The Spirit of Qurbani (Udhiya) “It is neither their flesh nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is your Taqwa that reaches Him…” (Surah Hajj) Hazrat Ebrahim Alayhi Salaam had two alternatives: either to follow the cry of his heart or to submit to the call of his Creator. He chose to submit. Qurbani therefore is not a monetary Ibadah or a duty that is discharged in distant poor countries. Qurbani is a personal experience, an intimate and emotional encounter, an intimate occurrence made real by the oozing of blood. Qurbani is about: Love for Allah in contrast to love of the self obedience over rebellion. Loyalty to Allah in preference to loyalty to the family. Faith versus emotion. Struggle as opposed to pleasure. Where is this spirit of Qurbani in our idle and aimless nights and days? Who is able to place the knife on his heart in order to slaughter the beasts of rebellion, hatred, jealousy, pride, and greed etc.? Qurbani is an annual reaffirmation of our pledge to Allah, a pledge that: “Verily my prayer, my sacrifices, my life and my death are surrendered to Allah; the Rabb of the worlds.” Eid-ul-Adha reverberates with the cries of surrender, submission, and sacrifice. It is a grim reminder that life is about action, struggle, and endurance. Virtue of Qurbani Qurbani is a practice directly instructed by Allah Ta’ala: “So turn in prayer towards your Lord and sacrifice (animals).” (108.2) Rasulullah Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam too has extolled its virtue in many Hadith. There is nothing dearer to Allah Ta’ala during the days of Qurbani than sacrificing of animals. The sacrificed animal shall come on the Day of Judgment with its horns, hair, and hooves (to be weighed). The sacrifice is accepted by Allah before the blood reaches the ground. Therefore sacrifice with an open and happy heart. (Tirmizi, Ibn Majah) Zayd lbn Arqam Radiyallaahu anhu relates that the Companions Radiyallaahu Anhum queried, “O Rasulullah Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam, what is Qurbani?” He replied, “It is the Sunnah of your father Hazrat Ebrahim Alayhi Salaam.” They again asked, “What benefit do we derive from it?” He answered, “A reward for every hair (of the sacrificed animal).” “And (what reward is there for animals with) wool, O’ Rasulullah Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam?” they asked. “A reward”, he said, “for every fibre of the wool. (Ibn Majah) When a person slaughters a Qurbani animal, he is forgiven at the fall of the first drop of blood, and verily, the animal shall be brought forward on the Day of Judgment with its blood, meat, limbs, etc. and shall be increased in weight seventy times, and then placed on the scale of deeds.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 05:59:00 +0000
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