Why do Muslims sacrifice during Eid ul Adha?

What is Eidul Adha?
The reason Muslims do sacrifice on Eidul Adha.
The brief story of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) A. S
1. Valid Animals for Sacrifice:
2. Age Eligibility for Sacrifice:
3. Number of Persons Allowed to Sacrifice:
4. Defects that Render an Animal Invalid:
5. Inclusivity of Women in Sacrifice:
6. Permissible Loans for Purchasing Sacrificial Animals:
7. Delegation of Slaughtering:
8. Timeframe for Sacrifice:
9. Division of Meat:
10. Sunnah Practices:
Conclusion

May the peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon you all my beloved brothers and sisters in humanity and in faith as well.

What is Eidul Adha?

Muslim generally have two major occasions of happiness and joy, which are known as the days of eid they always come after dedicated worship. for example the first eid known as Eid-el fitr, is at the end of the ninth month of the lunar calendar that the muslims actually follow and that is the month of ramadan where in which we fast, we stay away from things that are otherwise permissible by Allah, abstaining from normal water and normal general food that we would eat on any day and even relations with our spouses so we stay away from that during the daylight hours, that's only for an entire month the idea, is to achieve closeness to the almighty Allah and to discipline yourself.

Islam is all about discipline, you need to be able to obey instructions and listen to that which is beneficial to you. So after dedicating your month to acts of worship and benefiting yourself as well through perhaps improving your health through the fasting, disciplining yourself for the almighty and enjoying the beautiful month of ramadan the almighty gives us a day known as the day of eidul fitr, depicting the end of the fasting season and that is a beautiful day, well deserved after a month of goodness.

The full Story of Prophet Ibrahim's Test

Now in a similar way in the last month of the lunar calendar, which is known as the month of Dhul hijja, that's the 12th month of the lunar calendar, in that month from the beginning of the month right up to the 9th and the 10th days, we're trained to actually engage in extra acts of worship the prophet muhammad may peace be upon him has said that,

There are no days wherein which the almighty loves acts of worship more than the first 10 days of which is the 12th month of the lunar calendar.

Now in ramadan we know was all about fasting what about the hajj?

The reason Muslims do sacrifice on Eidul Adha.

The hajj is all about the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his sacrifice. He sacrificed his son according to the muslim scriptures, that son was Isma'il, according to the jewish and in the christian scriptures, that son was Ishaq or Isaac, may peace be upon them all. Nonetheless, this son who that was sacrificed what is the reason behind that sacrifice on eidul Kabir or Eidul Adha? Read the below story to see Why.

The brief story of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) A. S

The Prophet Abraham, (may peace be upon him) was very close to the Almighty Allah, he was the father of all the prophets who came after him according to islamic belief and he was revered, he was respected, he was also a friend of the Almighty and he had built what we know as the kaaba in mecca, a house of worship wherein which people would gather and worship the almighty alone their maker and no one else.

So when that happened at a certain point he saw a dream and in that dream he was instructed by the Almighty Allah to sacrifice his son perhaps according to muslim scriptures, in order to serve as a lesson for all of us that the Almighty actually should come before everything and anything else, obedience to the almighty is always first, so when you get too attached to something it becomes unhealthy, if you're too attached to your son or your daughter or your spouse or anything material there is a point beyond which it becomes unhealthy because, if you were to lose them to the almighty's destiny through death or something bad were to happen you would not be able to survive the loss, so we're not allowed to harm anyone obviously that instruction was something divine for a purpose and even the fulfillment of it was not exactly as it was instructed.

I'll explain in a moment how it happened, going back to the lesson that we learned from it when you get too attached to something material for example, say your car or your phone or something in your house, like your clothing, the day the clothing is burnt with the iron, the day the car is damaged, or the day your product is broken you may become so angry and vexed that you might lose control you might harm people you might do something silly you might harm yourself depending on what exactly you've lost.

So the Almighty is telling us

listen, I come before everything else, destiny is chosen by me, prescribed by me, yes you have a role to play and I've given you a choice and the only thing you're going to be questioned about on the day of judgement is how you utilize the choice that I actually gave you, if I did not give you a choice about something, I'll never ask you about it because it's not fair.

So the Prophet Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his son, he told his son according to the quranic scripture, obviously i'm speaking about the muslim narrative he told his son

O my son, I have been instructed through a dream to actually sacrifice you what do I do?

his son says

well do as you were told because the almighty will never let us down

and so he then took his son and he was about to enact what the Almighty had instructed him when was about to slaughter his son, Allah Almighty replaced that son with a ram from heaven

and that depicted the ultimate submission to the Almighty, which means you've understood that everything comes from the almighty everything belongs to the almighty don't get so attached obviously we're all naturally attached but there is a level beyond which it becomes toxic and it even becomes dangerous for us.

So the almighty is the owner, he gave it to you in the first place and he is going to take it back at some point, now that sacrifice when it was replaced with a ram, the almighty loved it so much that he asked us all to reenact that more for the lesson than anything else, so the almighty says

The meat or the blood is not going to get to the Almighty

according to the quranic script: Surah Al-hajj - 37

لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ٣٧

It is the piety and the God consciousness that is of essence not the meat and the blood etc, of the ram or the sacrificial animal.

So in the first ten days of dul hijjah, the prophet peace be upon him muhammad peace be upon him said

There are no days wherein which acts of worship are more loved by the almighty than the first 10 days of dul hajj.

10 Fascinating Facts about Udh'yah (Layya Sacrifice)

Udh'yah, also known as Layya Sacrifice, is an important religious practice observed by Muslims worldwide during the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah. It holds significant spiritual and communal value for believers. In this blog post, we will explore ten intriguing facts about Udh'yah, shedding light on its eligibility criteria, animal categories, requirements, and the associated rituals.

1. Valid Animals for Sacrifice:

The Udh'yah sacrifice allows for four specific categories of animals: camels, cows, sheep, and goats. These animals have been deemed suitable for this ritual due to their historical and cultural significance.

2. Age Eligibility for Sacrifice:

Each animal category has a specific age requirement for eligibility:

a. Camels: Five years old

b. Cows: Two years old

c. Sheep: Six months old

d. Goats: One year old

3. Number of Persons Allowed to Sacrifice:

The number of individuals who can perform the Udh'yah sacrifice varies according to the animal category:

a. Camels: Seven persons

b. Cows: Seven persons

c. Rams (sheep): One person

d. Goats: One person

4. Defects that Render an Animal Invalid:

Certain defects can render an animal unsuitable for sacrifice. These defects include:

a. Obvious defect(s) in one or both eyes, such as blindness or blurriness

b. Obvious illnesses that affect the animal's activity

c. Obvious lameness that impairs the animal's movement

d. Emaciation to the extent that no marrow is left in its bones

5. Inclusivity of Women in Sacrifice:

Contrary to some misconceptions, women are allowed to slaughter their own sacrifices independently. Their ability to participate is not contingent on gender or menstrual cycle status, allowing for full inclusivity and equal involvement.

6. Permissible Loans for Purchasing Sacrificial Animals:

Individuals who intend to perform Udh'yah can take a loan to acquire the animal for sacrifice. However, it is important to note that the loan must not involve any interest-based transactions, and the borrower should have a sincere intention to repay it.

7. Delegation of Slaughtering:

In cases where one is unable to perform the sacrifice personally, it is permissible to delegate the slaughtering to another individual. This provision ensures that the act of sacrifice can be fulfilled even if the person is physically unable or unavailable.

8. Timeframe for Sacrifice:

The Udh'yah sacrifice begins immediately after the conclusion of the Eid Salat (prayer) on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah. It continues until sunset on the 13th of the month. This specific timeframe allows for a unified practice within the Muslim community.

9. Division of Meat:

After the animal is sacrificed, the meat is divided into three unequal parts:

a. A portion is reserved for the owner's consumption.

b. A portion is given in charity to the poor and the needy, promoting compassion and social responsibility.

c. A portion is shared as gifts among friends, relatives, and others, fostering community bonds and expressions of goodwill.

10. Sunnah Practices:

According to the Sunnah (the teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him), it is recommended for those intending to perform the Udh'yah sacrifice to refrain from cutting their nails and hair from the moment the crescent of Dhul Hijjah is sighted. This practice serves as a spiritual preparation for the upcoming ritual.

Conclusion

Prophet Abraham and his sacrifice his life is celebrated by the muslims in a great way. His son, ismail and Isaac or Ishaq ( may peace be upon them all ), his wives and everything that he did, the dedication is studied by the muslims just like it's studied by others but we reenact this, we worship the Almighty for these nine whole days and on the tenth day we're given an eid known as Eidul Kabir or Eidul Adha, which usually lasts for three days, so that eid in which we're meant to reach out to the poor again with meat, with food stuffs or with something to eat and with something to celebrate with them.

We're meant to be reaching out to the poor and that's why the almighty says Divide your sacrifice into three a third you can eat from a third give your family and friends and the third dedicated to the poor, that's an amazing islamic teaching. even your wealth it would be brilliant if you could divide it into three it's not compulsory regarding your general wealth because there is a bare minimum that you have to give known as the charity the zakat so charity in the english language has the understanding that it's totally voluntary whereas when it comes to the zakat that the muslims give it's not voluntary but it's a type of charity that's actually compulsory you must give two and a half percent so when it comes to the sacrificial animal we give and we reach out to the poor the idea is to be able to become a better person with all of these teachings the idea is to improve on two things every time, Islam has taught us something, the idea is to improve on two things:

1. Your relationship with the one who made you and

2. Your relationship with everything else that he has made.

I pray that this beautiful occasion of the Edul Adha, the eid of the sacrifice is actually going to be a time of reflection, a time of sacrifice dedication, a time of worship, a time of reaching out to the poor and a time of building the bond with both the departments that we're supposed to be building, the bonds with: