Invite
(all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching...
[Quran 16:125]
The
Deen of Islam is beautiful in every way and therefore invites people
to Islam with beautiful preaching. The Great Teacher of Mankind (peace
be upon him) has demonstrated that the most effective teaching is not
mere lip service but lessons supported by deed and action.
Islam
not only laid down the rights for humans regardless of race, colour
or creed but also promulgated this for animals as well. Animals, like
humans are among the creations of Almighty Allah. Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) was not only sent as a mercy to Mankind but as a blessing
to all creatures as the Quran testifies:
We
sent thee not, but as a Mercy for the Worlds [Al-Ambiyaa Surah 21:107]
Some
Muslims appear to have a callous attitude when dealing with animals
giving the impression that maybe the religion has no consideration for
them. We condemn this disservice to Islam in the strongest of terms
and urge the community to eradicate this errant behaviour through education
with assistance from your local Ulama.
Some
non Muslim animal rights activists have engaged with us and raised their
concerns. We welcome these initiatives and are willing to undertake
ongoing joint educational programmes. We have also received complaints
from some members of community organisations that they have had visits
from “officials” of animal rights
groups laying down the law to them and in some cases with a confrontational
approach. In the interests of uniformity, harmony and without compromise
to our Islamic rights, we urge you to refer these queries to us.
Jews,
Christians and Muslims believe that the Prophet Ebrahim (peace be
upon him) was commanded to sacrifice his son, Ismail according
to Muslims and Isaac according to the others (peace be upon them both).
The annual festival of sacrifice, Eid ul Adha is a commemoration of
this.
Qurbani
is derived from the Arabic root word qurban meaning closeness or nearness
i.e. to Allah Almighty. In the Arab world the preferred terminology
is Udh-hiyyah.
It
is stated in the Noble Quran that “It is not the meat
nor the blood that reaches Allah but it is the piety from you”
(Surah al Hajj, Verse 37).
The
period for Qurbani commences after the Eid prayer (10th Zul Hijjah)
and ends before Maghrib (evening prayer) on the 12th Zul Hajjah.
THE
DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ANIMALS FOR SACRIFICE:
1.
CATTLE and CAMEL
Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Quran: ‘Verily
Allah Ta’aala commands you to slaughter the cow’
(Surah al Baqarah, Verse 67).
They
should be two years old or more. Seven persons can be partners in the
Qurbani of these large animals.
2.
SHEEP, LAMB AND GOATS
A verse of the Quran reads, ‘And we have compensated
him (Ebrahim alayhis salaam) with a great sacrifice’ (Surah
al Saffaat, Verse 107).
They
should be one year old or more, but in the case of sheep, at least six
months old.
A FEW RULES REGARDING SLAUGHTER
1.
The knife has to be sharp to enable a swift cut and minimize pain. The
name of Almighty Allah must be pronounced and the animal must be completely
bled before skinning commences.
2.
If the slaughterer omits the Tasmiyah (incantation) of “In
the Name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest” intentionally,
the animal will not be permissible to eat.
3.
The incision should be made below the Adams apple, (i.e. between the
throat and the upper part of the chest).
4.
The swift cut that involves the windpipe (trachea), gullet (oesophagus)
and the two major arteries without severing the spinal cord results
in bleeding. This purifies the meat by removing the impure blood that
acts as a medium for micro organisms and bacteria.
5.
The intention of the sacrifice is of extreme importance to the end result.
For example if a person slaughters an animal with the sole intention
of securing meat for BBQ or Braai, then Qurbani will not have been offered.
6.
Every person is encouraged to slaughter his/her own animal. If one is
unable to slaughter, then at least one should be present to witness
the slaughter of his/her sacrificial animal.
7.
It is not permissible to use animals for Qurbani which have defects
such as having more than a third of the tail, horn, or ear cut off,
and also such animals that are unable to walk to the place of slaughter.
8.
After slaughtering a Qurbani animal we should read the following du’aa:
‘O Allah accept this sacrifice
from me as you have accepted from your beloved Nabi Muhammad (peace
be upon him) and your friend Ebrahim (peace be upon him)’
A
FEW DESIRABLE (MUSTAHAB) ACTS OF QURBANI
1.
To face Qiblah when slaughtering
2. It is recommended that one’s Qurbani should be distributed
in three portions, a third for oneself, a third for one’s relatives
and a third for the poor
A
FEW UNDESIRABLE (MAKROOH) ACTS OF QURBANI
1.
Slaughtering an animal whilst other animals are looking on.
2. Sharpening the knife in front of the animal to be slaughtered.
3. Placing the head of a live animal in the blood of other animals that
were slaughtered.
4. Delaying the actual slaughter when the animal is already laid on
the ground.
5. Using a blunt knife
6. Breaking the neck of an animal while still alive i.e. immediately
after slaughter, whilst there is movement in the animal.
7. Commencing with skinning the animal while there are still signs of
life.
The
Prophet (peace be upon him) strongly warned those persons who have the
means to do Qurbani but do not carry out this important function, “He
who has the means to do Qurbani but does not do so should not attend
Eid Prayer.”
NOTICE:
Our offices will be closed for Eid ul Adha on 7th and 8th November 2011.