Topics
It is
obligatory (Wājib) to have nothing to eat before the Prayer and to recite:-
اللّٰہُ اَکْبَرُ اللّٰہُ اَکْبَرُ لَاَ
اِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ وَاللّٰہُ اَکْبَرُ اللّٰہُ اَکْبَرُ
وَلِلہِ الْحَمْدْ
in a
slightly raised voice on the way to the mosque and to recite the above in a
raised voice just once after each Farż Prayer, starting from after the Fajr
Prayer of the ninth of Zul-hajj until after the Asr Prayer of the thirteenth of
Zul-hajj, which sums to a total of twenty-three Prayers in which this has to be
recited.
Sacrifice of an Animal (Qurbāni)
The Holy
Prophet (pbuh) declared that on the days of animal sacrifice there is nothing
dearer to Allah than this sacrifice. During sacrifice Allah accepts the
sacrifice offered by one even before any drop of blood from the animal touches
the earth.
Sacrifice
is obligatory (Wājib) for every sane Muslim adult who possesses more than
fifty-two and a half tolah (A tolah is the weight approximately equivalent to
11.665gm) or 612.413gm of silver or any other goods of its equivalent value.
These goods can take the form of gold, silver or jewellery made from gold or
silver, monetary wealth, more than necessary household goods or more than
necessary houses etc. For sacrifice it is not necessary to have possessed these
goods for a year. If there is a person for whom sacrifice is not obligatory but
has bought an animal anyway with the intention to sacrifice it, sacrifice then
becomes obligatory for him.
Sacrifice
is restricted to three days only. The dates for these days are the tenth,
eleventh and the twelfth of Zul-Hajj. Sacrifice can be offered in any one of
these three days although it is best to offer sacrifice on the very first day.
If the
period of sacrifice has passed and one was not able to offer sacrifice whether
it was due to carelessness or any other reason then it becomes compulsory to
give the equivalent cost of sacrifice as charity to the poor and needy. To give
this cost of the animal as charity within the three days of sacrifice is not
fulfilling the obligation of sacrifice, just as by offering Prayer a fast is
not fulfilled, similarly by keeping a fast a Prayer is not offered and by
giving charity a Hajj is not performed.
If Allah
has granted one with the potential then one should give sacrifice on behalf of
deceased relatives, parents, saints, spiritual mentor, prophets and the Holy
Prophet (pbuh).
The
sacrifice of a goat, lamb or sheep can only be offered on behalf of one person.
The sacrifice of an ox, buffalo and a camel can be offered on behalf of seven
persons.
The
sacrifice of a castrated animal is permissible. If sacrificing a goat, it is
necessary for the goat to be at least one year old. If there is a sheep that
appears to be ready and fat enough to be at least a year old then it is
permissible to sacrifice it. For a cow, ox or buffalo it is necessary that it
is at least two years old, and five years for a camel.
If the
seller of the animal tells the age of an animal and it does not contradict with
what it appears to be then one should believe the seller.
It is
not permissible to sacrifice a blind or defective animal. Similarly it is not
permitted to sacrifice an ill or weak animal that cannot even walk to the place
of sacrifice its own legs. The same is the case for an animal whose ear or tail
etc. has been cut off by more than a third
or an animal who does not have any teeth or many teeth. The sacrifice of an
animal with no ears from birth is not allowed either.
It is
best to sacrifice the animal with one’s own hands. If one does not know how to
sacrifice then one can get someone else to carry out the sacrifice for them. It
is best to be present at the scene of the sacrifice though.
It is enough to make the intention to sacrifice
in the heart. It is not necessary to say it by tongue, although it is important
to recite بِسْمِ اللّٰہ اَللّٰہُ اَکْبَرُ when the animal is
being sacrificed.
It is a
Sunnat to recite the following supplication after laying the animal down facing
towards the Holy Kaba:-
اِنِّیْ
وَجَّھْتُ وَجْھِیَ لِلَّذِیْ فَطَرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضَ حَنِیْفًا وَّ مَآ
اَنَا مِنَالْمُشْرِکِیْنَ اِنَّ صَلوٰتِیْ وَ نُسُکِیْ وَمَحْیَایَ وَ مَمَانِیْ
لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِیْنَo لَا شَرِیْکَ لَہٗ وَ بِذٰالِکَ اُمِرْتُ وَ
اَنَا اَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِیْنَo
And to
recite the following after the sacrifice:-
اَللّٰھُمَّ تَقَبَّلْہُ مِنِّ کَمَا تَقَبَّلْتَ
مِنْ حَبِیْبِکَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ خَلِیْلِکَ اِبْرَاھِیْمَ عَلَیْھِمَا الصَّلوٰۃُ
وَالسَّلَامُ
If the sacrifice is being carried out on behalf
of someone else then in place of saying مِنیِ one
should say مِنْ as well as mentioning the names of the ones
whom the sacrifice is rom.
It is
best to feed and tend the animal to be sacrificed a few days before its
sacrifice. To cut the animal’s hair or to milk it is not permitted and if one
does perform any one of these actions then it becomes compulsory to pay the
price of it to charity.
It is
not permissible to sacrifice an animal before the Eid Prayer, but in a city
where the Eid Prayer is being offered at various places, sacrifice becomes
permissible as soon as the Prayer is offered in any of these places.
If one
has bought an animal in order to sacrifice it but then loses it or it gets
stolen or passes away then it is still necessary to sacrifice another animal in
place of it. If after sacrificing the second animal the first animal is found
again then it is best to sacrifice that animal as well in the way of Allah. If
a person is poor and sacrifice was not compulsory on him in the first place
then it is not compulsory on him to offer a sacrifice of another animal if the
first is lost, stolen or passes away, unless the lost animal is found again
during the period of sacrifice. If the animal is found after the sacrifice
period then it is essential to give the animal or its equivalent price to charity.
If there
are many participants of a sacrifice then the meat should be weighed and
equally divided amongst them. It should not be divided
by estimation.
It is
forbidden to sell the meat of a sacrificed animal. The meat should be divided
into three parts, one for distribution in the family, one for friends and one
part for the poor.
It is
not permissible to give the meat or the skin of the animal as wages to the one
who carried out the sacrifice. The wages should be given separately. It is
permissible to bring the animal’s skin into ones own use for example a rug, but
if the skin is sold, one is not allowed to bring the cost of it into one’s own
use. It is not appropriate to give the skin to charity and nor is it
appropriate to present it to the Muezzin or Imam of a mosque as a reward for
his service.
KHWAJA SHAMSUDDIN AZEEMI
Mehrāj means to enter the world of the unseen. When a believer attains Mehrāj through prayer, Angels appear in front of him. He travels through the Heavens, and through the blessings of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) he comes to know his Lord.
