All praise is due to Allah, Lord
of the worlds, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, Sovereign of the
Day of Recompense. May the peace and blessing of Allah continue to be upon the
seal of all the prophets, Prophet Muhammed (SAW), his household, his companions
and all that follow the religion of Islam. This edition of On Islam Deen Digest
is here to educate us on the Eid- al- Adha popularly called the ‘Ileya
festival’.
The Islamic calendar is based on observations of the moon and the length of a particular month can vary between years. For this reason, predicted dates of Eid al-Adha may be corrected at the start of the month of Dhul Hijja. This is around 10 days before the start of the festival.
Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Muslims around the world observe this event, many Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a sermon at Eid. They also wear new clothes, visit family members and friends and may symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act known as qurbani. This represents the animal that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son.
In some traditionally Muslim
countries, families or groups of families may purchase an animal which is
usually a goat or sheep, to sacrifice, but this is not common or legal in many
parts of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States
or many other countries. In these countries, groups of people may purchase a
whole carcass from a butcher or slaughterhouse and divide it amongst themselves
or just buy generous portions of meat for a communal meal on Eid-al-Adha.
People also give money to enable poorer members of their local community and
around the world to eat a meat-based meal.
In the period around Eid al-Adha, many Muslims travel to Mecca and the surrounding area in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Muslims may plan and save for many years to enable them to take part in this event, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Ibrahim, known as Abraham in the Christian and Jewish traditions, was commanded by God to sacrifice his adult son. He obeyed and took Ishmael (Ismail or Ismael) to Mount Moriah. Just as he was to sacrifice his son, an angel stopped him and gave him a ram to sacrifice in place of his son. Some people dispute that the son of sacrifice was Isaac (Isḥāq). Regardless, these events are remembered and celebrated at Eid al-Adha.
The meat is divided into three parts: the family retains one third of the share, another third is shared among friends and the other third is given to the poor and needy. Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, the first being Eid ul-Fitr. Like Eid ul FitrEid, al-Adha begins with a prayer followed by a sermon. Eid al-Adha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide. The date is approximately 70 days (2 Months and 10 days) after the end of the month of Ramadan. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah
WHO IS INDEBTED TO OFFER THE SACRIFICE?
Slaughtering of Animal is
compulsory according to Imam Abu Hanifah
and sunnat - e - muakkadah according to other Imams upon every permanent
resident and who possesses 613.35 grams of silver or its equivalent in money
which is 56786.42 Nigerian Naira, personal ornaments, stock in trade or any
other form of wealth which is surplus to his/her basic needs. Each adult member
of a family who possesses that much wealth must perform his/her own 'Animal
Slaughtering ' separately. Hazrat Ibn Umar may Allah be pleased with him
reports that the Messenger of Allah peace and blessings be upon him lived in
Madinah Munawarah for ten years and performed 'Qurbani' every year. (Tirmizi)
Note: Despite the fact that the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him was not obliged to sacrifice as he never possessed the required amount of wealth, he still did so as can be conceived from the above Hadith.
CAN A SACRIFICE BE MADE ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE?
A sacrifice can be made on behalf
of others such as minor offspring. This offering is not 'wajib' (compulsory)
but is 'mustahab' (desirable). Similarly if one decides to sacrifice on behalf
of the spouse or a father decides to sacrifice on behalf of an adult offspring
(apart from offering his/her own) can do so with their permission.
A sacrifice can also be made on
behalf of a deceased Muslim. This can be classified into three categories:
1. If the deceased had made a will for a sacrifice then, it is permissible to sacrifice to fulfill the will but is incumbent to give all the meat of the sacrificed animal to the poor and needy (those who are entitled to receive 'Zakat'). ("Vide Shami" vol.5 p293)
2. Whether or not the deceased had made this will, his/her relative or friends can make a 'nafl' (voluntary) sacrifice from their own money; the meat of this sacrificed animal can be partaken by the rich and poor alike. One may make a voluntary sacrifice from one's own wealth for the deceased persons and this meat can partake by all, rich and poor.
3. If one's intention is of mere remittance of recompense to a dead person then it will be superior to slaughter an animal during the Days of 'Nahar' the Eid-al Adha day instead of giving money in charity. This is because reward is attained both for spending wealth and for sacrificing.
In a 'Hadith' it is stated:
Hazrat Hanash may Allah be
pleased with him reported: I saw Hazrat Ali may Allah be pleased with him
sacrificing two rams. I asked him, "What is this?" He said:
"Verily the Messenger of Allah peace and blessings be upon him left
instruction to me to sacrifice on his behalf, and so I am sacrificing on his
behalf. (Tirmizi, Abu Daud)
Note: Rasulullah peace and blessings be upon him is so generous that he had sacrificed on behalf of his whole 'Ummah' and we see here Hazrat Ali may Allah be pleased with him sacrificing for Rasulullah peace and blessings be upon him after he has passed away. We learn from this that we should also put a share of Rasulullah peace and blessings be upon him in our sacrifice.
In the Shariah, we are to
sacrifice for Eid 3 different types or categories of animal
1. Camel
2. Cow &
3. Ram or any of its family which
includes Ram, Sheep or Goat etc.
If it’s a Donkey you want to
purchase, it must be up to 7 people that can add money together to sacrifice one
Donkey. If it is a Cow, the same applies as for a camel, 2, 3 or 4 people
cannot add resources except 7 people. If it is a Ram or any of its
family, one person will purchase one in the Ram family as you cannot put
resources together, you can sacrifice any from this family depending on what
you have as cash, you are not to borrow such.
If you have the intention of slaughtering an animal for Eid, you should not cut your nails or hair after the moon of Dhul-Hajjah has been sighted, do not cut or trim your hair and nails until you have offered the sacrifice. As Rasul Allah (saw) has ordered:
“When any one of you intending to sacrifice the animal enters in the month (of Dhu’l-Hijja) he should not get his hair or nails touched (cut)” (Muslim 22: 4870). Anyone forced to shave must compensate by fasting or charity as in Q2:196. Though, these days when only few of us follow the Islamic Calendar, the observant of the about may be difficult as majority don’t know when each of Islamic month starts or ends.
The animal should belong to the person who is offering the sacrifice, or he should have permission for that either on the grounds of sharee’ah or from the owner. The sacrifice is not valid if the animal slaughtered does not belong to the person who is sacrificing it, such as one that has been taken by force, stolen, or taken on the basis of a false claim, etc., because it is not permissible to draw closer to Allah by means of sin. A sacrifice offered by the guardian of an orphan from the orphan’s property is valid if that is customary and if he feels sad about not offering a sacrifice. A sacrifice offered by a guardian from the property of the person under his care is valid, if done with permission. The sacrifice of an animal that is held in pledge is not valid.
It should be slaughtered at the time specified in sharee’ah, which is from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Sacrifice until sunset on the last of the days of al-Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So the days when the sacrificed may be offered are four: the day of Eid after the prayer, and the three days after that. Whoever slaughters it before the Eid prayer is over, or after sun sets on the 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah, his sacrifice is not valid, because of the hadith narrated by al-Bukhaari from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever slaughters (his sacrifice) before the prayer, it is meat that he has brought to his family, but that is not the sacrifice.” And he narrated that Jundub ibn Sufyaan al-Bajali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying, ‘Whoever slaughters the sacrifice before he prays, let him replace it with another.’” And it was narrated that Nubayshah al-Hadhali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘The days of al-Tashreeq are the days of eating, drinking (Not Alcohol) and remembering Allah.’” Narrated by Muslim.
But if he has an excuse for delaying it beyond the days of Tashreeq, such as if the animal ran away, without there being any negligence on his part, and he could not find it until after the time was over, or he appointed someone else to slaughter it and that person forgot until the time was over, then there is nothing wrong with slaughtering it after the appointed time. This is by analogy with the one who sleeps and misses a prayer, or forgets it – he should pray it as soon as he wakes up or remember it.
It is permissible to slaughter Animal
at any time, night or day, but it is better to slaughter it during the day, and
it is better to slaughter on the day of Eid after the two khutbahs. Each day is
better than the day that follows it, because that means that one is hastening
to do good.
Sayeduna Ali (Karam Allahu wajahaul kareem) narrates that the Beloved Prophet (SAW) said, “Four animals are not proper for Qurbani:
1) One eyed whose one eyed ness is
evident
2) Ill whose illness is visible
3) Crippled whose crippled ness
is visible
4) Thin whose bones don’t have marrow
(Imam Ahmad, Tirmizi, Abu Dawood, Nasaee, Ibnu Majah, Darmi)
Also, Sayeduna Ali (Karam Allahu wajahaul kareem) narrates that, “Rasul Allahu (SAW) stopped us from Qurbani of [an animal whose] ears are cut and horns are broken. (Imam Ahmad, Ibnu Majah)
The Animal to be sacrificed
should have reached the age stipulated in sharee’ah, which is one year for a
sheep and the age at which the animal is considered to be an adult for any
other animal, because the Prophet (SAW) said: “Do not sacrifice anything but an
adult animal, unless it is difficult for you, in which case you may slaughter a
six-month old lamb (jadh’ah).” Narrated by Muslim.
A mature animal means one that is
considered to be an adult. In the case of camels it means one that is five
years old. For cattle, it means one that is two years old. For sheep it means
one that is a year old.
HOW TO SLAUGHTER THE ANIMAL
Place the animal for Sacrifice on
the left side in such a way that its’ face is towards the Qibla and put the
left leg on its side. And say this duaa before slaughtering:
Then slaughter the animal with a sharp knife whilst reading:(Allahumo laqa wa minqa, Bismillahi Allahu Akbar)
Answer
the below questions correctly and win fantastic prize from on islam deen
digest, send your answer to onislam.nigeria@yahoo.com
with your name, city, and phone number. Note: the first 10 entries win the
prize.
(1)
Eid al-Adha is also called Eid ul
Fitr ( A) True (B)
False
(2) Eid
al-Adha commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice a ram (A) True (B)
False
(3)
Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the
12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah (A) True (B)
False
(4)
Eid al-Adha starts with the
annual pilgrimage (A) True (B) False
(5) Animal with any obvious deformity is
not good for Sacrifice (A) True (B) False
(6) Male or female camel, cow, buffalo,
goat, sheep, and ram are all permissible (A) True (B) False
(7) If one purposely did not say Arabic
text (that is, did not take the name of Allah) then the animal
is haraam. If he forgot then the
animal is halal (A) True (B) False
