Sacrifice (Udhiyyah/Qurbāni): Philosophy and Rules
The Urdu and Persian word “qurbāni”
(sacrificial slaughter) is derived from the Arabic word “qurbān.”
Lexically, it means an act performed to seek Allah’s pleasure.
Originally, the word qurbān included all acts of charity because the
purpose of charity is nothing but to seek Allah’s pleasure. But, in
precise religious terminology, the word was later confined to the
sacrifice of an animal slaughtered for the sake of Allah.
The sacrifice of an animal has always
been treated as a recognized form of worship in all religious orders
originating from a divine book. Even in pagan societies, the sacrifice
of an animal is recognized as a form of worship, but it is done in the
name of some idols and not in the name of Allah, a practice totally
rejected by Islam.
In the Shari’ah of our beloved Prophet ﷺ
the sacrifice of an animal has been recognized as a form of worship
only during three days of Dhu ‘l-Hijjah, namely the 10th, 11th, and 12th
of the month. This is to commemorate the unparalleled sacrifice offered
by the Prophet Sayyiduna Ibrahim عليه السلام when he, in answering a
command of Allah conveyed to him in a dream, prepared himself to
slaughter his beloved son, Sayyiduna Ismā’īl عليه السلام. He actually
did follow through but Allah Almighty, after testing his submission,
sent down a sheep and saved his son from the logical fate of slaughter.
It is from that time onwards that the sacrifice of an animal became an
obligatory duty to be performed by every well-to-do Muslim.
Qurbāni is a demonstration of total
submission to Allah and a proof of complete obedience to Allah’s will
and command. When a Muslim offers a qurbāni, this is exactly what he
intends to prove. Thus, the qurbāni offered by a Muslim signifies that
he is a slave of Allah at his best and that he would not hesitate even
for a moment – once he receives an absolute command from his Creator –
to surrender before it, to obey it willingly, even if it be at the price
of his life and possessions. When a true and perfect Muslim receives a
command from Allah, he does not make his obedience dependent upon the
command’s reasonability as perceived through his limited understanding.
He knows that Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise and that [human] reason
cannot encompass the knowledge and wisdom underlying the divine command.
He therefore submits to the divine command, even if he cannot grasp the
reason or wisdom behind it.
This is exactly what Prophet
Ibrahim عليه السلام did. Apparently, there was no reason why a father
should slaughter his innocent son. But when came the command from Allah,
he never asked about the reason for that command, nor did he hesitate
to follow it. Even his minor son when asked by his father about the
dream he had seen never questioned the legitimacy of the command, nor
did he [complain] about it, nor did he ask for one good reason as to why
he was being slaughtered. The one and only response he made was: “Father, do what you have been ordered to do. You shall find me, God willing, among the patient.”(Qur’an, 37:102)
The present-day qurbāni is offered in
memory of this great model of submission set before us by the great
father and the great son. So qurbāni must be offered in our time
emulating the same ideal and attitude of submission.
This, then, is the true philosophy of
qurbāni. With this in mind, one can easily unveil the fallacy of those
who raise objections against qurbāni on the basis of economic
calculations and depict it to be a wastage of money, resources, and
livestock. Unable to see beyond mundane benefits, they cannot understand
the spirit Islam wishes to plant and nourish among its followers: the
spirit of total submission to Allah’s will which equips man with the
most superior qualities so necessary to keep humanity in a state of
lasting peace and welfare.
Qurbāni is nothing but a powerful
symbol of the required human conduct vis-a-vis the divine commands,
however “irrational” or “uneconomic” they may seem to be in their
appearance. Thus, the distrustful quest for mundane economic benefits
behind qurbāni is, in fact, the negation of its real philosophy and the
very spirit underlying it.
No doubt, there are certain worldly
benefits as well in every form of worship ordained by Allah, but they
are not the main purpose of these prescribed duties, nor should they be
treated as a pre-condition to submission and obedience. All acts of
worship, including qurbāni, must be carried out with a spirit of total
submission to Allah, irrespective of their economic, social, or
political benefits. This is what Ibrahim عليه السلام did, and this is
what every true Muslim is required to do.
Keeping this in view, we are giving
here some rules governing the worship of qurbāni in our Shari’ah
according to the Hanafi school of law.
The Time of Qurbāni
Qurbāni can only be performed during
the three days of Eid, namely the 10th, 11th, and 12th of Dhu ‘l-Hijjah.
It is only in these days that slaughtering an animal is recognized as
an act of worship. No qurbāni can be performed on any other day of the
year.
Although qurbāni is permissible on each
of the three aforementioned days, it is preferable to perform it on the
first day (i.e. the 10th of Dhu ‘l-Hijjah). Qurbāni is not allowed before the
completion of Eid prayer. However, in small villages where the Eid
prayer is not to be performed, qurbāni can be offered at any time after
the break of dawn on the 10th of Dhu ‘l-Hijjah. Qurbāni can also be performed in the two nights following the Eid day, but it is more advisable to perform it during daytime.
Who is Required to Perform Qurbāni?
Every adult Muslim, male or female, who
owns 613.35 grams of silver or its equivalent in money, personal
ornaments, stock-in-trade, or any other form of wealth which is surplus
to his/her basic needs, is under an obligation to offer a qurbāni. Each adult member of a family who owns the above mentioned amount must perform his own qurbāni separately.
If the husband owns the required quantity, but the wife does not, the
qurbāni is obligatory on the husband only, and vice-versa. If both of
them have the prescribed amount of wealth, both should perform qurbāni separately.
If the adult children live with their
parents, qurbāni is obligatory upon each one of them who possesses the
prescribed amount. The qurbāni offered by a husband for himself does not
fulfill the obligation of his wife, nor can the qurbāni offered by a
father discharge his son or daughter from their obligation. Each one of
them should care for his own.
However, if a husband or a father –
apart from offering his own qurbāni – gives another qurbāni on behalf of
his wife or his son, he can do so with their permission.
No Alternate for Qurbāni
Some people think that instead of
offering a qurbāni they should give its amount to some poor people as
charity. This approach is completely incorrect. In reality there are different forms of
worship obligatory on Muslims. Each one of them has its own importance
and none of them can stand in place of the other. It is not permissible
for a Muslim to perform salāh instead of fasting in Ramadān, nor is it
permissible for him to give some charity instead of observing the
obligatory salāh.
Similarly, qurbāni is an independent form of worship and this obligation cannot be discharged by spending money in charity.
However, if someone out of his
ignorance or negligence did not offer qurbāni on the three prescribed
days (10th, 11th, and 12th Dhu ‘l-Hijjah), then in that case only he can
give the price of a qurbāni as sadaqah to those entitled to receive
zakāt. But during the days of qurbāni no sadaqah can discharge the
obligation of qurbāni.
The Animals of Qurbāni
The following animals can be slaughtered to offer a qurbāni:
1. Goat, either male or female, of at least one year of age.
2. Sheep, either male or female, of at least six months of age.
3. Cow, ox, buffalo of at least two years of age.
4. Camel, male or female, of at least five years of age.
One head of goat or sheep is enough
only for one person’s qurbāni. But as for all other animals like cow,
buffalo, or camel, one head of each is equal to seven offerings, thus
allowing seven persons to offer qurbāni jointly in one such animal.
If the seller of the animal claims that
the animal is of the recognized age and there is no apparent evidence
to the contrary, one can trust his statement and the sacrifice of such
an animal is lawful.
Rules About Defective Animals
The following defective animals are not acceptable in qurbāni:
1. Blind, one eyed, or lame animal.
2. An animal so emaciated that it cannot walk to its slaughtering place.
3. An animal with one-third part of the ear, or the nose, or the tail missing.
4. An animal that has no teeth at all, or the majority number of its teeth are missing.
5. An animal born without ears.
The following animals are acceptable in qurbāni:
1. A castrated he-goat (rather, its qurbāni is more preferable).
2. An
animal that has no horns, or its horns are broken. However, if the horns
of an animal are uprooted completely so as to create a defect in the
brain, its qurbāni is not lawful.
3. An animal the missing part of whose ear, nose or tail is less than one third.
4. A sick or injured animal, unless it has some above-mentioned defects rendering its qurbāni unlawful.
The Sunnah Method of Qurbāni
It is more preferable for a Muslim to
slaughter the animal of his qurbāni with his own hands. However, if he
is unable to slaughter the animal himself, or does not want to do so for
some reason, he can request another person to slaughter it on his
behalf. In this case also, it is more preferable that he at least be
present at the time of slaughter. However, his absence at the time of
slaughter does not render the qurbāni invalid if he has authorized the
person who slaughtered the animal on his behalf. It is a sunnah to lay the animal with its face towards the qiblah, and to recite the following verse of the Holy Qur’an: “I, being
upright, turn my face towards the One who has created the heavens and
the earth, and I am not among those who associate partners with Allah.” (Surat al-An’ām, 79)
The most essential recitation, however, when slaughtering an animal is:
بسم الله، الله أكبر
Bismillah, Allahu Akbar.
(In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest).
(In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest).
If one intentionally avoids reciting it
when slaughtering an animal, it does not only make his qurbāni unlawful
but also renders the animal harām, and it is not permissible to eat the
meat of that animal. However, if a person did not avoid this recitation
intentionally, but he forgot to recite it when slaughtering the animal,
this mistake is forgiven and both the qurbāni and the slaughter are
lawful. If a person is unable to recite Bismillah, Allahu Akbar in the Arabic language, he can recite the name of Allah in his own language by saying, “In the name of Allah.”
Distribution of the Meat
If an animal is sacrificed by more than
one person, like a cow or camel, its meat should be distributed equally
among its owners by weighing the meat strictly and not at random or by
mere guess. Even if all the partners agree on its distribution without
weighing, it is still not permissible according to the shari’ah.
However, if the actual weighing is not
practical due to some reason, and all the partners agree to distribute
the meat without weighing, distribution by guess can be done with the
condition that each share necessarily contains either a leg of the
animal or some quantity of its liver.
Although the person offering a qurbāni
can keep all its meat for his own use, it is preferable to distribute
one-third amongst the poor, another one-third amongst his relatives, and
then keep the remainder for his personal consumption.
All parts of the sacrificed animal can
be used for personal benefit, but none can be sold and cannot be given
to the butcher as part of his wages. If a person has sold the meat of
the qurbāni or its skin, he must give the accrued price as sadaqah to a
poor man who is eligible to receive zakāt.
By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani
