Qurbani – The Annual Sacrifice of the Hajj Season


Qurbani is an Urdu and Persian word derived from Qurban, which means an act or sacrifice performed to please Allah. The Arabic word used for Qurbani is Udhiya whichmore direcrlt translates to mean sacrificing an animal.


Although there are other types of animal sacrifice in Islam, such as the sacrifice of thanks that one offers after having a son or daughter, here we are talking about the sacrifice that is performed as part of the annual Hajj or pilgrimage ritual that is performed by Muslims every year in Makkah, and it applies to people performing Hajj as well as Muslims at home as well.


Qurbani is an act of worship and it is compulsory (wajib) on every adult Muslim man and woman who is sane, not travelling, and owns goods, valuables, property, or currencyequal to or more in value than the Nisaab (baseline level of income). The Nisaab is used to determine whether or not someone owns enough property to comfortably cover their annual expenses and the rate comes to ownership of 612.36 grams of silver or 87.48 grams of gold. [1] [2]


Performing the Qurbaniis one of the ways in which we honor the sacrifice that Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail (peace be upon them both) were willing to make for the sake Allah. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) performed this ritual as well, and Muslims today continue to follow his sunnah (prophetic tradition).


But why is it important to remember the story of Ibrahim and Ismail every year?


Ibrahim’s test teaches us many things important to strengthen our faith. The most important of these is complete devotion and submission to Allah. The literal meaning of the word Islam is submission, so as Muslims, we are required to devote ourselves completely to Allah.


When Prophet Ibrahim offered his son as a sacrifice, he showed his total submission to the will of Allah. For this, Allah not only saved his son, but also rewarded Prophet Ibrahim, as stated in the Quran:


’And We left for him (meaning Ibrahim) favorable mention among later generations. Peace upon Ibrahim. Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, he was of Our believing servants. And We gave him good tidings of Isaac (Ishaaq), a prophet from among the righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac. (Qur’an, chapter 37, verses 108-113).


Another central teaching from the story of Ibrahim and Ismail is patience. 


When Ismail’s father tells him about his dream in which God Almighty commands him to sacrifice Ismail, he replies:

O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, God willing, patient’. (Quran, chapter 37, verse 102).


A natural human reaction in such a situation would have been fear. Fear of death can weaken anybody's faith. However, we see Ismail's faith gave him the strength to face the situation with patience.


For the submission of Ibrahim toward Allah's will and Ismail's acceptance of the decision, Allah rewarded them.


“And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, We called to him, “O Ibrahim, you have fulfilled the vision”. Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial and We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. (Quran, chapter 37, verses 103-107).


And this is another important as well as reassuring lesson we learn from the story: no act of worship or sacrifice that a Muslim does for Allah or for the deen(the religion) goes wasted or unnoticed. Every single act is recorded by Allah and is rewarded.Every test that a Muslim patiently endures, hoping for Allah's blessings, will be rewarded. [3]


Virtues of Qurbani



The virtues of Qurbani or Udhiya are established from the following peophetic narrations:



Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sacrificed with his own hands two white rams with black markings. He took the name of Allah and recited Takbir (meaning he said ‘Allah-o-Akbar’, or ‘Allah is the Greatest). Anas states that he saw him putting his foot upon their buttocks and saying: "In the name of Allah. And Allah is the Greatest". [4]



We learn from this narration that we should try to perform the sacrifice with our own hands.



Jaber (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) slaughtered on the day of sacrifice two horned, white and black castrated rams. When he faced them towards the Qibla (towards Makkah), he said: "Verily I turn my face towards the One who created the heavens and the earth, while being upon the religion of Ibrahim, being upright, and I am not one of the polytheists. Verily my prayer, my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. There is no partner with him and I have been ordered that, and I am one of the Muslims. O Allah, it is Thine and for Thee, from Muhammad and his Ummah: In the name of Allah. Allah is the greatest". He then slaughtered the rams. [5]



Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The son of Adam does not perform any actions on the day of sacrifice which is more pleasing to Allah than the shedding of blood. He will come on the day of resurrection with its hair, horns and hooves, and the blood certainly will fall in a place near Allah before it falls on the ground. So, make yourselves purified therewith. [6] [7]


Significance of performing Qurbani


It is stated in the Quran:

“So turn in prayer towards your Lord and sacrifice (animals).” (Quran, chapter 108, verse 2)

Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said:

There is nothing dearer to Allah during the days of Qurbanithan the 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. [8]


ZaydibnArqam (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! What is Qurbani?” He replied, “It is the Sunnah (legal tradition and way) of your father Ibrahim (peace be upon him).” They asked again, “What benefit do we get from it?” He answered, “A reward for every hair (of the sacrificed animal).” “And [what reward is there for animals with] wool, O Messenger of Allah?” they asked. “A reward”, he said, “for every fiber of the wool.” [9]


The significance of Qurbanican be understood from the following verse of the Quran:


‘Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good’. (Quran, chapter 22, verse 37)


This shows Qurbani’s significance as an act of worship and also explains how it is the symbolism of the act rather than the act itself which makes the sacrifice so important. Allah does not need our sacrifice. He created all life and He can call life back to Him when He sees fit. He does not need another of His creation to kill for Him. Qurbani is in fact an act that benefits us. By sacrificing something of our own for the sake of Allah, we are nurturing our faith, strengthening our capacity for patience, and reminding ourselves of the brief nature of the life of this world.


The sacrifice is an opportunity to increase in piety and to draw closer to Allah.


The one who does not perform Qurbani


If a person does not perform Qurbani, even if he or she can afford to do so, they is missing out on many rewards. However, not performing the Qurbaniitself is not a sin as such, and he or she does not have to make up what they missed in years past, because Qurbaniis Sunnah and recommended but not obligatory, and the time for it has gone. This applies as long as someone did not vow to perform a sacrifice. For those who vowed to perform a sacrifice, the act then becomes obligatory.

A religious book entitled al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah says that if a person does not offer a sacrifice before the time has passed, if it was a voluntary sacrifice he should not offer it; rather they have missed the opportunity to offer a sacrifice this year. But if it was a vow, he or she has to offer a sacrifice and make up what they were obliged to do. [10]

The time of Qurbani

- Qurbanican only be performed during the three days of Dhu’l-Hijjah (the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar), on the 10th, 11th and 12th, and cannot be performed in any other day of the year.

- Although Qurbaniis permissible on each of the above three days, the first day (i.e. the 10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah) is the most preferable and desired day.

- Qurbani cannot be performed before the special Eidholiday prayer that is performed on the 10th of Dhu’ Hijjah.

- Qurbanican be performed during nighttime, but it is preferable to perform it during the daytime.

May Allah guide us to what He loves and approves, and shower His blessings and mercy upon us all, amen.





References:




[4] Found in SahihBukhari and Sahih Muslim

[5] Found in Ahmed, Abu Daud, and IbneMajah

[6] Found in Tirmizi, and IbnMajah




[8] Found in SunanTirmidhi and SunanIbnMajah

[9] Found in SunanIbnMajah