Eid-Ul-Adha: Sacrificing Our Best Assets

And for all religion We have appointed a rite (of sacrifice) that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of (sacrificial) animals. For your god is one God, so to Him submit. And, give good tidings to the humble (before their Lord), 

Who, when (the name of) Allah is mentioned, their hearts are fearful, and (to) the patient over what has afflicted them, and the establishers of prayer and those who spend from what We have provided them. 

And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good. So mention the name of Allah upon them when lined up (for sacrifice); and when they are (lifeless) on their sides, then eat from them and feed the needy and the beggar. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may be grateful. 

Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that (to) which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good. (22: 35-38)

The great advices mentioned in these verses apply to every aspect of human life. First they teach us the meaning of sacrifice. And they teach us that we are dependent on these animals (cattle) because we get all kinds of supplies from them. And there are other benefits that are related to these quadrupeds to facilitate your life. Certainly, it is on these types of animals also that you travel.

Hajj: Fifth Pillar of Islam

The Month of Hajj: Dhul-Hijjah

The twelfth and last month of the Islamic calendar is the month of the pilgrimage (Hajj), commonly known as ‘Dhul Hijjah’. It is a month full of blessings and as the name indicates, it is in this holy month that we, Muslims perform the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam. In this blessed month, one must make maximum of acts of worship (Ibaadat), such as: supererogatory (Nafil) prayers (Salaat), Tilawat-ul-Quran, fasting, reciting the Takbir and Tasbih and giving Sadaqaat etc. because there are many blessings and rewards in these works, especially during its first 10 days.

Hazrat Hafsa (ra) said that there were four things that the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) never missed, and these include:

1. To fast the Day of Ashura (10^th of Muharram);

2. To fast from 1^st to 9^th day of Dhul-Hijjah;

3. To fast three days (13^th, 14^th and 15^th) every month (except the 13^th Dhul-Hijjah which is prohibited);

4. To perform before the mandatory Fajr Salaat two cycles of Sunnah prayers (Salaat).

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) demonstrated the virtues of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.

Mecca Tragedy: Revelations on Victims

In his Friday Sermon of September 18, 2015 (04 Dhul-Hijjah 1436 Hijri) the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius shared his thoughts on the recent tragic event in Mecca where a crane crash caused the death and injuries for hundreds of pilgrims who flocked to the City of God for the annual pilgrimage of Hajj. Based on his fervent prayers for the victims of this tragedy and the subsequent Divine revelations in this context, the Khalifatullah (atba) ruminates on the meaning of life and death for believers in the complex conditions of our times.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon Below:    

...And as I’ve said, here in Mauritius we received on Friday night, 11 September 2015 the sad news of the tragedy that occurred at the Grand Mosque of Mecca where 107 people died after a huge crane collapsed and in which more than 230 people were also injured. It happened a few days before the great pilgrimage that drew hundreds of thousands of faithful around the world. 

A crane on the Great Mosque in Mecca collapsed in a storm. Its presence there was because of the expansion work in the area around the Grand Mosque in order to further accommodate 2.2 million people for the forthcoming Hajj. And so, this is the worst tragedy that has overcome the holy sites in Saudi Arabia for years. But Insha-Allah, it will not affect the beginning of the Hajj, on 21^st September. 

According to news received, all Muslims from the different nations who were there, they all mobilized to give a helping hand to the wounded and make all arrangements for our brothers and sisters who have died. At that very moment, there was the image of united Muslims, where everyone volunteered to donate blood to save the lives of their Muslim brothers and sisters.

On hearing this news, my heart became heavy with grief, and by the grace of Allah, I turned to Allah in prayer for our brothers and sisters afflicted in Mecca and who were injured. I never fail to recall them in my Namaz (Salat), and especially the Tahajjud where I begged Allah as follows: 

“As’alul laahal Azeem, Rabbal Arshil Azeem, an yashfi-yaka”

- I beg Allah, The Great, the Lord of the Great Throne, to grant them cure.