There are perhaps about sixty thousand pilgrims participating in the Hajj this year. Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is people of different nationalities who already live in Saudi Arabia who are making the pilgrimage this year. This is the second time in this century [the 21st century], as well as since the founding of Saudi Arabia [in 1932] that the Hajj has not taken place under normal conditions due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its variants. Last year for the first time in Saudi Arabian history, Hajj was performed by just about a thousand people in Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims from other countries did not receive visas to perform Hajj during these two years as a precaution and to preserve the health and life of the pilgrims.
So in this century of divine manifestation, the Hajj, which usually attracts over a million pilgrims from dozens of countries, has not taken place under normal conditions.
All Muslims around the world cherish the desire to one day perform these sacred rites of Hajj - one of the five pillars of Islam. With this pandemic that has changed a lot of human behaviour, as well as the systems of the world, Hajj is no exception. Despite the Hajj taking place, but its normality is abruptly interrupted.
For the hundreds of millions of Muslims who stay at home, and who mourn this loss of non-observance of Hajj, because of this restriction, there is Eid-ul-Adha, celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Hajj [Dhul-Hijjah] when, in Mecca, the pilgrimage ends. Devotees usually go to the mosque for prayers, after which they slaughter animals as sacrifices. In these days how necessary it is for every believer to remember his duties towards his Creator as well as towards his fellow men!