Qurbani is a beautiful Sunnah that’s celebrated every year to commemorate the actions of Prophet Ibrahim (a.s). He dreamt of sacrificing his son and he took it as an order from Allah. But when he was about to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismaeel (a.s), Allah replaced it with a ram. It was the test from Allah in which Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) was rewarded for his courage to sacrifice his most beautiful possession.
Now, Muslims from all over the world relive this Sunnah by sacrificing an animal in the name of Allah. The message is to buy an animal, nurture it, and then sacrifice it to learn obedience to Allah, dedication to the cause, and Taqwa.
But from the last few years, we are witnessing the ill-treatment of the animals that are to be slaughtered. Last year, a video went viral where a crane was lifting a cow and unfortunately the animal fell down. This is inhumane.
So, if you’re going to practice Sunnah-e-Ibrahimi this year, make sure you avoid the following:
1. Don’t lift Animals
Lifting animals through machines and cranes is full of risks. They can fall or even if they reach the destination, the risk still remains there. So, instead of inviting this danger, avoid lifting animals no matter how small or big it’s.
2. Treat them with Kindness
Remember that, it’s only a matter of days. The animals aren’t going to be with you for the whole year. So, respect them, feed them to their full appetite and keep them under a shelter especially in the monsoon season.
3. Don’t Make them Race
Taking the sacrificial animals on a race is completely wrong. They aren’t meant for it. Instead, take them with you on a good, greener walk.
4. Hire a Professional Butcher
Butchering isn’t about cutting the animal from the throat only. It’s with all respect to the animal, facing him towards the Qiblah and making it less painful for the animal. So, only let the professionals do this job.
5. Don’t Slaughter Animals in front of Other Animals
Sacrificing one animal in front of other animals gives them anxiety and also scares them. Make sure, you are slaughtering it in a place where there are no other sacrificial cows, sheep, and camels.
6. Don’t Make it a Mess
A huge mistake that we do every year is to slaughter animals in front of our homes and then not wiping off the remains and the blood. This makes the place a mess and hub for insects. Since it’s also the Covid times so make sure you follow proper hygiene while practising Sunnah.
7. Avoid Canning Meat
The core purpose of Qurbani is to feed the poor and the needy. They remain deprived of meat for the whole year. Find these people and share portions with them. Also, include your neighbours, friends, and family in it.
8. Don’t Do It for Material Gains
Qurbani is to follow Allah’s commandments and it solely depends on your intention. If you’re buying expensive animals just to please people and to show them off in your community, then it questions your intention. Remember, Allah loves simplicity and pure intention. Therefore, you should keep it the Halal way, simple, and according to the Sunnah.
And the last thing is don’t capture photos and videos of the sacrificial process and neither upload it on social media.
With that, we wish you all a happy Eid-ul-Adha Mubarak.
