Moving Upwards - Lessons From History

Moving Upwards

The most significant point to note in this respect is that the revival of the Muslim Ummah is not a simple and linear process; rather it has numerous aspects and various dimension. There are a number of devoted individuals, as well as associations, parties and organized groups, which are working diligently in different ways for Islamic revival. Although their efforts may sometime appear to be mutually conflicting, the fact remains that all of them are actually reinforcing each other vis-à- vis the overall movement for revival. 

Moreover, this mission of the renaissance of Islam and revitalization of the Ummah is not going to be completed in ten or twenty years; rather, it is a slow and patient ascent from one rung of the ladder to the next. Each and every step in this upward movement is worthy and crucial in its own right. It is possible for the work done by one’s predecessors to appear trivial or even misplaced and misguided when viewed from a higher level. However, the significance and value  of  the  contributions  of  the  past  generations  cannot  be easily disparaged or denied, keeping in view the specific requirements and limitations of the time and circumstances in which they were carried out. 

Finally, while the importance of charismatic personalities is certainly undeniable, in the final analysis they are of less value as compared to organized groups and parties. These associations, in turn, tend to lose their unique significance within the larger umbrella of particular movements, and, finally, all the different movements coalesce in the all- embracing process of revival and regeneration, which is of ultimate importance.

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad

Eid ul Adha 1436 hijri

Qurbani - Sacrifice in Islam

THE QURBANI ANIMAL

The animal that is being sacrificed for Qurbani should be respected and treated in the best possible manner. The Qurbani animal must qualify in terms of specification, quality, age and being free from defects. The following domesticated animals are permitted for Qurbani:

Animal  Age

• goat/sheep/ram              1 year or older
• bull/buffalo/cow/ox        2 years or older
• camel                              5 years or older

Animals younger than the prescribed age are not suitable for Qurbani A sheep that is more than six months old but less than a year, and physically appears to be a year old will suffice for Qurbani. A cow, bull, buffalo or camel will suffice for seven persons provided no single share is less than one seventh and the intention of all partners is to attain reward and not merely to benefit from the meat.

Animals chosen for Qurbani should be healthy and free from defects. Animals with Defects

The following animals are not suitable for Qurbani:

1. An animal whose horn/s has been broken off from the root. However, an animal born without horns or if the horns are broken off but not from the root is suitable for Qurbani.

2. An animal that has lost its sight, has one eye only or has lost more than one-third of its vision.

3. An animal that is born without ears or lost more than a third of the ear.

4. An animal that limps and walks on three legs and cannot put the injured (fourth) leg onto the ground, or that it can put the injured leg onto the ground, but is unable to walk on it. However, if it is unable to walk on it, but can still take support from it, then Qurbani is permitted with such an animal.

5. Animals that are so lean and thin that their bones have no marrow.

6. If an animal gets injured while slaughtering, e.g. breaks its leg, ear gets cut etc., the Qurbani will be valid.

7. If an animal was bought in a healthy and perfect state and thereafter became unfit for Qurbani then,

• If the owner is not wealthy (possessor of nisab) it will be permissible to offer this animal for Qurbani.
• If the owner is wealthy (possesses the nisab), then it is compulsory for him to obtain another animal.

Method of Slaughtering an Animal

Every care should be taken to slaughter the animal without subjecting it to  unnecessary pain and torture. The following pertinent points are to be kept in mind:

• The knife must be sharp so that it slits the throat swiftly, without causing undue pain to the animal.
• The knife should not be sharpened in the presence of the animals.
• The animal should not be slaughtered whilst it is hungry and thirsty.
• The animal should not be dragged along to the place of slaughter.
• The animal should be slaughtered at a place where other animals cannot witness the slaughter.
• It should be laid on the ground with ease and slaughtered without delay.
• The animal should not be slaughtered with such a force that its head is severed,or the knife reaches the spinal cord.
• It is incorrect to slaughter the animal above the neck because it causes the animal too much pain and agony.
• After slaughtering, the head should not be cut off nor should the animal be skinned until the body is cold (lifeless).
• The Qurbani animal should be placed on its left side facing the Qiblah and the following dua should be recited before slaughtering the animal:

Inni wajjah tu wajhiya lillazi fataras samawati wal arda haneefaw wama ana minal mushrikeen – 

Inna salati wanusuki wa mahyaya wa mamati lillahi rabbil alameen – 

La shareekalah wa bizalika umirtu wa ana awwalul muslimeen

"For me I have set my face firmly and truly towards Him Who created the heavens end the earth. And never shall I associate partners with Allah. Verily my worship, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. O Allah this sacrifice is from you and is for you."

• When slaughtering the animal recite: Bismillahi Allahu Akbar. (In the name of Allah - Allah is the Greatest) Du'aa to be read after zabah (slaughter):

Allahumma taqabbalhu minni kama taqabbalta min habeebika Muhammadin wa 

Khaleelika Ibrahim alayhimas salam

“O Allah accept from me this sacrifice like You have accepted from Your beloved

Muhammad and Your friend Ibrahim peace be upon them.”

The Meat of the Sacrificed Animal

It is advisable but not compulsory to apportion the Qurbani animal into three parts. One part for one's family, another may be distributed among friends and relatives and the third to the poor and needy. It is permissible to keep all the meat for oneself.

The meat of the animal which has more than one share should be distributed by weighing it and not by estimation unless the head, feet and skin form part or the distributed shares.

• It is unlawful to sell the Qurbani meat.
• It is not permissible to tender the skin or meat as payment to the slaughterer (or skinner). Their fees should be paid separately.
• The meat of the voluntary (nafl) Qurbani, made on behalf of a deceased person may be eaten by all.
• Qurbani meat may be consumed by oneself and may be served to others, e.g. at a Walima.
• It is permissible to utilize the skin for one's personal use, e.g. as a Musalla or a leather pouch. However, if the skin is sold, it is not permissible to use the income thereof. It is Wajib to give it in charity.

Reference: Sahih Muslim,Sunanus Sughra lil Baihaqi, Mishkat, I'laaus Sunan, Sunan Ibn Majah, Tanweerul Absaar, Bazlul Majhood, Raddul Muhtar, Ad Durrul Mukhtar

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 ETIQUETTE AND MANNERS

Eidul Azha and Qurbani Points to Remember A Staff Writer Safe disposal of waste should be the foremost concern for all those who decide to go for sacrifice of animals in cities and towns. Eidul Azha is upon us. Soon after this issue reaches your hands, you will be celebrating the only second festival recommended by Islam i.e., Eidul Azha or to simply call it Bakrid. It is important to remember that we live in a multi-religious and culturally plural country in which power-wielding elite are mainly vegetarian. Even those among them who consume meat dishes, detest being associated with any activity involving processing of meat. It is therefore imperative that the main event i.e., sacrifice of the animals is performed in a manner that it does not hurt the sensitivities of the fellow countrymen. Care must be taken in transporting and keeping the animals in the cities. Since cities in India lack wide spaces, it is better if the sacrifice is carried out only in rural area or slaughterhouses and meat is distributed among the needy and the relatives from there. Animals should not be tied in the streets and sacrifice should at no cost be carried out in open. Droppings and urine spread putrid smell in the air. Proper sanitation is therefore prerequisite for any place designated for safekeeping of animals prior to sacrifice. Children should not roam dragging these animals in the street before the sacrifice. The animals should be slaughtered at homes only if the houses are big enough to accommodate the entire processing. The blood and wastages should be disposed off in a manner that neither it fouls the air nor stains the streets and exteriors of the houses. The entrails and offal of the animals should not be allowed to rot in the open air. Bones should not be cast outside, lest they entice dogs, cats, and kites. Blood of the animals should be let out only in the covered sewerage, not in the open gutters where it will attract the notice of the passersby or the dogs. Women must avoid drying the strands of leftover meat over the laundry wires on terraces as they emit smell and invite kites and crows. Skins of the animals should not be left in the verandah in wait for the personnel appointed for their collection. It should be neatly packed in bags and dispatched to such collection centres. Carcasses of slaughtered animals should not be carted over in open pushcarts as public view of the slaughtered animals offends sensitivities. It is preferable to opt for collective (mushtarka) qurbani which takes care of safe disposal of waste and hygienic processing of the meat. Source

Back to the Present - Lessons From History

Back to the Present

So far we have examined the similarities between the Jewish and Muslim histories vis-à-vis their two phases of rise and two phases of decline. In this context, the events of the 20th century are especially significant in that they represent — for both the Jews and the Muslims — the unfolding of the third and final stage of their respective histories.

Note that although “rise” and “decline” are essentially opposite and contradictory concepts, both of these processes are usually  found  simultaneously  during  the  greater  part  of  the history of a particular culture-civilization. In other words, both the phenomena of “rise” and “decline” may be found operating side by side, although in due course of time one of these trends gradually weakens and disappears, and the other one becomes dominant.

It is apparent to any careful observer that the Jews have continued to suffer the floggings of Divine punishment in the present century — the Holocaust during the Second World War being a case in point — just as they have been suffering for the last two thousand years. Simultaneously, however, they are also undergoing a process of revival, as exemplified by the establishment of the state of Israel. In the same way, the second phase of decline for the Muslims has continued in the present century — prominent examples of which include the termination of Ottoman Empire, abolition of the Caliphate, the Six-Day War of ‘67, the humiliating fall of East Pakistan, and the devastation of  Iraq  in  the Gulf War — but, at the same time, powerful currents   of   revival   and   regeneration   are   also   visible,   as epitomized by Islamic activism throughout the world.

According to the predictions of the Qur’an and Hadith, the process of Muslim re-awakening and revitalization is going to continue, culminating not only in the renaissance of Islam as a moral and spiritual ideal, but also in the establishment of the Islamic System of Social Justice over the entire globe. On the other hand, the revival among the Jews is going to be evanescent and short-lived, and their continuing decline, in due course of time, will overshadow their apparent “rise,” ultimately leading to their final and total extermination. Moreover, the beginning of the domination of Islam and the annihilation of the Jews will be temporally coincidental. The relevant predictions in the Qur’an and Hadith will be discussed later in this book. At the moment we shall consider the dynamics and details of the revival among the Muslims.

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad