sábado, 25 de diciembre de 2010

The honor of Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem)with reference to Ashaab-e-Kahf ( Khabarnama-e-Khialfat-e-Islamia)

Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) gave rare details about the Ashaab-e-Kahf, a group of 7 wali's of ALLAH who retired to a cave to escape the persecution of the King of that time who was forcing them to convert to polytheism and Shirk.



This group of 7 muqqaribeen wali's are mentioned in the Quran and are a source of much knowledge and learnings when it comes to the teachings and practice of Tassawwuf.



Once a group of Jews came to Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) and asked him such rare questions regarding them that no one else except ALLAH and HIS Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) knew and his (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem)'s replies are mentioned below:





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The Jewish man said: Tell me the story of a group of people who in the distant past, slept for 309 years and then were raised to life by God! Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: They were the companions of the cave about whom God Almighty revealed verses to our prophet with their description. I will tell you the whole story from the Holy Qur’an if you are interested in it. The Jewish man said: O (Sayyedna Mawla )Ali bin abi Talib! I have heard about the Qur’an. Tell me about them if you know their names, the names of their fathers, the name of the city, the king, the dog, and their cave! Wrapping the Holy Prophet’s cloak round himself, Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: O Jewish brother! My beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH told me the story as such:



In Rome, there was a city by the name of Ephesus or Tartus (before Islam, it was Ephesus and after the advent of Islam it was Tartus) ruled by a benefactor man. After a long time, the ruler passed away and the situation in that city became chaotic. The news of chaos reached a Persian king who was oppressor and unbeliever. With his military expedition to that city, he seized the city in a short time, and made that city his capital where he built a glorious palace. The Jewish scholar who was all ears, listening to what Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said, interrupted him, saying: O (Sayyedna Mawla )Ali bin abi Talib! Should you know anything about that palace, describe it more elaborately? Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: O Jewish brother! The palace had been built of flat marble stones, one farasang long and one farasang wide with four thousand gold columns from which a thousand gold condyles with chain silvers hanging. The palace was illuminated with the best and most aromatic lamp oil. On the eastern side of the palace, there were two hundred windows and the same number on the western side. The sun lit the palace from morning till evening. A throne of gold measuring eighty meters long and forty meters wide, adorned with different precious Jewels, had been built. On the right side of the throne, there were eighty chairs on which senior officers who had ten thousand army men under their command were sitting at his beck and call.



On the left side of the throne too, there were eighty chairs on which scholars and judges were sitting, waiting for his command.



Then the king sat on the throne and put the royal crown on his head. The Jewish scholar once again interrupted Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib and said: If you know anything about that crown, elaborate on it! Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: The royal crown was made of melted gold having nine bases on which there was a pearl which radiated in night like a lamp. Fifty slaves who were the sons of senior officers with red silk coat and beautiful green breeches, a crown on head, bracelet on hand, ankle-ring on feet, with each having a club of gold in hand were standing over the king’s head ready to carry out his orders. Out of six sons of scholars who were younger, three stood on the right side and the other three on the left side. They were special cancellers without whose consultation the king did not decide on anything. The Jewish scholar said: O (Sayyedna Mawla )Ali bin abi Talib, what were the names of those six persons? Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib said: My beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH said: The names of those standing on the right side were Amlikhius, Maximinyanius, and Motyanius, and those standing on the left side were Danius, Yanius, and Mertus.



When he sat on the throne and people gathered in the palace, three slaves entered from entrance. In the hand of the first slave, there was a gold chalice full of musk. In the hand of the second slave, there was a silver chalice full of rosewater and in the hand of the third slave, there was a bird which with a call started flying dipped its wings in the rosewater chalice. At another call, the bird started flying again, dipped its wings in the musk chalice, and with the last call, the bird started flying and sat on the royal crown, sprinkling rosewater and musk on the head and face of king.



Decius ruled over that territory for 30 years with peace of mind. During this time, no sorrow or pain afflicted him. This made him feel so arrogant that he claimed to be God. Hence, he called all the chiefs of tribes and associates, telling them about his claim. Whoever accepted his claim, he would be honored and given royal garments and whoever disobeyed him, would be murdered. Given that situation, people accepted his claim and started worshipping him instead of God either out of greed for royal garment or out of fear for death. This situation continued until a festival day when Decius was sitting on the throne with his royal crown on his head that one of the officers entered the palace and reported that the Persian army was quickly advancing towards them with the intention of war! Hearing this, Decius was so upset that he almost fainted. The crown fell off his head and he rolled on the ground from the throne. At this time, one of the three youths sitting on the right side of him, called Temlikha who was wiser than the others became pensive, saying to himself: If Decius is really God, as he claims, why he eats, drinks, and defecates like human beings whereas these acts are not Godly? Those six youths gathered in one another’s house, ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves. When the event happened to Decius, they happened to be in Temlikha’s house. The other five youth were eating and drinking but Temlikha abstained from eating or drinking. When he was asked the reason, he said: O brothers! A new idea has found its way into my heart which stops me from eating and drinking. They asked: What is that idea? He said: I have long been thinking as who is holding the sky which is spread like a canopy over our heads or what pillars are under it? Who is it that has made the sun and moon move and has decorated the sky with stars? I think the same about the earth. Who is linking the seas and the sky-touching mountains to stop from falling off? I ask myself who brought me to this world from my mother’s womb, gave me daily food, and nourished me.



After pondering, I have come to the conclusion that this world has a maker other than the tyrant and oppressive Decius! Hearing this, all the other youths bowed to him, kissed him, and said: Whatever has passed in your heart has passed in our hearts too. Now tell us what should be done! Temlikha said: O brothers! We have no option other than seeking refuge to the Lord of the heavens and the earth and fleeing this territory!



The other five youths said: Your decision is right. After this, Temlikha sold some of the dates of his palm-groove for three Dirhams, wrapped it in his cloak, saying to his companions: Ride on your horses so as to set out for a desert! The youths mounted their horses and went as far as three miles from their city. Temlikha said: We were in danger of being chased by the tyrant up to here but from now on we are safe. We should dismount our horses and let them go. We should go on our path in this desert till God will guide us on the right path.



The youths walked for seven Farsakhs but since they were not used to walking, their feet were bleeding. On their way, they met a shepherd from whom they asked for milk or water! Seeing their handsome faces, the shepherd said: What you want is with me. But you do not look like common people. You must be princes who have fled your country. Tell me your story. The youths said: O shepherd! We have a religion which does not prescribe telling lies! Will you keep our secret if we tell you the truth? The shepherd said: Yes, indeed. The youths told him the whole story.



Hearing their story, the shepherd while bowing to them, kissed them and said: What has gone into your heart, has gone into my heart too. I ask you now to give me a chance to return this flock of sheep to their owners and then to accompany you! The youths agreed. The shepherd returned the flock of sheep to their owners and joined the six youths with his dog.



Here the Jew once again interrupted Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) and asked about the color and name of the dog. Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem)said: O Jewish brother, my beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH, informed me that the dog was black and white though black was prevailing and its name was Qatmir.



Seeing the dog was following them, one of the youths said: This dog with its barking may betray us. We would better drive it away to be safe from any possible danger. Nevertheless, however much they tried to drive it away, the dog did not take distance from them. Seeing that they insisted to expel it, the dog sat on its claws saying in human speech: Why are you driving me away while I bear witness that God is one and has no partner. Let me be with you and keep watch on you, hoping that I will get close to my Lord! Hearing this, the youths stopped driving it away and continued their way. The shepherd led the youths to the top of mountain till they reached a cave.



The Jewish scholar asked another question: O `Ali! What are the names of that mountain and the cave? Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) said: The name of mountain is “Yankloosh” and the name of the cave is “Wasid.”



Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) continued the story as such: There were fruitful trees and springs with wholesome water near the cave. They ate from the fruits of trees, drank from the wholesome water of springs, went to the cave at night and slept. The dog too slept at the entrance of the cave, keeping watch on them. At that time, God Almighty gave the angel of death a mission to grasp their souls. When this was done, God appointed two guardian angels for each to turn them from one side to the other and ordered sun to shine on the cave every morning and afternoon. The sun too carried out its mission accordingly.



When Decius returned to his palace from the venue of festival, he saw no sign of those six youths. Hence, he asked after them. A man who knew about the escape of the youths, said: Your majesty, they have fled your territory and have a God other than you! Hearing this, Decius who was furious, pursued them with a thousand army men and tracked them down to the top of mountain where the cave was. When they reached the entrance to the cave, having the impression that they had gone to sleep, Decius arrogantly said: They have been afflicted with a punishment worse than the one I wished to carry out about them. He immediately ordered the entrance to the cave to be blocked with stone and plaster, saying to his companions: If this heaven and earth has a God, let him save them from this situation!



The believing youths slept in that cave for 309 years without any soul. Then God Almighty at a dawn of a day, when the sun started shining, blew spirit into their bodies. They immediately rose up and saying to one another: Last night, we defaulted out prayer to God. Let us go to the spring of water! Going to the spring, they amazingly found that the spring had disappeared and the trees had dried up! They said with amazement: Has something happened during the night as a result of which the springs and green trees have dried up!?



At this time, God made them feel hungry. So one of them said: Which one of you will go to city to buy some bread? Be careful the bread is not mixed with the fat of pig! In this relation, God states: “Now send one of you with this silver (coin) of yours to the city, then let him see which of them has purest food” (18:19).



Temlikha said to them: You stay here, for no one but I can buy the bread. He then said to the shepherd: Give me your clothes and I will give you my clothes. He put on the shepherd’s clothes and headed for the city. On his way, he saw scenes and ways he had never seen before. Reaching the gate of the city, he caught sight of a green banner with the inscription: “There is no god but ALLAH, Jesus is ALLAH’s messenger” installed over the gate!



Looking with amazement at the banner, and rubbing his eyes, Temlikha said to himself: Am I dreaming? He paused there for a long time and then entered the city. He passed by a group of people who were reading Gospel (Injil) and saw people he did not know. At any rate, he decided to go to the market to buy bread. He asked the baker: What is the name of this city? He said: Ephesus. Temlikha asked: What is the name of the king? He said: `Abd al-Rahman. Temlikha said: If what you say is the truth, then I am facing a strange situation! Temlikha gave the money to him, saying: Give me bread for the value of this money. As Temlikha’s Dirhams were bigger and heavier than the current ones, the baker was surprised!



The Jew interrupted Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) for the fourth time, saying: O `Ali, what was the weight of those Dirhams? Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) said: My beloved, the Messenger of ALLAH informed me of it. The weight of each Dirham was equal to the weight of ten and one third of Dirhams.



The baker said: I believe you have found a treasure! Should you not give some of it to me I will surrender you to the king. Temlikha said: I have found no treasure. The Dirhams you see with me is the money for the dates I sold three days back and fled the city of the tyrant Decius! Being furious and surprised, the baker said: You have found a treasure, do not give anything from it to me, making fun of me, and mentions the name of a tyrant man who claimed to be God and died more than three hundred and odd years ago!



Then, the baker caught his hand to take him to the king. A large group of people gathered round them too. At this time, the king who was a wise and farsighted man arrived and asked about the event. People said: This man has found a treasure! The king asked Temlikha: If you have found any treasure, it will be yours. We follow the religion of Jesus. He has instructed us to receive only one fifth of it! So do not fear, for we will not harm you. Temlikha said: Your majesty! I assure you that I have not found a treasure. I am a native of this city. The king asked: Are you really a native of this city? Temlikha said: Yes. The king said: Name some of the people you know. Temlikha named a thousand persons whom neither the king nor the people knew! The king said: We do not know these people, for they do not live in our time. Then the king asked: Do you have a house in this city? Temlikha said: Yes, send someone with me to show him my house. The king appointed an agent to go with people to Temlikha’s house. They went from one street to another and from one alley to another till they reached the highest building. Temlikha said: This is my house and knocked the door. An old man whose eyebrows had fallen on his eyes due to senility appeared at the threshold. Being horrified, he said: What do you want from me? The king’s agent said: This young man claims this house belongs to him! The old man said angrily: What is your name? The young man said: Temlikha the son of Festin. The old man said: Say it again! He repeated his name and that of his father. All of a sudden, the old man hugged and kissed him, saying: By the Lord of Ka`bah, this young man is my grandfather. He is one of the six men who fled the tyrant Decius and took refuge with the Lord of the heaven and the earth. The proof is that Prophet Jesus (a.s) has told us about them saying: One day they will be raised to life. They told the story to the king who rode on the horse heading for them. Reaching Temlikha, the king dismounted from the horse and put Temlikha on his shoulder. People kept on kissing his hands and feet, asking him: O Temlikha! Where are your friends? Temlikha said: They are safe and sound in the cave.



In those days, the city of Ephesus was jointly run by a Muslim and a Christian. They mounted their horses and accompanied Temlikha up to the cave. Addressing them, Temlikha said: You wait here. I fear that if my friends hear the sound of horses’ hooves, feeling that Decius is chasing them, they will faint. Stay here for a short while so that I will inform them. People stopped outside the cave. Temlikha went to his friends who were pleased to see him, hugged him and said: Thanks God, you are safe from the evil of Decius. Temlikha said: Forget Decius and tell me how long you were in this cave. They said: One day or less than a day. Temlikha said: It is not so. We have been sleeping in this cave for 309 years! Now I should tell you that Decius is dead and the people of Ephesus believe in God after the passage of three centuries and they are now waiting to see you outside the cave! His friends said: Temlikha, are you going to put us to test by people? Temlikha said: What do you desire? They said: Raise your hands for prayer. They raised their hands for the same purpose, saying: O Lord! Through what you cast in our hearts and showed us, make us die and do not disclose our secret to anyone.



God gave the death angel the mission to grasp their souls and then God hid the entrance to cave in a way that the two Muslim and Christian men went round the cave for seven days but found no trace of the cave. They were ascertained that this event depended on the grace of God so that these youths will be a lesson for us and others. At that time, the Muslim governor said: These youths died in my religion, hence, a mosque must be built on the site of the cave, and the Christian man said: They died in my religion and a covenant must be built there! The dispute between the two ended in fighting and finally the Muslim man became victorious. Therefore, they built a mosque there. In this relation, the Holy Qur’an says: “Those who prevailed in their affair said: We will certainly raise a Masjid over them” (18:21). When the story came to here, Sayyedna Mawla Ali bin abi Talib(Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) said: O Jewish man! This was the story of the companions of cave. Is this story conforming to your Torah? The Jewish man said: Yes, it conforms to the letter, but Abul Hasan, do not call me a Jew from now, for I bear witness that there is no god but ALLAH and Muhammad is HIS messenger and you are the most knowledgeable man of this Ummah.

Udhiyyah ( Khabarnam-e-Khilafat-e-Islamia) The slaughter of animals on the eve of Dhul Hijjah and the Islamic perspection

The slaughter of animals on the eve of Dhul Hijjah and the Islamic perspection

by, Professor H. I. Q. Qadiri





Definition



‘Udhiya’ is an Arabic word meaning "blood sacrifice", and ‘Qurbani’ is an Urdu and Persian word derived from the Arabic word "Qurban" which literally means an act performed to seek ALLAH’s pleasure. It is technically used f ...or the sacrifice of an animal slaughtered for the sake of ALLAH



The sacrifice of an animal has always been a recognised form of worship in many religions, but in the ‘Shariah’ (Islamic sacred law) of our beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) the sacrifice of an animal has been recognised as a form of worship only during the three days of the month Dhul Hijjah- namely the 10th, 11th, and 12th .



ALLAH Ta’ala says in the Noble Quran:

"Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad - Peace be upon him Al- Kauthar (a river in paradise),

So pray on to thy lord and sacrifice. For he who makes you angry will be cut off."

(Surah 10)

"And the camels! We have appointed them among the ceremonies of ALLAH, therein ye have good!"



Of all of the physical and spiritual worships the greatest is 'salah' and among the worships concerning wealth, sacrifice holds a distinguished position, because the original spirit of sacrifice was to sacrifice the soul. The replacement of an animal was made due to some reasons, as it is clear from the story of Hazrat Sayyedna Ibrahim (Alaihis salam) and Hazrat Sayyyedna Ismail (Alaihis salam). That is why in other places in the Quran the mention of ‘salaah’ is made together with ‘Qurbani’.

Origin of Qurbani


This act of ‘Udhiya’ is to commemorate the unparalleled sacrifice offered by the Hazrat Sayyedna Ibrahim (Alaihis salam) .When he, in pursuance to a command of ALLAH Ta’ala conveyed to him in a dream, prepared himself to slaughter his beloved son Sayyedna Ismail (Alaihis salam) and actually did so, but ALLAH Almighty after testing him of his submission, sent down a ram and saved his son from the logical fate of slaughter. It is from that time onwards that the sacrifice of an animal became an obligatory duty to be performed by every well to do Muslim.

Concerning this incident the Glorious Quran says:



"And when he attained the age of running with him (Sayyedna Ibrahim alaihis salam),

he said: "O my son verily I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering thee, so look, considerest thou?"

He said: "O my father! Do that which thou art commanded, thou shalt find me, ALLAH willing, of the patients."

"Then when the two submitted themselves and had prostrated him on his temple."

"We cried unto him: "O Ibrahim! Of a surety thou hast fulfilled the vision. Verily We! That was a trial manifest. And We ransomed him with a mighty victim. And We left for him among the posterity. Peace be unto Ibrahim. Verily We! Thus we compense the well doers. Verily he was one of Our believing bondsmen." (37:102-111)

Takbeerate-Tashreeq


The above incident led to the origin of ‘Takbeer-e-Tashreeq’.



Takbeer-e-Tashreeq is the recitation of ALLAHu Akbar ALLAHu Akbar, Laa Ilaaha Ill-ALLAHu WALLAHu akbar, ALLAHu Akbar walillahil hamd- after every Fardh salat commencing from Fajr of the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah till after Asr of the 13th of Dhul Hijjah. (Shaami Vol.1, pg.620)



Eminent jurispudents have stated that the origin of the ‘Takbeer-e-Tasreeq’ is when the Hazrat Sayyedna Ibrahim (Alaihis salam) made Hazrat Sayyedna Ismail lie down, ALLAH ordered Hazrat Sayyedna Jibraeel (Alaihis salam) to take along a ‘fidyah’(ransom) and when Hazrat Sayyedna Jibraeel (Alaihis salam) arrived there, he feared that Hazrat Sayyedna Ibrahim (Alaihis salam) would slaughter Sayyedna Ismail (Alaihis salam) and so he began shouting "ALLAH Akbar, ALLAH Akbar."



Hearing his voice, Hazrat Sayyedna Ibrahim (Alaihis salam) took it as a glad tiding and exclaimed, "Laa ilaaha allallahu wallahu akbar."

Hazrat Ismail (Alaihis salam)also came to know that the ‘fidyah’ arrived and he got up saying, "ALLAHu akbar wa lillahil hamd," and began to eulogise and thank ALLAH.


The Ideology of Qurbani


Mufakkir-e-Islam Peer Syed Mohyuddin Mahboob states that the philosophy behind ‘Udhiya’ is that it is a demonstration of total submission to ALLAH and a proof of complete obedience to ALLAH’s will or command. When a Muslim offers a ‘Udhiya’ this is exactly what he intends to prove. Thus, the ‘Udhiya’ offered signifies that he is a slave of ALLAH at his best. And that he would not hesitate even for a moment once he receives an absolute command from his Creator to surrender before it, to obey it willingly, even if it be at the price of his life and possessions.

This is exactly what the Hazrat Sayyedna Ibrahim (Alaihis salam) did.



Apparently, there was no reason why a father should slaughter his innocent son. But, when the command came from ALLAH, he never asked the reason to that command, nor did he hesitate to obey it.



This is the true philosophy of ‘Qurbani’.


Benefits of Qurbani (Udhiyyah)


The virtues of ‘Udhiya’ are established from the following ‘Ahadith’ (Traditions).



1)Hazrat Anas Ibn Malik (Radi ALLAHu ta'aala anhu) reported that Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) sacrificed with his own hands, two white rams with black markings. He took the name of ALLAH and recited ‘Takbir’. Hazrat Anas Ibn Malik (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala anhu) states that he saw him putting his foot upon their buttocks and saying: "In the name of ALLAH. And ALLAH is the greatest". (Sahih Bukhari ,Sahih Muslim)



2)Hazrat Jaber (Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala anhu) reported that Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) slaughtered on the day of sacrifice two horned, white and black castrated rams. When he faced them towards the Qibla, he said: "Verily I turn my face towards the One who created the heavens and the earth, upon the religion of Abraham, 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 (Peace be upon him) and his Ummah: In the name of ALLAH. ALLAH is the greatest". He then slaughtered the rams. (Ahmed, Abu Daud, Ibne Majah)



3)Hazrat Umm-ul-Momineen Ayesha Siddiqa (radiyallahu anha) reports that Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (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 there with. (Tirmizi, Ibn Majah)



4)Hazrat Zaid bin Arqam (Radi ALLAHu ta'aala anhu) reports that the Companions of Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) asked him: " Ya Rasulullah, what is this sacrifice?" He said: "it is the way of your fore father Ibrahim (Alaihis salam)." They asked: what (reward) is for us therein?" He replied: "There is a reward for every hair (i.e. the reward for meat and useful parts of the animal’s body will be very lofty in merit, but there will also be a great reward for the parts which are useless and thrown away such as the hair)."



They asked: "For the wool, Ya Rasulullah?" He replied: "There is one reward for every strand of wool." (Ahmed, Ibn Majah)


Persons it is Wajib on


‘Qurbani’ is ‘wajib’ (compulsory) according to Sayyedna Imam-e-Adham Abu Hanifah Noman Ibn Thabit (and sunnat-e-muakkadah according to other Imams) upon every ‘mukeem’ (domiciled) and who possesses 613.35 grams of silver or its equivalent in money, personal ornaments, stock in trade or any other form of wealth which is surplus to his/her basic needs. Each adult member of a family who possesses that much wealth must perform his/her own ‘Qurbani’ separately.

Hazrat Ibn Umar (Radi ALLAHu ta'aala anhu) reports that Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) lived in Madinah Munawarah for ten years and performed ‘Qurbani’ every year. (Tirmizi)


Can a sacrifice be made on behalf of someone else


A sacrifice can be made on behalf of others such as minor offspring. This offering is not ‘wajib’ (compulsory) but is ‘mustahab’ (desirable). Similarly if one decides to sacrifice on behalf of the spouse or a father decides to sacrifice on behalf of an adult offspring (apart from offering his/her own ‘Qurbani’) can do so with their permission. A sacrifice can also be made on behalf of a deceased Muslim. This can be classified into three categories:



• 1- If the deceased had made a will for a sacrifice then, it is permissible to sacrifice to fulfil the will but is incumbent to give all the meat of the sacrificed animal to the poor and needy (those who are entitled to receive ‘Zakaat’). (Shami vol.5 p293)

• 2- Whether or not the deceased had made this will, his/her relative or friends can make a ‘nafl’ (voluntary) sacrifice from their own money; the meat of this sacrificed animal can be partaken by the rich and poor alike.

• 3- One may make a voluntary sacrifice from one’s own wealth for the deceased persons and this meat can partaken by all, rich and poor.

If ones intention is of mere remittance of recompense to a dead person then it will be superior to slaughter an animal during the Days of ‘Nahar’ instead of giving money in charity. This is because reward is attained both for spending wealth and for sacrificing.



In a ‘Hadith’ it is stated.



Hazrat Hanash (Radi ALLAHu ta'aala anhu) reported: I saw Hazrat Ali (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) sacrificing two rams. I asked him, "What is this?" He said: "Verily the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace be upon him) left instruction to me to sacrifice on his behalf, and so I am sacrificing on his behalf. (Tirmizi, Abu Daud)

Note: Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) is so generous that he had sacrificed on behalf of his whole ‘Ummah’ and we see here Hazrat Ali (Karram ALLAHu wajhahul kareem) sacrificing for Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) after he has passed away. We learn from this that we should also put a share of Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) in our sacrifice.




Restrictions before practice of Udhiyyah


This could be understood from the following ‘Hadith’:


Hazrat Umm-e- Salama radiyallahu anha reports that the Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him)said, "Whoever sights the crescent moon of ‘Zul-Hijjah’ and is intending to make a sacrifice should refrain from cutting his bodily hair and paring his nails". (Muslim)



Thus after sighting the ‘Zul-hijjah’ crescent, it is desirable for a man intending to make a sacrifice to refrain from cutting the hair of his body and paring his nails till he has slaughtered the animal. This is because he is making a sacrifice in lieu of the sacrifice of his own life. Each part of the sacrificial animal is in lieu of each part of his own body.



Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) has given this order that no part of his body may be absent at the time of the descent of divine mercy. If more than forty days have passed one should not be idle in removing unwanted hair, nails, etc, in order to save oneself from ‘karaahat’ (abomination).




Best Manner of Practicing Udhiyyah


It is preferable that one selects on animals oneself, nourishes it and becomes familiar with it, as this animal is to become the means great recompense and not only that, but it is a substitute for the sacrifice of ones own child.


Rules regarding the distribution of meat


Although the person offering a Qurbani can keep all its meat for his own use, yet it is preferable to distribute one third among the poor, another one third among his friends and relatives, and then keep the rest for his personal consumption. Thus, if possible, one should eat its meat on the very day.





The Shari' way of Practicing Udhiya



This has been explained in great detail by Mujaddidi-e-waqt, Qutb-e-Zaman, Imam-ul-ahnaf Hakeem-e-millat Abu Masu'd Peer Syed Mahmood Shah Muhaddis Hazarvi (Quddisa sirruhul azeez) in his book Ad-dawlatul Qaadiriya fi hilli Zabaaikh-il-Islaamiya. I briefly mention the details of this.



1. The jurists have clarified that it is prohibited to inflict pain to an animal when there is no benefit in doing so. It is stated in the book Dur-ul-Mukhtar:



"Any sort of pain infliction, which is of no benefit, is ‘makrooh’ (undesirable), for example; the cutting off the head and the skinning of the animal before the animal becomes still i.e. ceases to shake and shiver."



Since the aforementioned blow is not sufficient for slaughtering, therefore, it obviously is a means of hurting the animal without there being any benefit in doing so and this is prohibited in the ‘Shariah’. If anyone were to say that by this method no pain comes to the animal, but in fact it helps in discharging the blood from the body and it also idles the senses, then this is not true. The reason for this is that before it became unconscious the senses of the animal had been sound and after unconsciousness the breaking of the senses is not certain. It is possible that with the use of this instrument the movement becomes still, yet the senses remain sound. This is also stated in the book Dur-ul-Mukhtar:



"The nullification of the senses is not necessary for the inactivity of movement."



It is apparent that in the state of the senses remaining sound the use of this instrument will be means of no pain.



2. The ‘Shariah’ has stated that the purpose of slaughtering is to discharge flowing blood. It is obvious that, when conscious, the natural health of the body will be stronger, and further more, this is also evident that the discharging of flowing blood is an act of the healthy body. Hence the stronger the body health the more blood will be discharged. Thus, the purpose of the ‘Shariah’ will be fulfilled to a greater extent. Therefore, to cause less blood to discharge by weakening the body health purposefully is not permissible in the ‘Shariah’, as it leads to opposing the purpose of slaughtering.



3. The third point which is the most detestable, when the first two are disregarded, is enough to clarify the impermissibility of slaughtering an animal by hitting it or making it unconscious. This is that the person who carries this out will believe that this manner of slaughtering is more commendable than the way shown by the ‘Shariah’ (where the animal is not made unconscious). In respect of this he will think the method (of slaughtering) shown by the ‘Shariah’ as being inferior and defective, and to give priority to invention over revelation is close to ‘kufr’. ALLAH knows best and HE is The Most Wise.


Offering of Udhiyaah on days other than Dhhul Hijjah


If somebody out of his/her ignorance and negligence, did not offer ‘Qurbani’ on the three prescribed days (10th, 11th and 12th ‘Zulhijjah’) they should then give the price of the ‘Qurbani’ as ‘sadaqah’ (alms and charity) This does not mean that Sadaqah is an alternative, this will only be the case when it is not offered on the prescribed days, thus there is no alternative to ‘Qurbani’ in the prescribed days.



Conclusion



Finally I end by quoting the following ‘Hadith’:


Hazrat Abu Hurairah (Radi ALLAHu ta'aala anhu) reports that Huzoor Muallim-u-Maqsood-e-Qa'inaat Rasool-e-Azam (Peace be upon him) has said : "Whoever has the capacity to sacrifice and does not do so, should not come to the place where the Eid prayer is offered." (Ibn Majah). Hence we can understand the importance of ‘Udhiya’ from the above ‘Hadith’, therefore each and every Muslim who is obliged should offer it, and if possible within their domicile. This will not only create an atmosphere of ‘Eid’ and ‘Qurbani’ in the community but will also serve as a lesson for generations to come.