About Qurbani

Importance of Qurbani

Qurbani is a practice commanded by Allah in the Holy Quran:

“So pray to your Lord and offer sacrifice (a token of gratitude).”

(Chapter 108:2 – Translation from Irfan ul Quran by Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri)

Introduction

Qurbani was a Prophetic tradition which stems from of our forefather Prophet Ibrahim (AS). This act of sacrifice was a direct order commanded for Prophet Ibrahim (AS) to sacrifice his son and to express his closeness of Allah. The tradition of Qurbani or as it is said in Arabic ‘Udhiya’ was made obligatory upon the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad and to those who have

the capacity of financial aid.

There are many Prophetic traditions which discuss the virtues of this sacred act. A Hadith narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah:

Zayd lbn Arqam (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Companions (Allah be pleased with him) asked, “O Messenger of Allah! (Blessings and Peace be upon him) What is Qu

rbani?” He replied, “It is the sunnah of your father lbraheem (peace be upon him).” They asked again, “What benefit do we get from it?” He answered, “A reward for every hair (of the sacrificed animal).” “And (what reward is there for animals with) wool, Oh Messenger of Allah?” they asked. “A reward”, he said, “for every fibre of the wool.”(Ibn Majah)

The Hadith explains the benefits of the sacred sacrifice, recalling the event of our forefather Ibrahim and the same time gaining the reward of Allah Almighty by the means of a single hair from the sacrificial animal.

The aim of sacrifice, like all other fundamentals of Islam, is to imbibe piety and self righteousness. It also promotes the spirit of sacrifice for a right cause. To explain its purpose, Allah Almighty says in the Quran; it is not their meat, nor their blood, that reaches Allah Almighty, it is their piety that reaches Allah Almighty. (22:37)

Who is Qurbani (Udhiya) wajib upon him?

According to Imam Abu Hanifa Qurbani is Wajib upon every sane, mature Muslim who possess 613.5 grams of silver or its equivalent in money, stock of trade of any form of income which is surplus the years earning. It is reported in Jami’al Tirmidhi that Sayyidina Umar (May Allah be Pleased with Him) performed Qurbani continuously for ten years without missing a sacrifice. According to Islamic Law, Qurbani is obligatory upon a Muqeem (resident) and not a traveler (someone who travels outside his town at a distance of 48 miles).

It is important to note that charity; whether that is Zakah or Sadaqah cannot compensate for Qurbani and if someone whom Qurbani is wajib upon, does not perform this act it will remain pending with him for the rest of his life.

When is Qurbani performed?

The allocated days for Qurbani are on the 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah. They will take place in towns and cities where Jumma’ and Eid prayers are offered.  The 10^th Dhul Hijjah marks and celebrates the end of Hajj through the festive celebration of Eid ul Adha, and according to Islamic law, the sacrifice of an animal is performed after Eid Prayer. If it is performed before then this will not be accepted and they would have to repeat their Qurbani from sunrise on the 10^th till sunset on the 12^th Dhul Hijjah.

However if someone cannot perform the Qurbani on the allocated days then he will give a Sadaqah of the price of an animal. It should be remembered that there is no alternative for Qurbani.

Sacrificial Qurbani

There is great emphasis shown on the importance of selecting the right and suitable animal for sacrifice. According to the Islamic law, it is essential that the animal being sacrificed is able and has no discrepancies i.e. not being weak, blind or being abnormal in some shape or form. An individual Qurbani of Sheep, goat and lamb is accepted, some also perform the Qurbani of Cow, Buffallo or even a Bull as it can be divided into seven parts.

After the sacrifice of the animal, the meat should be divided into three parts:

1. Close Family
2. Relatives
3. Poor and Needy

The skin of the sacrificial animal can be sold however it will become Wajib to give the equivalent money as Sadaqah to the poor.

Qurbani on behalf of the deceased

There are some individuals who have been blessed with wealth, this is a blessing from Allah Almighty and one way to show gratitude towards Allah is by perform Qurbani on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him), his companions, family and also the Ummah.
Abu Talha (Allah be pleased with him) has related that the Prophet sacrificed one ram and while sacrificing the other he said, “This is on behalf of everyone of my Ummah who believed in me and testified (to my Prophethood).” (Tabarani)

It is a matter of deep thought and consideration that the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) kept his Ummah in his mind whilst offering the sacrifice and it is extremely unacceptable for the Ummah not to remember him at the time of Qurbani.

Qurbani performed by MWF UK

For the past 20 years MWF has been performing collective Qurbani, distributing the meat across Pakistan and other parts of the world in service to the poor. Perhaps, there isn’t an NGO like MWF that works strenuously in providing an ideal welfare and suitable provision for those in the third world.

Please join MWF again in this year’s Qurbani appeal and by doing so following the tradition of our Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessing be Upon Him). MWF will be performing Qurbani in Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya and South Africa.

You can also sponsor to sacrifice an animal, please the following details:

To sacrifice:

Part Cow = £35

Cow (Part Cow *7) = £245

Sheep = £80

Goat = £100