The Slaughtering Day: Idul Qurban and the Practise of Detachment
Here we go again. As we are entering Hari Raya Haji, it is time for the moslems to spare some money to buy cattle(s) to be sacrificed. You will soon see on the side of the roads some cows and goats ready to be slaughtered in the name of God. Soon, you will see depressing and sadistic doings towards the sheeps, goats and cows. All those cows with sad eyes in the truck, all waiting to be slaughtered. Yet, the Busy Brain (aside from being a semi vegetarian) still cannot absorb the spirit behind sacrificing goats and the spirit of Islam.
Once I asked teasing questions to a guy who is known as ‘the ustad’ in my company:
“I don’t eat anything with legs, so I don’t want to kill any during Idul Adha. Can I just by a truck load of vegetables? Those people need veggies after eating those high cholesterol food, don’t you think?”
“Can I just give the money to the poor, because they might want to eat chicken or fish instead? Or maybe they are vegetarians.”
“They have rarely eaten meat, so it is good to let them know how meat tastes”, counter one ulama.
“Well, I don’t eat meat and I cook good vegetable dishes that they haven’t tasted. And as you can see, I’m as fit as an athelete and in better health than you meat eaters. Can I just cook them my best menu, stir fried eggplant with paprika?”
As usual, no satisfying answers, and I was given a wierd smirk, under estimating my questions. For sure, they don’t know how to answer my questions.
The story behind beheading goats for sacrifice starts from when Abraham was asked (or tested) by God to show how obedient he was. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ismail, who was born after Abraham was very old. Both of them were in confusion, but then both said that if it is in ordered by God, then they should do it. So, Abraham prepared to behead Ismail, and when the knife (or guillotine, or whatever they were using at that era) almost reached Ismail’s neck, he was replaced by a goat (or cow). The moral of the story is, if you want to be blessed by God, you have to sacrifice.
Now, it is as if translated to: If you want to be blessed by God, you have to kill a cow/sheep/cattle/camel. Hmh.
Honestly, I have not read this story myself in the Qur’an (and still looking). But I did find how cattles are described in the Qur’an.
- Describes wealth and something that can give human comfort (milk, meat, leather) in 3:14: Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode.
- Describes laziness, stupidity, resistant to think (just follow and not being proactive) such as in 25:44 :Or do you think that most of them do hear or understand? They are nothing but as cattle; nay, they are straying farther off from the path. and 7:179: And certainly We have created for hell many of the jinn and the men; they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear; they are as cattle, nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones.
This is to mention some, there are other verses in the Qur’an that mention about cattles.
What do we actually have to slaughter? Our laziness in revealing the truth from the Qur’an. In which, as the Busy Brain can see, lots of people rather follow what they have been told to do without questioning, instead of trying to learn from the book. Lots of people rather just listen to ulama this and ulama that instead of opening the thick book of the Qur’an. Lots of people are reluctant to ask questions about their beliefs because they are afraid to be accused to be ‘wierd’ or even worse: kafir.
Do we have to slaughter the poor cows and goats? Well, does it make us a better person by doing so once a year? And does it say in the Qur’an that it has to be done on 12 Dzulhijjah? So what is the whole deal?
The Busy Brain thinks that it is, as usual, manmade. It is just a ‘branding’ to differ moslems from the other non moslems. But then lots of people forget about the spirit of Islam itself: surrender to God. They are more focused on the physical things instead of looking into themselves.
Qurban (sacrifice) means that you give up what drags you from getting close to God. Wealth. Children. Spouse. Sleep. Work. Sex. In my case, sacrifice myself and letting myself being called ‘wierd’. Sacrifice some time to get closer to God, kill the laziness and stupidity by learning and reading the Qur’an. That is the spirit of sacrificing, not killing innocent cows and goats. Qurban, as being understood now, is easy. Just pay a million and you are done with your duty as a moslem.
And every year, this is the most depressing event for the Busy Brain. Poor cows and goats. May God bless you.
December 7, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Was born and raised as a Moslem, I just can not comprehend some of the ‘rituals’. Like yourself, I questioned bunch of them with no satisfying answer other than, “It’s in the Qur’an. It’s God’s word(s) thus you shall obey.” I just can’t deal with it anymore. Just do it, don’t question it? That’s absurd, IMHO.
December 8, 2007 at 3:15 am
I know what you mean. I too couldn’t stand to hear goats “crying” when they were dragged to be slaughtered, I believe they know their time is up. But again there are people who never have the luxury of eating meat and Idul Qurban is their chance. But giving vegetables is actually a brilliant idea, especially in Australia, since the veggies are actually more expensive than meat
December 8, 2007 at 10:01 pm
it is weird that sacrifice nowadays means having to kill an animal. is it some sort of emotional sacrifice of having to see a killing of an animal rather than picking a slice of meat up in carrefour?
December 9, 2007 at 3:18 am
well that’s what the definition of religion is…. cant be seperate with “ritual” , many of people questioning the importance of “ritual”. sometimes they think that as long as they have “niat” (good intent) they can ignore the ritual. . but in my opinion everything has it own purpose, if someone do ritual without deep understanding about what they are doing because of their “limitable brain”, they still get reward, miinimum reward from their self , (some happy feeling , and satisfied for accomplishing the ritual).
and i agree with you , it is a different story if someone “refuse / lazy to think”.
most of great religion on the world has a sophisticated ritual, maybe that has a function for vindicating the religion history event, the more accurate the ritual, the more better (why a goat, not chicken??), from this example we can track back the history, where the goat usually live ,and what that animal status in that Abraham society?? this is just an dabble example
.
well, just like the wise said “knowing is believing”
December 11, 2007 at 12:41 am
If you do your religion’s ritual very religiously without knowing what it’s for, WHY? If you’re doing it because you were taught/told to, do you really think it makes sense? Then comes along people like Busy Brain and me, freethinkers, who questioned everything that doesn’t make sense, he he he
December 11, 2007 at 5:13 am
Is killing/slaughtering an animal in a abattoir different from doing it outside? Is the meat sold in a supermarket any different from that which you get from a sacrifice? The answer is a simple “No”.
Why we sacrifice a sheep/goat/cow/camel has to do with the fact that most of the animals in those days were owned by the people for extended period of time and they developed an affection for them. When the time came to sacrifice it required a lot of effort and heart-wrenching similar to what Prophet Abraham went through when he took his son to slaughter. It is to commemorate this act that we sacrifice an animal. I dont think that sacrificing a load of vegetables would be quite the same thing.
What I dont understand is the reason for a slaughter to be done every year by a person. His or her love for God is amply demonstarted by one sacrifice in a lifetime. If I find an answer to that, I will post it for all.
December 11, 2007 at 6:57 am
@Kamran: What has to be done by a moslem is universal. Does not know time boundary (not only “during those times”) and space (not only in Arab). If an Alaskan, or Siberian is a moslem, I think they will feel more affection towards their dogs (or Siberian Huskies). Do they have to sacrifice the dogs to commemorate Abraham? I have a friend who is into drugs. I watched him pay to buy 5 goats for Qurban, yet he cannot give up drugs. It is EASY to slaughter a cow or goat. It is NOT EASY to practise the spirit.
What is actually the meaning of ’sacrifice’ or Qurban? I think you made a good point by stating,
I would say it is about sacrificing our attachment to the world to get closer to God. Not to exessively love anything more than God. Detach from earthly substance, for example, wealth, children, human, yourself etc. Attachment to those can easily make human distance from God, and easily make human ‘replace’ God with His creation, and cause pain at the end. (Sounds somewhat like Buddhism).
Here is what the Busy Brain thinks when it comes to sacrifice. For a start, God wanted to remind Abraham that he should not love what He created (ie. Ismail) more than loving Him. Therefore, he was reminded, or tested. And he passed. His love to God is so big that he can detach from what he loved the most (if you can find where I can find this story in the Quran, please post).
Here are the things human beings are blessed with, from God:
How many people do you find postponing praying or reading the Quran because there is their favorite TV show? How many people in Jakarta are more attached to the soap opera or TV shows than to goats? Or chatting in the internet? How many people swear when their beautiful car get scarred, but how many people regret that they couldn’t read the Quran for the week? How many people turn depressed or crazy when his/her child or spouse die? Obsessed with their body that they spend all money and time in the gym or plastic surgery? So many examples you see around you. All attachment to His creation. And the sacrifice is a practise of detachment. The easiest example, sacrificing only 1 hour of your time (be it watching TV, work, play, sleep) to get closer to God. Sounds more difficult than slaughtering a poor cow, hmh?
Which, then, if I try to answer your question:
No reason for slaughtering cattles, it is unnecessary, barbaric, and does not reflect Islam. Slaughtering the cattle inside you is a lifetime sacrifice. Detachment is difficult, it is a lifetime sacrifice.
Does this make sense?
December 11, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Parvita, many of your posts about Islam are good because you are trying to get people to see the deeper meaning of rituals, rather than focusing on the ritual itself. However your conclusion of ‘lets just get rid of the ritual’ in the end will never have much take outside of the ivory tower people like yourself live in. We are human beings, not free floating spirits bumping around different ideas in our head for all eternity, and as human beings we occassionally like to see symbolic gestures which appear real to us and reinforce the deeper meaning of things.
This is why even in the absence of religion, people do not do away with rituals or symbols all together, but rather merely find different rituals and symbols so that they can have a real world counterpart to their beliefs. Communists for example close down churches and places of worship, but start errecting statues all over the place. Secularists disparrage religious texts at the same time as they sanctify the UN declaration of rights or the works of enlightenment philosophers.
You are absolutely right, and the physical ritual of slaughtering a cow or sheep is meant to jar people into thinking about the idea of sacrifice among lots of other things. Only when something truly engages the senses will it really connect with all layers of society. People who are well read and have a great grasp of philosophical concepts might feel they do not need rituals or sanctified texts to open up their spirituality, but for others they are a vital component of the process.
I myself see this as nothing more than an affirmation of the humanness of human beings. We need things which will engage both our mind AND our senses as part of the process to tap into our spirituality.
December 13, 2007 at 8:19 am
I do not really understand djokos tautological statement about needing such brutal rituals to “tap into our spirituality”. I think it lessens us spiritually to take enact brutal rituals. I will not be taking part.
December 13, 2007 at 10:46 am
Never said get rid of the ritual. Just challanging if it is correct or necessary. Some people like to think and be challenged, some people like to follow. Me, think. You, follow. Me, challenge myself. You, rituals to be socially accepted. All welcome to give comment. This blog is to learn and open our minds together.
December 13, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Parvita,
thank you for the clarification then. I actually started a reply when your post (I assume you edited it for clarification) made no mention about “Never said get rid of the ritual”.
I’m sorry if I give off the impression that I’m a mindless drone following ritual. You sell yourself too short if you think that your writings are a challenge only to yourself, rather they are a challenge to everyone (I don’t mean this in a confrontational manner, just it really does get people thinking)! Your article did get me to thinking about the need for the ritual, however I reached a different conclusion from you. I also think the “Me, think. You, follow’ was perhaps a reaction to my ivory tower comment. I admit it was a bit inflammatory and I’m sorry about that, but I will just do a quick explain on why it popped up.
I have friends and work with members of different Islamic groups from opposite ends of the spectrum. From deep conservatives like members of Persis, HTI and PKS to activists from Muslim liberal organisations. Although your methodology is different (notably rejecting hadits), many of your conclusions are similar to those of Muslim liberals. From my experiences I have seen that conservative organisations are able to much more easily attract support from average people than Muslim liberals. One might argue that Indonesians are backwards or uneducated (certainly standards of education and critical thinking could be better), and thus inclined to just follow whatever conservative ulamas say without question. However I’ve seen directly that this is only half of the problem. The other half is Muslim liberals inability (sometimes it actually comes across as a snobbish unwillingness) to make their ideas accessible to average Muslims. They either are unsuccessful in translating their ideas into clear everyday practice and language for people to understand, or they think so highly of their way of thinking that they consider it an insult or too great a sacrifice for it to be ‘dumbed down’ so that others can understand.
This is the great challenge facing Muslim liberals thinking today. As some of the conclusions you have reached (though once again I say using a different track to get there) are similar in nature I can see a similar challenge for you and people who think as you do. Your conclusions are far too important and beneficial to be left floating around at an elite-like level. The rest of society needs them too!
Perhaps in this way I’m only being critical because you’re not challenging yourself enough. Don’t stop the challenge with just questioning everything, but challenge yourself as to how you can make your way of thinking more understandable to average people. The very purpose of hadits (which I know you disagree with, but I’ll just use it as an example) was to act as a way by which Muhammad could explain to people (either of his time, or for all time, depending on how you view hadits) in everyday terms what the essence of religion is. Maybe the Busy Brain needs a set of hadits of its own heheh.
I have gone through this thought process myself, and have come to the conclusion that rituals in some form (and thus guidance put forward in hadits) are of benefit in order to reinforce for average people (rather than supercede) the essence of religion found in the Qur’an. Thus I’m hardly a mindless ‘follower’, but have come to the conclusion after a long thought process.
Obviously I don’t expect you to come to the same conclusion as me, but I do hope you (or others who think like you) are able to come up with some solution for this problem. Your way of thinking is already spot on, now its a matter of making it understandable for all (both those with the ability to grasp the essence of its own, as well as those which need a different form or approach).
December 13, 2007 at 2:38 pm
@djoko: Long comment and thanks a lot. I don’t mean ‘mindless follower’ but I apologize if I offended you. The writings in this blog is simply me questioning what things are done the way it is, and whether it is the right way of doing it. So I try to find it in the Quran, where Islam teachings are written.
It is everybody’s responsibility to educate themselves. Especially when it comes to faith. How can one just follow when it comes to faith? While Copernicus and Gallileo were willing to fight what has been passed to the humankind and it is only science. Not faith.
Slightly off subject, but I strongly need to express this.
Moslems, at the very beginning, are taught to have faith in the Quran and the teachings before (ie Bible, Torah), not after. Hadith is manmade, written by human after Quran. It is so straight forward, yet why is this so difficult to be understood?
Quoting you:
I don’t even dare creating my own hadith, Masya’Allah, because it is strongly forbidden. If you read the Quran (assuming you are a moslem), you will find verses that forbid man to say things that are not in the Quran, or immitate Quran.
Even Jesus did not dare say anything that was not told to him from God
and as for your comment, which shows that you lack understanding Islam and definetely should read Quran more:
I should disagree by pointing out what Muhammad was told to say:
Muhammad only passed what is written in the Quran, not more, not less. He did not write the hadith. Men after him did. To get a follower, to gain for themselves, politics, etc.
Djoko, if you are a moslem, you should read the Quran more because obviously you are not understanding Islam and not having a basis for conversation. This is my criticism to you. Insya’Allah God will give you enlightment.
You should add comments in my other section here or here.
After a long chat, back to the slaughtering. You said:
Describe average people. And point out which hadits you are referring to.
December 13, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Allah SWT telah mengatur apa yang halal dan haram untuk dimakan dan juga cara makan yang benar, yaitu tidak terlalu kenyang dan dikunyah sebanyak2nya (min 30x kunyah).
Jadi tidak ada ajaran memang untuk vegetarian..
itu opsi hidup orang…
Nah pada hari raya qurban…
Spiritnya adalah.. pada hari itu kita bisa berbagi daging qurban kepada rakyat miskin yang selama ini jarang makan daging… God gives us a day to celebrate..jadi disyukuri, dimanfaatkan… enjoy it..
Cerita di balik itu memang ada yaitu pada saat jaman nabi Ismail.. tetapi akhirnya spiritnya adalah seperti itu….
Sapi/kambing memang diciptakan Allah SWT untuk bisa dimakan oleh manusia…
December 13, 2007 at 6:27 pm
DeParis, sebenernya ngerti ngga sih isi blog ini?? Halah
December 14, 2007 at 4:56 pm
All welcome to give comment. This blog is to learn and open our minds together.
… I just give my comment parvita… is it free right?
December 15, 2007 at 6:58 am
@De Paris: true, free to give quality comments and apologize for my response. It seems that you have to learn expressing your opinion in an effective and clear way, with strong thesis and argument. Only then you can give additional information which is meaningful for others. If not people won’t take you seriously. Just my two cents. Jangan setengah2 dong bagi ilmunya…
Maybe tell me where you learned or read that Allah SWT told us to chew more than 30x? Because I don’t have to chew 30x kalau lagi makan bubur atau oatmeal in the mornings. Does that mean I don’t obey Allah?
Let me, and other readers know the story of ‘jaman nabi Ismail’, and tell us where the reference is in the Quran? And elaborate what you meant by:
Apa spiritnya pada akhirnya? In English, if possible, Peace.
December 17, 2007 at 9:38 am
Actually, there are many misconceptions filling the mind of many non-Muslims, who fail to perceive the significance and wisdom behind acts of worship in Islam. That is why addressing those misconceptions becomes obligatory in order to erase distortions about Islam. Thus, on the case in point, we find it relevant to cite for you the following:
Sacrifice is not a pillar of Islam. We must look at the occurrences in a contextual manner, understanding not only the pre-Islamic institution of sacrifice, the Qur’anic reforms concerning this practice, and the continuance of sacrifice in the Muslim world, but also the context in which the Qur’anic revelations occurred. For it seems that with many people, both non-Muslims and Muslims alike, context is the key that they are missing.
With this in mind, let us start with the situation as it was in pre-Islamic Arabia with regard to animal sacrifice. Not only did the pagan Arabs sacrifice to a variety of gods in hopes of attaining protection or some favor or material gain, but so, too, did the Jews of that day seek to appease the One True God by blood sacrifice and burnt offerings. Even the Christian community felt Jesus to be the last sacrifice, the final lamb, so to speak, in an otherwise valid tradition of animal sacrifice (where one’s sins are absolved by the blood of another).
Islam, however, broke away from this longstanding tradition of appeasing an “angry God” and instead demanded personal sacrifice and submission as the only way to die before death and reach “fana’” or “extinction in Allah.” The notion of “vicarious atonement of sin” (absolving one’s sins through the blood of another) is nowhere to be found in the Qur’an. Neither is the idea of gaining favor by offering the life of another to Allah. In Islam, all that is demanded as a sacrifice is one’s personal willingness to submit one’s ego and individual will to Allah.
One only has to look at how the Qur’an treats this subject, to see a marked difference regarding sacrifice and whether or not Allah is appeased by blood. The Qur’anic account of the sacrifice of Isma`il ultimately speaks against blood atonement. Allah says:
(Then when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: “Oh my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!” (The son) said: “Oh my father! Do As thou art commanded: Thou wilt find me, if Allah so wills one practicing patience and constancy!” So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him, “Oh Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial and We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice.) (As-Safat 37: 102-107)
Notice that the Qur’an never says that Allah told Abraham to kill (sacrifice) his son. Though subtle, this is very important, for the moral lesson is very different from that which appears in the Bible. Here, it teaches us that Abraham had a dream in which he saw himself slaughtering his son. Abraham believed the dream and thought that the dream was from Allah, but the Qur’an never says that the dream was from Allah. However, in Abraham and Isma`il’s willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice—Abraham of his son, Isma`il of his own life—they are able to transcend notions of self and false attachment to the material realm, thus removing a veil between themselves and Allah, enabling Allah’s mercy to descend upon them as the Spirit of Truth and illuminate them with divine wisdom (thus preventing a miscarriage of justice and once and for all correcting the false notion of vicarious atonement of sin).
For, certainly, Allah, the Ever Merciful, Most Compassionate, would never ask a father to go against His command of “thou shall not kill” and kill his own son in order to be accepted by Him. For the Qur’an teaches us that Allah never advocates evil (see 7:28 and 16:90) and that only Satan advocates evil and vice (24:21). The notion that Allah would want us to do an immoral act runs counter to Allah’s justice.
As far as the yearly tradition that has followed this event (that is, the sacrificing of a ram to commemorate Abraham and Isma`il’s great self sacrifice), we must understand it and the Qur’anic versus that pertain to animal sacrifice, in relation to the time and place circumstances under which these revelations were received and how people were trying to make a personal sacrifice by sharing their limited means of survival with the poorer members of their community.
That is to say, the underlying implication of Islam’s attitude toward ritual slaughter is not that of blood atonement, or seeking favor with Allah through another’s death, but rather, the act of thanking Allah for one’s sustenance and the personal sacrifice of sharing one’s possessions and valuable food with one’s fellow humans. The ritual itself is NOT the sacrifice. It is merely a method of killing where the individuals kill as quickly as possible and acknowledge that only Allah has the right to take a life and that they do so as a humble member of Allah’s creation in need of sustenance just like every other species in Allah’s creation.
So let us examine some of the appropriate verses in the Qur’an to see what it has to say about sacrifice and how it related to life in 500 C.E. Arabia. (Also included is commentary by Yusuf Ali to show that even someone who was pro-sacrifice with an understanding of animals as subject to humans, did not champion wanton cruelty or notions of blood atonement.) Allah says:
In them ye have benefits for a term appointed: In the end their place of sacrifice is near the Ancient House. (Al-Hajj 22: 33)
“The word ‘In them’ refers to cattle or animals offered for sacrifice. It is quite true that they are useful in many ways to humans, e.g., camels in desert countries are useful as mounts or for carrying burdens or for giving milk, and so, for horses and oxen; and camels and oxen are also good for meat, and camel’s hair can be woven into cloth; goats and sheep also yield milk and meat, and hair or wool. But if they are used for sacrifice, they become symbols by which people show that they are willing to give up some of their own benefits for the sake of satisfying the needs of their poorer brethren.” (Yusuf Ali commentary)
Allah also says:
To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice) that they might celebrate the name of Allah over the sustenance He gave them from animals (fit for food). But your God is One God: Submit then your wills to Him (In Islam): and give thou the good news to those who humble themselves. (Al-Hajj 22: 34)
“This is the true end of sacrifice, not propitiation of higher powers, for Allah is One, and He does not delight in flesh and blood, but a symbol of thanksgiving to Allah by sharing meat with fellow humans. The solemn pronouncement of Allah’s name over the sacrifice is an essential part of the rite.” (Yusuf Ali commentary)
Allah says further:
It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: And proclaim the Good News to all who do right. (Al-Hajj 22: 37)
“No one should suppose that meat or blood is acceptable to the One True God. It was a pagan fancy that Allah could be appeased by blood sacrifice. But Allah does accept the offering of our hearts, and as a symbol of such offer, some visible institution is necessary. He has given us power over the brute creation, and permitted us to eat meat, but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life, for without this solemn invocation, we are apt to forget the sacredness of life. By this invocation we are reminded that wanton cruelty is not in our thoughts, but only the need for food …” (Yusuf Ali commentary)
It is quite clear from the Qur’anic passages above that the issue of animal sacrifice is in relation to the role animals played in Arabian society at that place and time (as well as other societies with similar climates and culture), in that humans are commanded to give thanks to Allah and praise Allah for the sustenance He has given them and that they should sacrifice something of value to themselves to demonstrate their appreciation for what they have been given (which in their case was the very animals on which their survival was based).
December 17, 2007 at 10:09 am
@SlaveofAllah: I really appreciate you visiting and enlighting me (and us) with your view. Not only you have pointed out the verse in the Qur’an about Abraham and Ismail, but also pointed out that God never told anybody to kill, especially kill one’s son, because it is against Him. This input is valuable and really adding knowledge and strengthen our faith to God.
Here are some of the verses you mentioned for reference on Allah never tells His ummah to do bad things (in this case, kill your own son):
and only Satan advice evil:
This must be my lucky day.
December 17, 2007 at 11:37 am
Salaam,
parvita says: “Hadith is manmade, written by human after Quran.”
Which I like to point out is not a true fact. Hadith was also wrote during the life of Prophet (s.a.w), but some sahabah (r.a) did not agree with it so as not to mix with Qur’an revelation during that time. The writing was not as systematic then, in so much that the mix of Qur’an and hadith can be erroneously indistinguishable – the reason for such self-prohibition. Only after the Revelation was completed, that the generation after started to collect and compile the hadith as different text, so as to prevent it from lost forever.
Without hadith, it is impossible for us to perform some of the command in the Qur’an. As an example, Allah commanded “perform As-Salah” – there’s no details on what is “as-Salah” in the Qur’an, how to perform it, when, and so on. So is the same for other ibadah (I would prefer to use this word rather than “ritual” – as the meaning speaks for itself), like saum (fasting), zakat, hajj and many others; including this udhiyyah (qurban).
Just for the record, that long post of mine before is not of my own, rather an information I quoted for those who had doubt and those who had been misinformed about ibadah and its concept in Islaam.
May your effort to find the truth in Islaam be granted and rewarded.
December 17, 2007 at 11:55 am
Thanks for correcting.
The way sholat (prayer, do’a) should be performed is told in the Quran. The way prophets pray and their prayers are all written in the Quran and that is how we should pray. The physical movement is not mentioned anywhere in the Quran. Here is the blog about sholat and feel free to add any comments. On Saum is here. As I am not a hadith believer, please refer to Quran.
December 26, 2007 at 6:20 am
Verily it is one of the tradtitions outlines and a Farz to slaughter on the day of EID ul Zuha. Beatiful Day and Festival. Quran and Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad guides us
Indeed the correct way of understanding the real Islam is to refer to the Holy Quran as the basis for all knowledge and then understanding the Sunnah and Hadith in its light. Anything that cannot be linked back to the Quran cannot be declared an integral part of Islam. We must be very careful when we assume that something is or is not part of Islam. Allah has protected the Holy Book for this very purpose that no matter how much time passes the word of Allah remains pure and provides guidance to those who truly want to submit to his will and stay on course to becoming true Muslims.
The values, injunctions, and the principles enshrined in the Book form the corner stone of the Islamic polity and the limits laid down by it provide the framework within which the laws of the Islamic State may be formulated. These principles, or limits, or framework, are immutable, but the statutes made by the State within these four corners are open to modification and change according to the needs of the times.
The Qur’an is the last of the Divine Books, because Messenger-hood ended with Muhammad. No subsequent human opinion or pronouncement in matters of deen, therefore, can be recognized as authoritative; nor can any man-made law repugnant to the Qur’an be regarded as binding upon the Muslims. The Qur’an is a book of guidance for all mankind and transcends the barriers of time and space. The Islamic State is an instrument for the enforcement of the Laws and Injunctions embodied in the Qur’an.
May Allah guide us and have mercy on us. Ameen.
Abdul Momin
http://www.quransunnat.com
January 20, 2008 at 10:07 pm
For Qur’an-only Muslims, please answer this simple question: Do you eat fish?
Because the Qur’an states that we must slaughter animals in the name of Allah SWT in order to make their meat halal. The Qur’an made no distinction whether fish should be slaughtered or not before we eat them. Only the Hadith gave more explanations about which animals must slaughtered in the name of Allah SWT first, and which animals don’t need to be slaughtered (which includes fish in this case).
SO… If you have been eating fish which were not slaughtered (slithered) in the name of Allah SWT before you eat them, and if you have been taking your religious laws from the Qur’an ONLY, then you can consider yourself as a person who have been eating haram food all these time.
Cheers!
October 7, 2008 at 8:43 pm
my dearest BUSY BRAIN…
its a bit uneasy to understand what does slaughtering sheep, cows or cattle has to do with act of sacrifice…..why should we actually slaughter during the day of Eidul- Adha ? aint it be much easier if we do like wutever you suggest?
i was once used to think about it…. until the day my dad, who was an imam of our place, and his madrasah committee members, decided to stop doing the slaughtering on the day of Eidul- Adha of 2003. Instead, he collected all the Quban money and send all the money to Cambodia and Myanmar.
when asked why, he said whenever we do the Qurban, the rich people of our place will contribute a lot of sheeps and cows which will then cannot be handled by the commitees. The main problem is the meat, which will be wasted coz we didnt know to whom else should we distribute as there are only a few families living in our area.
So, starting from that, i started to realize the significance of Qurban. Its actually the way of Allah to show his love to the whole world. You might be working in Malaysia or Indonesia, but the money you gain could be enjoyed by other people from the other parts of the world. Its a day of joy for the poor and the day the rich got blessed.
Poverty is one of the main problems of the Moslems. In countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Nigeria, Uzbekistan and even in European Countries like Ukraine, having a meal of meat every month is not easy. If you could rest your brain brain a bit, and wander along poor villages in your place, a meal of meat is like a bless.
So, understanding a situation is not easy unless you put urself inside the shoes of the problem. Me n ma fren decided to raise the Qurban money for the people of Ukraine (a place where 1 KG of meat is about US12, while the salary per person per month is only US150). Y Ukraine? Coz we are now studying here. And its a bit sad to see theres no slaughtering after solat Eidul Adha coz the villagers here are far too poor to buy a cow.
So, y dont you give us a hand and let let the love of god spread all over the world?
December 7, 2008 at 10:38 am
@koujie: if poverty is the problem, and the main thing is to spread love, isn’t that what is told by God to do it at any day, any circumstances? Why only once a year?
Qurban should be reflected in all the aspects of our lives. Being patient, sacrifice our time for others, to learn, to make ourselves better, that is all sacrifice. If we want to spread love and reduce poverty, why not start by ’sacrificing’ our bank account for 10 children that cannot continue their education? I think that is much more into it rather than giving meat once a year.
December 7, 2008 at 11:28 am
[...] the Spirit? I have looked at my posting on Idul Qur’ban, or Idul Adha again in here and read through the comments. And I also read one posting in Jakarta Post about Idul [...]
December 10, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Sometime it good to ask ourselves, what is Islam if we are born in a Muslim family or what is the teaching of Jesus if we are born in a Christian family or what is Hinduism if we are born in a Hindu family.
I have met many, born in a Muslim family but do not understand the true meaning of Islam or Christian who are confused who is Jesus or Hindu who don’t even read any Hindu scripture.
So let us understand who we are and not just be a blind follower.
December 12, 2008 at 12:13 pm
===Just came to this blog by accident, nice reads however do not forget Qur’an 49:1 and 49:7 and like that many other references.
There are numerous authentice beyond reasonable doubt that prescribes the ritual of slaughtering on the Eid-ul-Adha, such as:
Hazrat Ayesha(r.a) reports that the Prophet(s.a.w) 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 there with. (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
Jabir narrated, “I prayed on Aidil Adha with the Messenger of Allah, and when he finished (the prayer), he was brought one ram, and he sacrificed it. He said: ‘In the Name of Allah, Allah is Most Great. This is on behalf of myself and any member of my Ummah who did not offer a sacrifice’.” (Awnul M’abûd Sharh Sunan Abi Dawûd by Muhammad Syams al-Haq ‘Adhim Ibadi)
May Allah reward you all for your efforts. Aameen
PS: I am not sure if I will be returning to respond.
December 28, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Pravita. Though this discussion is primarily about slaughter on the day of Id ul Adha, I was intrigued by the concluding sentence in your post of Dec 17, 2007, wherein you stated “As I am not a hadith believer, please refer to Quran.” Alright lets refer to the Quran.
The Quran orders Muslims to obey Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in several places such as Surah al-Imran (3) verses 32 and 132, Surah an-Nisa’ (4) verse 59, Surah al-Maidah (5) verse 92, Surah al-Anfal (8) verses 1, 20, 46, Surah an-Noor (24) verses 54, 56, Surah Muhammad (47) verse 33, etc. (IslamiCity.com)
The Prophet (PBUH) conveyed/ elaborated many articles of faith through practical demonstration (Sunnah) or by his acceptance (silent or outright) or disapproval of an act performed in his presence.
There are many examples of Sunnah, the most notable being the saying of the prayer. The way it was done by the Prophet (PBUH) has been transmitted from one generation to the other over the years through practical teaching. It has also been documented in the form of hadith. The hadith also tells us of the many traits about the Prophet such as his style, his habits and his dealing with others.
To outright reject the hadith, in my opinion, is not right. I understand that the contents of some hadith may be doubtful but by and large they have been distilled to a level that they can are considered, by and large, an authentic source of religious learning by most muslims.
Remenber the saying of Imam Shafa’i “I am convinced about the veracity of my opinions, but I do consider it likely that they may turn out to be incorrect. Likewise, I am convinced about the incorrectness of the views different from mine, but I do concede the possibility that they may turn out to be correct.”
February 9, 2009 at 5:52 am
“Honestly, I have not read this story myself in the Qur’an (and still looking).”
I believe that the Qur’an refers to this story, but the narrative can be found in the Biblical book of “Genesis” (1st book of the Bible). In the Bible, of course, it’s Isaac being sacrificed, rather than Isma’il. But the “point” (pardon the pun) is the same. Hope this helps.
April 25, 2009 at 11:29 am
“Honestly, I have not read this story myself in the Qur’an (and still looking).”
Please read Sura 37: Saffat, ayahs 100-109.
As far as the confusion that prevails over who was to be sacrificed – Ismail or Issac, I would suggest that you read the answer to this question at http://www.islamicbulletin.org/newsletters/issue_5/editor.aspx.