The Significance of Hajj & Qurbaani

Transcription

1 ا ع و ذ ب اہ لل م ن الش ی ط ن الر ج ی م ا ل ح م د ہ ل ل ک م ا ھ و ا ھ ل ہ و الص ل وۃ و الس ل م ع ل ی س ی د و ل د اد م ک م ا ی ح ب و ی ر ض ی ب ا ن ی ص ل ی ع ل ی ہ In The Name Of Allah The Most Compassionate Very Merciful All Praise Due To Allah And Peace And Blessings Be Upon His Beloved Messenger The Significance of Hajj & Qurbaani ہہ س اع ہال ی ہبی ل ا ط ہت ہ ن است ب م ع ہل لہ ل الن ا ہس ی ہحج ال And for the sake of Allah, the people is to perform Hajj pilgrimage to this House, who could find a way thither. (Aale Imraan 3, Verse 97) What is Hajj? The literal meaning of Hajj is to travel and to intend. Muslims travel to Makkah with the intention of seeing the Holy Ka bah; that is why it is called Hajj. In Islamic terminology, Hajj means to wear an Ehram and perform some actions; like, Tawaf of the Ka bah and be in certain places ( Arafat, Muzdalifah etc) on certain days to perform specific worships. The technical definition of Hajj according to Shari ah: Hajj is the name of those acts which are performed after entering into the state of Ihram with the intention of Hajj. They comprise of Fard, Tawaaf of Ka bah Shareef, Wuquf (stay) at Arafaat and some Wajibat (obligatory actions) which are performed in a given order at appointed times. و Call for Hajj When Hazrat Ibrahim and Isma eel (peace be upon Him) completed the construction of the Holy Ka bah, Allah Almighty said to Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon Him): 1

2 و ا ذ ن ف ی الن اس ب ال ح ج ی ا ت و ک ر ج ا ل ا و ع ل ی ک ل ض ام ر ی ا ت ی ن م ن ک ل ف ج ع م ی ق ۷۲ And proclaim among people the pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel coming from every distant track.' (Al-Hajj 22, Verse 27) Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) climbed the Mount Abu Qubais and made an announcement to all human beings to come and perform Hajj. Those whose destiny was to perform Hajj, replied from within the loins of their fathers and the wombs of their mothers and said, I am present, O my Lord! (Labbaik) here I am. (Tafseer Khaza in Al- Irfan) Unparalleled Hajj & Qurbani Hazrat Taa oos (may Allah shower mercy upon him) states: I was once going for Hajj with a caravan of people. I saw a child in the caravan that did not carry with him any necessities of the journey. When I asked him, Why did you begin the journey if you did not have the means? He recited the following verse: الزا ہد الت ق وی ف ہان خ ی The best provision is piety. (Al-Baqarah 2, Verse 197) I said, Piety and Allah s fear is something else than the necessities of the journey; food and water etc. O uncle! Going to the house of the generous and taking the food etc. along is very inappropriate replied the boy. However, when everyone tied the Ihraam and began to proclaim Labbaik and proceeded further, the boy remained silent. When I asked him, Why don t you proclaim Labbaik?! He replied, I fear that lest I hear No Labbaik (You are not welcome) in response to my Labbaik (I am present [O Allah]). He then fainted and fell on me. I cried upon observing this state, thinking that this small child fears Allah so much in this age; what will we do if the independent Allah rejects us and does not accept our Hajj and does not forgive us?!... He then began to weep and the entire caravan also wept with him. When they reached the plain of Mina and everyone offered Qurbani, the boy said, O Allah! Everyone is offering sacrifice in your court but I do not have anything to sacrifice for You except my life. I sacrifice my life for You. Saying this, he proclaimed in ecstasy and his soul was sacrificed for Allah s sake. What Is Sacrifice or Qurbani? The word Qurbani that is used in the Urdu language is pronounced as Qurbaanun in the Arabic language as mentioned in the Holy Qur an. Qurbaanun is derived from the root word Qurb which means being close. In other words, sacrifice is a means of obtaining closeness to Allah Almighty for those who perform it with sincerity. 2

3 The Philosophy of Sacrifice There are two kinds of monetary worships. The first is to give away the possession of it, meaning, to give charity in the form of Sadqa or Zakat etc. The second kind is through losing or destroying something for the sake and pleasure of Allah Almighty; like, freeing a slave etc. Both these concepts of worship are present in Qurbani, that an animal is slaughtered and its blood is shed to gain closeness to Allah Almighty this is worship through giving away possession as money is spent in buying the animal for sacrifice and the meat of the animal is given to the poor and this is worship through giving away possession. The Quranic Concept of Qurbani/Sacrifice ق ل ا ن ص ل ات ی و ن س ک ی و م ح ی ای و م م ات ی ل ل ہ ر ب ال ع ل م ی ن ۲۶۷ Say you, 'Undoubtedly, my prayer, and my sacrifices, and my living and my dying are all for Allah, Who is the Lord of all the worlds.' (Al-An aam 6, Verse 162) The above-mentioned verse wholly sheds light upon the true Islamic ideology. Islam expects the servants to eat, drink, sleep, sit, stand, live and die only for Allah s sake; every deed from amongst the countless deeds must be for the sake of Allah Almighty. When the heart is overwhelmed by the dashing waves of love and devotion the submissive forehead advances to bow in the holy court of the Supreme Lord. It was on His command that Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) placed his neck under the knife. It was for the sake of elevating His glorious name that numerous Companions of the holy Prophet (peace be upon Him and His Companions) bore the spears into their chests and Hazrat Imam Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) got his throat slit on the burning plain of Karbala. They were the miracles of the perfection of true love and devotion but Allah Almighty still puts His chosen servants through test despite being aware of the emotional state of the servant that these feet are not to be shaken due to the turmoil and these eyes are not to flow tears due to hardship, so that the reward he bestows upon them upon succeeding in the test, they become the guideline for the next generations to come till the day of Judgment. He tested Harzat Ibraheem s (peace be upon Him) trustworthiness by getting Him thrown into the fire and He also examined the patience of Hazrat Imam Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) by placing him under the daggers of enemies. This very motion of perfect love and devotion is the soul of all the Islamic essentials and it is, in fact, the Islamic philosophy. So let us remember the torch of love and devotion, expressing our love, and proclaim in one voice WE MISS YOU HAZRAT ISMA EEL (Alaik Al-Salaam)! 3

4 The glorious Quran bears witness of His true submission to Allah s command as follows: ف ل م ا ب ل غ م ع ہ الس ع ی ق ال ی ب ن ی ا ن ی ا ری ف ی ال م ن ام ا ن ی ا ذ ب ح ک ف ان ظ ر م اذ ا ت ری ق ال ی ا ب ت اف ع ل م ا ت ؤ م ر س ت ج د ن ی ا ن ش ا ء اللہ م ن الص ب ر ی ن ۲۰۷ Then when he became able to work with him, he said, 'O my son, I have dreamt that I am slaughtering you, now look, what is your opinion'. He said, 'O my father, do as you are commanded, Allah willing, it is near that you will find me patient.' (Al-Saaffaat 37, Verse 102) The True Historical Event of Hazrat Isma eel s (Peace be upon Him) Sacrifice Imam Ibn Jareer Tabri narrates the following: When Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) was commanded to sacrifice His son He instructed His son, Take this rope and knife and give me a walk to the valley so that we can cut some wood for home. He did not mention to the son what He intended from going to the valley. Allah s enemy, Iblees took the shape of a man and joined Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) so that he may keep him away from this sacrifice. He approached him and asked, Where are you going, sir? Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) replied, I am going to the valley to do my work. The devil said, I suppose that it was the devil who came in your dream and commanded you to sacrifice your son. Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) recognised him and said, Go away from me, O Allah s enemy! Indeed I shall definitely obey Allah s command! When Iblees failed to manipulate Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) he proceeded towards His son who was walking behind his father. He told him, O my son! Do you have any idea as to where your father is taking you? We are going to cut some wood in the valley He replied. The devil then said, By God! He is taking you there to slaughter you! He asked, Why would he do that? Because He assumes to be summoned to do this by His Lord replied the devil. He said, Well, then He ought to obey the command of His Lord. He then went to the child s mother and told her, Did you know where your husband has taken your son? He went to the valley to cut wood she replied. The devil said, By God! He has taken Him there for nothing but to slaughter him. He is very kind to his child and loves him very much she said. The devil said, In his opinion, he thinks that he is commanded by Allah to slaughter His child. The mother said, If this was the command of his Lord then he did something very good by obeying His command and submitted to His command. Allah s enemy, Iblees returned hopeless and failed in his attempt to mislead Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) and His Household. 4

5 Upon reaching the valley of Mount Thabeer, Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) told his son, O my son! I have seen in my dream that I am offering your sacrifice. Now, you should decide and let me know about your decision. His son said: 'O my father, do as you are commanded, Allah willing, it is near that you will find me patient.' (Al-Saaffaat 37, Verse 102) ف ل م ا ا س ل م ا و ت ل ہ ل ل ج ب ی ن ۲۰۱ Then when they both submitted to My command and the father laid down his son on forehead. (Al-Saaffaat 37, Verse 103) The son told the father, O my dear father! If you are prepared to slaughter me then tie me tightly with the rope so that my blood does not splash on you and my reward does not decrease, for the death is very difficult and neither am I safe from suffering and moving. Sharpen your knife so that it slits me easily. Lie me on my face when slaughtering and do not lie me on my side, for I fear that your heart may soften upon looking at my face and it may become an obstacle for you in fulfilling Allah s command, and if you think it s appropriate then give my shirt to my mother, for it will be a means of condolence for her and she will have patience. Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) said, Oh my son! How helpful you are being to me in fulfilling the command of Allah! And then He did as Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) instructed him; he tied him nicely, sharpened his knife, lied him on his face and moved away his eyes from the face and when he struck the knife on his throat Allah Almighty turned the knife upside down in his hand. Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) then turned the knife so that He may get the job done. A voice came: O Ibraheem! Undoubtedly, you have fulfilled the vision. This sacrifice is the compensation on behalf of your son. Slaughter this in lieu of your son. Allah Almighty stated: Then when they both submitted to My command and the father laid down his son on forehead. While the slaughtering object is usually laid down on face, but this is relevant to what Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) advised His father. This hadeeth is true in my view and in compliance with Quran. (Tareekh Al-Umam Wal Mulook Vol. 1, p. 195; Al-Kaamil Fi Al-Tareekh Vol. 2, p. 63; Tafseer Tha labi Vol. 8, p. 154; Ma aalim Al-Tanzeel Vol. 4, p. 36; Khaazin Vol. 4, p. 22; Al-Mustadrak Vol. 2, p. 255; Al-Kashshaaf Vol. 4, p. 57) The Historical Sketch of the Sacrifice Of the Ram The holy event is stated in the glorious Quran as follows: و ن د ی ن ہ ا ن ی ا ب ر ہ ی م ۲۰۱ 5

6 We called to him, O Ibrahim, ق د ص د ق ت الر ء ی ا ا ن ا ک ذ ل ک ن ج ز ی ال م ح س ن ی ن ۲۰۱ Undoubtedly, you have fulfilled the vision; thus, We recompense the righteous. ا ن ہ ذ ا ل ہ و ال ب ل ؤ ا ال م ب ی ن ۲۰۶ No doubt, it was a bright test. و ف د ی ن ہ ب ذ ب ح ع ظ ی م ۲۰۲ And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. (Al-Saaffaat 37, Verse ) Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, A ram that was grazing in paradise for forty years was taken out of paradise. Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) went to the first Jamrah and stoned it with seven pebbles after sending his son, then proceeded towards the central Jamrah and stoned it with seven pebbles and then moved to the biggest Jamrah and stoned it with seven pebbles. He headed towards the place of Sacrifice in Mina afterwards and slaughtered that ram. Hazrat Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, I swear on the one in whose hand my life is! Initially the head of that ram was hanging from Meezaab Al-Rahmah (The drain of Mercy) with its horns intact and then its head had completely dried. Furthermore, Imam Ibn Jareer Tabri narrates with his chain of narrators: When Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon him) was commanded to perform the essentials of Hajj, the devil came to him Hazrat Jibra eel (peace be upon Him) took him to the Jamrah Uqbah. When the devil approached him there he stoned him with seven pebbles and he ran away, and when he moved from there the devil approached the middle Jamrah. He again stoned him with seven pebbles and he ran away. Ultimately, he lied down Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) on forehead. Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) had a white shirt on, he said, Dear father, I do not have any other clothes besides this shirt in which you may bury me. Take it off and keep it by you and make this my coffin, and then suddenly, when Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) turned and looked back He saw a white ram with big eyes and white horns. Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) slaughtered it. Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, It is for this reason that we search for this kind of ram for Qurbani. Hazrat Sa eed Ibn Jubair narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the ram Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) had slaughtered belonged to the same species which the son of Hazrat Adam (peace be upon Him) had sacrificed and Qurbani was accepted. The lamb was greyish and its wool was of red colour. (Tareekh Al-Umam Wal Mulook, Vol. 1, p ) 6

7 Imam Abdur Rahmaan Ibn Ali Al-Jawzy and Imam Muhammad Ibn Al-Atheer Al- Jazri also narrated the event of Hazrat Isma eel s (peace be upon Him) sacrifice with the similar details. (Al-Muntazam, Vol. 1, p ; Al-Kaamil Fi Al-Tareekh Vol. 1, p ) From amongst the great Mufassiroon, Imam Nishapoori D. 428 A.H., Imam Baghwi D. 516 A.H. and the author of Tafseer Al-Khaazin, Allamah Alaauddeen Ali Ibn Al- Khaazin D. 725, have also mentioned the event with similar details. Imam Nishapoori has mentioned it with his chain of narrators and Allamah Zemakhshari D.538 A.H., the author of Tafseer Al-Kashshaaf, has also mentioned it. (Al-Kashf Wal Bayaan, Vol. 8, p ; Ma aalim Al-Tanzeel, Vol. 4, p ; Lubaab Al-Taweel, Vol. 4, p ; Al-Mustadrak, Vol. 2, p ; Tafseer Al- Kashshaaf, Vol. 4, p. 57) Speaking of the ram which was slaughtered in lieu of Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) the historians said that its horns were hung from the Mizaab of Ka bah Shareef as mentioned in the following Hadeeth: Hazrat Safiyyah Bint Shaibah narrated that a woman from the tribe of Banu Saleem told me that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) called Hazrat Uthmaan Ibn Talha, I asked Hazrat Uthmaan as to why had Allah s Messenger (peace be upon Him) called you? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) stated that when he entered the House of Allah I saw two horns of ram and I forgot to tell you that you should cover those horns, so now, you should cover them, for there should not be anything in the House of Allah that can draw a Musalli s attention. Sufyaan said, Both the horns were kept in the House of Allah until it was caught by fire and the horns were burnt. (Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 4, p. 69; Al-Bidaayah Wal-Nihaayah, Vol. 1, p. 235; Tafseer Al-Durr Manthoor, Vol. 7, p. 100) The Event of Hazrat Isma eel s (peace be upon Him) Sacrifice in Torah (Hazrat) Abraham s (peace be upon Him) wife (Hazrat) Sarah (may Allah be pleased with her) did not have a child. She had an Egyptian slave-lady whose name was (Hazrat) Hajerah (may Allah be pleased with her). And (Hazrat) Sarah (may Allah be pleased with her) told (Hazrat) Abraham (peace be upon Him) that as you can see that the Lord has deprived me of a child, go to my slave-lady (Hazrat) Hajerah (may Allah be pleased with her). My house may get blessed through her. (Hazrat) Abraham (peace be upon Him) adhered to (Hazrat) Sarah s (may Allah be pleased with her) advice. And when (Hazrat) Abraham (peace be upon Him) had spent ten years living in the country of Kan aan (Hazrat) Sarah (may Allah be pleased with 7

8 her) gave him her slave-lady to become his wife. He went to (Hazrat) Hajerah (may Allah be pleased with her) and she fell pregnant, and when she knew that she had fallen pregnant, she began to have a low opinion of her master. (Chapter of Birth, 16, verse 1-4; Torah, p. 16, Pakistan Bible society, Lahore, 1992) And the Angel of the Lord told her, You are pregnant and you will bear a son whose name will be Isma eel, for the Lord has listened to your plea. (Chapter of Birth, 16, verse 11; Torah, p. 16, Pakistan Bible society, Lahore, 1992) It so happened after that, the Lord put (Hazrat) Abraham (peace be upon Him) through a test and said, O Abraham! He said, Yes, my Lord. Then He commanded him, You should take your only son, (Hazrat) Isaac [Is haaq, peace be upon Him) (In fact, Hazrat Isma eel [peace be upon Him]) whom you love, along with you to the country of Mooryaah and then from there, take Him to one of the mountains, which I will tell you, so that you may offer him as a sacrifice. (Chapter of Birth, 22, verse 1-2; Torah, p. 21, Pakistan Bible society, Lahore, 1992) The point to be noted here is that Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) was commanded to sacrifice his sole descendant and Hazrat Is haaq (Isaac, peace be upon Him) was not his only son, for Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) who was born 14 years earlier than Him already existed and he (Hazrat Isma eel [peace be upon Him]) was the only son. The jews replaced His name with Hazrat Isaac s (Is haaq [peace be upon Them]) name but the term your only son mentioned in the verse displays their interpolation! Hazrat Isma eel s (Peace Be Upon Him) Throat Remained Protected From Being Slaughtered Because of Our Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) It was destined by Allah Almighty that Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) will not be slaughtered, so that his progeny may spread, because the light of our Prophet, our Master, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon Him) was transmitted into Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him), and how could a knife cut the one who carried his Noor, for he (Huzoor) himself has stated: Everything has the knowledge that I am the Messenger of Allah. (Al-Mu jam Al-Kabeer, Vol. 2, 262) Hadeeth: Hazrat Waasilah Ibn Al-Asqa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) said, Indeed, Allah Almighty chose 8

9 ہ Kenaanah from the progeny of Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him), and chose Quraish from the children of Kenaanah, and chose Banu Haashim from the Quraish, and He chose me from banu haashim. (Sahih Muslim, The chapter of the excellence of the Prophet s lineage [peace be upon Him, His Household and all His Companions], Hadeeth No. 2276/5828; Tirmidhi, Hadeeth No. 3605, Musnad Abu Ya la, Hadeeth No. 7485; Sahih Ibn Hibbaan, Hadeeth No. 6242, Al-Mu jam Al-Kabeer, Vol. 22, p. 161; Dalaa il Al-Nubuwwah Vol. 1, p. 166; Sharhus Sunnah Hadeeth No, 3613) This unfolds the secret of his safety and sacredness of Hazrat Isma eel s (peace be upon Him) life that he was saved through the means, medium and Waseelah of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon Him). Not Only Hazrat Isma eel (Peace Be Upon Him) But Every Muslim Was Saved Because Of Him The repentance of Hazrat Adam (peace be upon Him) was accepted when He made Du a through the medium of the holy Prophet (peace be upon Him) and even his birth was a blessing of the existence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), as the following Hadeeth reads: Hazrat Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) said, When the error was made by Hazrat Adam (peace be upon Him) he made Du a raising his head towards the sky and said, I ask You to forgive me through the medium of (Hazrat) Muhammad (peace be upon Him). Allah Almighty sent revelation towards Him, What is Muhammad and who is He? He then replied, Blessed is Your name; when You created me, I raised my head towards the sky and saw I knew it since,ل ا ا ل ہ ا ل ا الل ہ م ح م د ر س و ل الل ﷺ then, that there could be none more of a higher authority than whose name You have jointly written with Yours. Allah Almighty then sent revelation towards Him, O Adam! He is the last Prophet from your children and his nation is the last nation of your children, and O Adam, if it were not for Him I would not have created you. (Al-Mu jam Al-Sagheer, Vol. 2, p. 83; Al-Mu jam Al-Awsat # 6498; Al-Mustadrak, Vol. 4, p. 615; Dalaa il Al-Nubuwwah Vol. 5, p. 489; Al-Bidaayah Wal-Nihaayah Vol. 1, p. 81/Vol. 2, p. 322; Majmu ah Fatawa Ibn Taimiyah Vol. 2, p. 96) Similarly, the reason as to why Hazrat Nooh (peace be upon Him) was saved from drowning in the flood is that the light of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon Him) was in his back, and when Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) was thrown into the fire, he was safe from burning because his light was in his back, and likewise was the case of Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him). His father Hazrat Abdullah (may Allah 9

10 be pleased with him) was saved from being murdered because his light had been transmitted into him. In short, he was the medium for the safety and security of the existence of everyone from Hazrat Adam to Hazrat Abdullah (peace be upon them and may Allah be pleased with him). As it is the norm that the existence of the child depends on the existence of the father but here, it was totally opposite, he was the only individual whose existence was the key to their existence; from Hazrat Adam to Hazrat Abdullah whoever was blessed with existence, was blessed through His medium. Hadeeth: Hazrat Zaid Ibn Arqam reported that when his companions asked Him, O Allah s Messenger (peace be upon Him), what are these Qurbanies for? He said, They are the Sunnah of your father Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him). Qurabani Is a Means to Revive Our Spirituality The human heart is a processing machine for both the lust and devotion. The lust is a beast-like emotion and one can only think of himself when this emotion plays its part. He goes about satisfying his hunger and fulfilling his cravings with whatever he comes across lawful or unlawful whether it may benefit or harm others, just as an animal kills the other for merely satisfying his hunger and does not regret this act. In the same manner, a human also acts, when he is carried away by this beast-like emotion. He breaks others hearts in order to satisfy his desires and does not regret it. The second type of emotion, known as devotion and sacrifice, which is an angelic emotion; when one is overcome by this emotion, he finds happiness in comforting others while putting himself though inconvenience. He thinks of feeding others whilst depriving himself of food and water. You might have observed that when one plant out of two is cut from a flower-pot, the other plant gets more and more sustained and gradually increases in its beauty and strength, similarly, if one out of the two emotions is eliminated from the humansystem, the other will be well sustained and well-developed; the more you suppress and neglect the beast-like emotion the more will your angelic characteristic and spirituality develop InshaAllah. Qurbaani helps us revive this angelic characteristic within ourselves. By performing Qurbaani, we can share the meat of Qurbani with our poor Muslim brothers who, on a normal occasion, cannot afford to eat meat so often and be satisfied. We can slay this beast-like emotion within ourselves by doing some charity on this blessed occasion and make our life in this world and in the next worthwhile. 10

11 Few Gems Regarding Qurbani 1. There is no action dearer to Allah Almighty on the day of Qurbani than shedding the blood of Qurbani. (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) 2. The blood of Qurbani is accepted by Allah before it touches the ground. (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) 3. Allah Almighty forgives one sin in lieu of each drop of Qurabani s blood. (Lawaaqih Al-Anwaar Al-Qudsiyyah) 4. The blood and meat of Qurbani will weigh 70 times extra on the Mizaan (scale of weighing the good and bad deeds on the day of Judgment). (Asbahaani) 5. One reward is recorded in lieu of each hair of the Qurbani. (Musnad Ahmad, Ibn Majah) 6. The animal of Qurbani will assist its possessor as a mode of transport on the plain of the Day of Judgment. (Mirqaat) 7. The past sins of the one who offers Qurbani are forgiven with the first drop of blood. (Bazzaar, Ibn Majah) The Wisdom of Qurbani 1. Both the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibraheem (peace be upon Him) and the sacrifice of Hazrat Isma eel (peace be upon Him) are revived by the means of Qurbani. 2. The Islamic year begins with Muharram and ends with Dhul Hajj. 10 th Muharram is the day of Hazrat Imam Husain s (may Allah be pleased with him) sacrifice and 10 th of Dhul Hajj is the day of Hazrat Isma eel s (peace be upon Him) sacrifice, which unfolds that from the beginning to the end, Islam is all about sacrificing. 11

12 3. Of all the bounties Allah Almighty has blessed us with; He wants some of it to be spent on His command. We slaughter animals throughout the whole year as we wish but once a year, Allah Almighty wants us to slaughter an animal by His wish. 4. When slaughtering an animal with our hands we get familiar with the consequences of the act of killing and it develops the concept of Jihad within ourselves, for the one who cannot even slaughter an animal, how can he be expected to slay the Kuffaar in the battlefield? 5. We are taught a lesson through the medium of Qurbani that, just as we have fulfilled Allah s command of Qurbani, when the time arrives, we will sacrifice our lives as well for the sake of Allah Almighty. 6. As the gratitude of the body is offered by Salah, wealth by Zakah and power by Jihaad, the gratitude of cattle is offered by Qurbani. 7. The Kuffaar offer their sacrifices to the idols, and we, by doing it for Allah s sake, formulate a righteous guideline for them. 8. By the means of Qurbani and Takbeers, a non-pilgrim also attains resemblance with a pilgrim. 9. Qurbani strengthens the unity of the Ummah, for on this day, all the Muslims simultaneously busy themselves in Qurbani and eating. 10. Qurbani is a means of visiting, hosting and strengthening the bond with friends and family. 11. By offering the gift of Qurbani to the loved ones unity is strengthened and the need of the poor and needy is fulfilled and we receive their Du as. 12. Meat is a necessary element in the development of the human body. Many a people do not have the means to buy and eat it so often; so this requirement of theirs is fulfilled during the days of Qurbani. 13. By offering Qurbani, we condemn the false beliefs of Kuffaar who worship the animals. 12

13 14. Qurbani teaches us the lesson that, just as we have slaughtered the animal with the knife for Allah s pleasure, in the same manner, we shall slay our inner animal-self by condemning its lustful attitude in the abattoir of Shariah, so that our exterior is in compliance with our inner-self by acting on both the Quranic concepts of sacrifice. May Allah grant us the divine opportunity to rectify our Zaahir and Baatin. Ameen! 13