ham@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Hameed Ahmed Mohammed) (06/20/91)
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
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ANIMAL SACRIFICE
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Spiritual Objectives of the Sacrifice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Quran has referred to three objectives which must be borne in mind while
offering a sacrifice:
1. Sacrificial Animals as Symbols of Allah's worship:
"And We have included the (sacrificial) camels among the signs of Allah for
you. (22:36)
The sacrificial animals are the tangible signs and symbols which express the
feelings of the one offering them in the way of Allah, thereby signifying that
he intends o shed their blood in lieu of his own blood, and will be even
prepared to lay down his own life in Allah's way as and when required.
2. Offering of sacrifice is a practical expression of one's gratitude to Allah
for His many blessings. The Quran says:
"Thus have We subjected these (animals) to you so that you may express
3. Offering of the sacrifice is a declaration of Allah's greatness and glory:
"Thus has Allah subjected the cattle to you so that you may extol His
Greatness and Glory in accordance with His Guidance". (22:37)
Spirit of Sacrifice:
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Before the advent of Islam,, people used to bring and place the flesh of the
slaughtered animals in front of the Kaabah and would smear its walls with their
blood. The Quran categorically stated that Allah does not stand in need of the
flesh or blood of the slaughterd animal, but He sees the spirit, feeling and
intent of the person offering the sacrifice. The offering means nothing but
thisthat whatever one possesses actually belongs to Allah. He does not merely
slaughter the animal but indeed slaughters all his evil desires and intentions.
A person who performs the sacrifice without this realisation performs a mere
for it is devoid of the true spirit of the sacrifice:
"The flesh and the blood of the animals does not reach Allah, but what
reaches Him is (the spirit of ) your piety". (22:37)
The Procedure and Supplication
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sacrificial animal should be made to lie on the ground with its face
towards the Qiblah, and should be slaughtered as far as possible by the person
himself with a sharp knife; if he cannot do this himself, he should at least be
present at the place. The following supplication should be made before
slaughtering the animal:
Inni wajjahtu wajhiya lillazi fatar-as-samawati wal-arda 'ala millati
Ibrahima hanif-an-wa ma ana min-al-mushrikin. Inna Salata wa nusuki wa
mahyaya wamamati lillahi Rabbil-alamin. La sharika lahu wa bizalika
umirtu wa ana minal-muslimin. Allahumma laka wa minka.
"I have turned my face sincerely towards the Being Who created the
heavens and the earth, on the way of Abraham, and I am not from
among the idolatrous people. My Salat and my rites of worship and
my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the universe,
Who has no partner with Him. This is what I have been enjoined and I am among those who surrender to Him. O Allah ! This is for Thy sake, and
granted by Thee."
Then he should slaughter it with Bismillahi-Allahu-Akbar, and after that he
should pray:
Allahumma taqabbal minni(*) kama taqabbalta min habibika Muhammed-in-wa khalilika Ibrahima- 'alaihima-as-salatu was-salam
"O Allah! Accept this sacrifice from me as Thou didst accept the
sacrifices offered by Thy favourite Muhammed and Thy friend Abraham
( upon whom be peace and blessings )".
* If the sacrifice is being offered on behalf of somebody else, his or their
names should be mentioned instead of minni (from me).raza@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk (Z. Raza Hussain) (06/28/91)
In article <1991Jun19.194249.24951@nntp-server.caltech.edu> ham@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Hameed Ahmed Mohammed) writes: >The Procedure and Supplication >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >The following supplication should be made before >slaughtering the animal: > > Inni wajjahtu wajhiya lillazi fatar-as-samawati wal-arda 'ala millati > Ibrahima hanif-an-wa ma ana min-al-mushrikin. Inna Salata wa nusuki wa > mahyaya wamamati lillahi Rabbil-alamin. La sharika lahu wa bizalika > umirtu wa ana minal-muslimin. Allahumma laka wa minka. > > "I have turned my face sincerely towards the Being Who created the > heavens and the earth, on the way of Abraham, and I am not from > among the idolatrous people. My Salat and my rites of worship and > my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the universe, > Who has no partner with Him. This is what I have been enjoined and I > am among those who surrender to Him. O Allah ! This is for Thy sake, > and granted by Thee." > > >Then he should slaughter it with Bismillahi-Allahu-Akbar, and after that he >should pray: > > Allahumma taqabbal minni(*) kama taqabbalta min habibika Muhammed-in-wa khalilika Ibrahima- 'alaihima-as-salatu was-salam > > "O Allah! Accept this sacrifice from me as Thou didst accept the > sacrifices offered by Thy favourite Muhammed and Thy friend Abraham > ( upon whom be peace and blessings )". > >* If the sacrifice is being offered on behalf of somebody else, his or their > names should be mentioned instead of minni (from me). i hope this question is ok... i am aware that ANY muslim can slaughter an animal making it halaal and suitable for eating, but i myself have never undertaken this task (although i might have to this during Haj). what i am saying is that i do not intend to slaughter an animal for eating (due to the fact that i've never done it before, and i feel afraid!), i'd much rather leave this to someone else. now here's the question : supppose i am in this hypothetical situation where i'm travelling a long journey through a forest and i need to slaughter an animal because i need to eat. as i have never previously slaughtered and have never had any intention of slaughtering an animal, would i have to repeat the WHOLE of the recitation mentioned above therefore rendering the animal fit to eat, or would it be adequate to mention the compulsory 'bismillah...' ? how rigid is the requirement to follow the procedure detailed above ? does this mean that it is only halaal to eat an animal that has been slaughtered by an experienced muslim due to uncertainty or mistrust of a less 'experienced' muslim ? i hope this question does not seem to be stupid or trivial. perhaps answering it will solve other problems or uncertainties which can arise as a result of some unfamiliar situation.