As Eid-ul-Adha is approaching, MM News held a special talk with Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori on the issues of animal sacrifice and other important issues.
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori is one of the prominent religious scholars of Pakistan and a prominent personality in the field of religious issues, with whom the matters of sacrifice were discussed in detail.
MM News: What is the importance and virtue of sacrifice in Islam?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: First of all, I am grateful to you for inviting me to the program. Sacrifice is a great act of worship and goodness. The last 10 days of Zil Hajj are extremely virtuous in which worship is of great importance.
There should be an effort to worship Allah well. A sacrifice is a great act of worship. Sacrifice is the best deed in the sight of Allah Almighty. The Beloved of Allah says that the best deed is that which is slaughtered in the form of an animal on the day of Eid. Sacrifice is obligatory, for which reason it is sufficient that Prophet PBUH when he was migrating from Makkah to Madinah, did not give up sacrifice in any year.
They used to offer sacrifices with great relish. This process shows how important sacrifice is. In Al-Kausar in the Holy Qur’an, Allah tells the prophet to pray to Him and sacrifice a camel.
MM News: It is often said that animal sacrifice is not compulsory or one can help the needy instead. What does Shariah say in this regard?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: The problem here is that some people say that it is better to give money to the poor and needy instead of sacrificing animals. There is no evidence for this in the Shari’ah and it is highly inappropriate.
Islam teaches charity for the poor, orphans, and the needy, but that does not mean abandoning the great act of sacrifice and giving priority to helping the poor and needy. It is right to give them, but why this obligation? Those who deny the hadith want to alienate people from Islam by such talk. It is not at all permissible for you to be obliged to make a sacrifice and still not make a sacrifice.
MM News: Who is obliged to make sacrifices? Is sacrificing good? What is the reward for such action?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: Sacrifice also becomes obligatory on those on whom Zakat is obligatory. With regard to sacrifice, not only the Beloved Allah encouraged but also made promises. The Prophet PBUH said: ‘If a person is obliged to offer a sacrifice and he does not do it, then he should not come to the place of Eid. Hazrat Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that Allah Almighty bestows one good for every hair of an animal in return for a sacrifice. This is great worship in which there is no exemption. He who has been helped by Allah must make a sacrifice.’
The companions asked the benefactor of humanity: He said that sacrifice is the Sunnah of our ancestor Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Then the companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah, we will get good from this sacrifice.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that for every hair of an animal, one will get a good deed which shows the greatness of the sacrifice.
MM News: Is sacrifice obligatory as many people believe it is not compulsory in Islam?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: Sacrifice is obligatory on the one who has been blessed by Allah, the one who is able to. There are strict promises for those who do not. Therefore, the aspect of sacrifice cannot be ignored.
MM News: Can Women sacrifice and slaughter animals themselves as most men are seen sacrificing them?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: Just as it is obligatory for men to offer sacrifices, so it is obligatory for those who can afford it. If women are wealthy, then the sacrifice is obligatory on them in the same way. Slaughtering is considered worship for both men and women.
The best practice is for women to slaughter the animal with their hands if they can. Acknowledging the oneness of Allah, every Muslim man and woman should slaughter the sacrificial animal itself.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said to his daughter Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) that when a sacrificial animal is slaughtered, you should be there because before a drop of blood of the slaughtered animal falls on the ground, Allah decides to forgive. It is a matter of great happiness and if someone says that a better sacrifice should be given to an orphan and a poor person, then it is a denial of worship.
Orphans and the poor are not remembered when buying expensive cars. Why are orphans and the poor remembered before buying a sacrificial animal? It is highly reprehensible to recall such things on the subject of Sharia and religion which can be termed as the fatwa of human thought.
MM News: If there is only one sacrifice in the house then how many parts can be made from it? What is the procedure for sharing?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: The Sunnah method of distributing meat is to divide it into 3 parts. One part should be eaten by oneself, the other by the poor, and the third for relatives. Some people have so many relatives that they can’t give to the poor, so there is nothing wrong with that, but the effort should be to take care of the poor and the needy. The Prophet (PBUH) used to keep only one meal in his house and distribute the rest.
Some gentlemen focus on filling the fridge and the poor refrain of meat. Sacrifice is still made but the demands of justice are not met. Our religion says to support not only ourselves but also society. The oppressed classes should be taken care of and redressed.
If there are really so many guests and people in the house that there is a problem with distributing outside, then the Shari’ah allows you to use the sacrificial meat only, the effort should be to take care of the poor as much as possible.
There are different ways to partake in a sacrificial animal. The big animal is divided into 7 parts. The goat has one part, other animals can be divided into one to seven as many parts as they want. Not more than seven parts can be made.
MM News: In whose name can sacrifice be made? Is it permissible to offer sacrifices in the name of the deceased?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: Some people say that sacrifices cannot be made in the name of the deceased but Shariah allows it. Sacrifices can be made for parents and other relatives, grandparents, etc. Sacrifice should be considered as worship and prayers should be made for its acceptance before Allah.
There should be no hypocrisy at all. Our law is less strict than the religion of the Jews and Christmas is more strict. Sincerity should be accepted by Allah Almighty in His presence. Hypocrisy has destroyed Muslims.
Use moderation to avoid hypocrisy. It should be said, “O Allah, if I were not afraid of hypocrisy, I would have bought a higher animal and sacrificed it instead of buying an average animal, but I am doing this to avoid appearances. Allah likes this and accepts the sacrifice.”
MM News: What is the process of sacrificing with a loan? Is it legal or illegal?
Mufti Mohiuddin Ahmed Mansoori: With regard to sacrificing with a loan, it is important to understand that the sacrifice is obligatory on those who can afford it. There is no need to sacrifice.
Sacrifice is also obligatory on those on whom Zakat is obligatory. Whoever has wealth but is stuck in the bank or it is in the form of gold, then such a person can take a loan and sacrifice because he is basically rich. If this is not the case then such people do not need sacrifice. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss sacrificial issues.
