Uḍḥiyah (Qurbānī) - The Sunnah of Ibrāhīm Allahi Salaam
By Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafiẓahullah

During the months following Ramaḍān, Muslims the world over remember the life of the great Prophet, the Friend of Allāh Ta’ala, Ibrāhīm Allahi Salaam; a life full of sacrifice and submission to the will of Allāh Ta’ala.

At a very young age, when in need of the support of his father, Ibrāhīm Allahi Salaam was compelled to leave him. Then, during the final stages of his life, when in his old age and in need of the support of his young son, he was commanded by Allāh Ta’ala to sacrifice him. Without hesitation, he was ready to submit to the Will of his Creator. Allāh Ta’ala says:

And when (his son) reached an age in which he was able to walk with him, he said: “O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so see what is your view.” He said: “O my father! Do what you are commanded. Allāh willing, you will find me of the patient ones.”

So when they had both submitted (to Allāh’s Will), and he laid him down on his forehead, We called out to him: “O Ibrāhīm! You have indeed fulfilled the vision.” Surely, thus do we reward the doers of good. This was a clear trial. (37:102-106)

Allāh Ta’ala granted this action of Ibrāhīm Allahi Salaam so much acceptance that He made the Uḍḥiyah (qurbānī/sacrifice) a symbol of this great act. When asked by the Ṣaḥābah Radhiallahu Anhum what Uḍḥiyah is, Rasūlullāh Sallallahu Allaihi Wasallam replied:

It is the sunnah of your father Ibrāhīm Allahi Salaam (Aḥmad, Ibn Mājah)

The act of Uḍḥiyah brings enormous rewards and the Pleasure of the Lord. The Prophet Sallallahu Allaihi Wasallam said:

The son of Ādam does no deed on the day of Uḍḥiyah dearer to Allāh Ta’ala than the sacrificing of animals. It (the sacrificed animal) will come on the Day of Qiyāmah with its horns and its hair and its hooves (to be weighed). The sacrifice is accepted by Allāh Ta’ala before the blood reaches the ground. Therefore sacrifice with a happy heart. (At-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah)

Once, the Ṣaḥābah Radhiallahu Anhum asked Rasūlullāh Sallallahu Allaihi Wasallam regarding the benefits of Uḍḥiyah. He answered: “A reward for every hair.” They asked: “And wool, O Prophet of Allāh?” He said: “A reward for every fibre of the wool.” (Aḥmad, Ibn Mājah)

Therefore, everyone who is able to offer Uḍḥiyah should do so and acquire the rewards promised in the aḥādīth.

Who is Required to do Uḍḥiyah?

The act of Uḍḥiyah is in some cases wājib and in others nafl. A person must perform the wājib Uḍḥiyah and endeavour to perform as many nafl as possible. In the case of the person who, during the days of Uḍḥiyah (10th, 11th and 12th Dhul-Ḥijjah), possesses wealth to the amount which would make zakāh obligatory upon him, be it in the form of gold, silver, cash, merchandise or any item which is surplus to his needs, the Uḍḥiyah will be wājib. Unlike in the case of zakāh, it is not necessary for this amount of wealth to be in one’s possession for an entire year. The compulsion of Uḍḥiyah is established simply if wealth equivalent to the nisāb of zakāh is possessed during the specified days.

Some Misconceptions Regarding Uḍḥiyah

Here, we need to clarify certain common misconceptions as regards this ‘ibādah.

1) One common misconception regarding Uḍḥiyah is that it is merely a virtuous deed; it brings reward to the one who performs it and there is no blame if it is not done. This is a serious misunderstanding, for in most cases in the UK, it is wājib.

2) The second misunderstanding is assuming that the obligation of Uḍḥiyah is shared between the entire household. This results in those members of the household upon whom Uḍḥiyah is incumbent performing just one between them, feeling that the obligation has been fulfilled. This is not so. If a man possesses the nisāb of zakāh, one Uḍḥiyah is wājib upon him. If his wife also possesses the nisāb, she will have to perform a separate Uḍḥiyah. Similarly, if any of the children (provided they are bāligh) possess the amount of nisāb, Uḍḥiyah will be compulsory on each one of them as well.

3) Another common misconception is that Uḍḥiyah is carried out to allow people to eat meat which is considered blessed. With this in mind they are satisfied with eating Uḍḥiyah meat that has reached them from others. There is no doubt that Uḍḥiyah meat is blessed, as Uḍḥiyah is the re-enactment of the sacrifice made by Ibrāhīm Allahi Salaam, the Friend of Allāh, but it is even more importantly an obligation which needs fulfilling. Such people should worry about discharging the obligation of Uḍḥiyah and not only be content with partaking of its blessed meat.

4) In many households, the father performs Uḍḥiyah on behalf of all his family members without their knowledge or without their having requested him. We should understand that this approach to Uḍḥiyah only amounts to a nafl Uḍḥiyah. In the case of a father arranging the Uḍḥiyah for his dependants, they need to make him their wakīl (agent) in order for these sacrifices to be considered valid.
It is clear from the above that we must become familiar with the masā’il and injunctions of Uḍḥiyah. These masā’il can be learnt from various books as well as through consulting the ‘Ulamā and Muftis.

The Spirit of Sacrifice in Uḍḥiyah

Just as the name itself suggests, Uḍḥiyah (sacrifice) should be carried out taking its literal meaning into consideration. Generally, we arrange for our Uḍḥiyah to be carried out at a cheap price in a poor country. No doubt this lifts the obligation, but it is not the type of Uḍḥiyah that Allāh Ta’ala would like to see. We will not experience the spirit of Uḍḥiyah until we spend the amount that it takes to sacrifice e.g. a sheep in this country (which is often equivalent to the amount required to sacrifice a cow elsewhere).

Allāh Ta’aal has provided for us in abundance so we should express our shukr (gratitude) to Allāh Ta’ala and not be miserly.We should offer a Uḍḥiyah in needy countries by all means, but we should also offer one in our own locality. By doing so, we too can partake of the blessed meat.

The Custom of our Pious Predecessors

Shaykhul Ḥadīth, Shaykh Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyyā Rahamatullahi Allahi used to mention that during the three days of Uḍḥiyah, no other food items should accompany the Uḍḥiyah meat. The Shaykh would stress to the people that during these days, they were the guests of Allāh Ta’ala and that the meat of Uḍḥiyah was His Hospitality. We can gather from this how much our pious predecessors gave importance to Uḍḥiyah. So let us perform Uḍḥiyah in our localities as well as in those places where the destitute live who have no access to meat.

We should also offer Uḍḥiyah on behalf of Rasūlullāh Sallallahu AllahiWasallam, our parents, our teachers, our mashā’ikh, our well-wishers and benefactors, and also one on behalf of the whole Ummah. We may also perform Uḍḥiyah on behalf of the various Ṣaḥābah Radhiallahu Anhum, alternating between them on different occasions. The same applies for the Awliyā (friends of Allāh), the Muḥaddithīn and the A’immah, all of whom we are indebted to.

My honourable father, Hāfiz Ibrāhīm Dhorat Rahamatullahi Allahi used to keep an annual record of nafl Uḍḥiyahs performed on behalf of all these great personalities. He also used to perform nafl Uḍḥiyah every year on behalf of his parents and shaykh.

In this manner, our intended reward will reach the pious in the hereafter and, inshā’allāh, will be a reason for them to search for us on the Day of Judgement. We should also make this practice a habit whenever we have the opportunity to spend in the path of Allāh Ta’ala. These acts will prove beneficial spiritually for our lives in this world and the hereafter.

May Allāh Ta’ala give us the ability to offer Uḍḥiyah in its true spirit, not feeling it a burden but with zeal and eagerness. Āmīn.

Please find below the link for the Majlis of Hazrat Mufti Radhaul Haq Sahib DB. The Majlis was held at the Houghton Masjid on West Street

Guest: Moulana Khalid of Fiji Islands

http://www.duz.co.za/index.php/audio/42-majaalis-mufti-radhaulhaq-shb-db/706-sahaba-a-suhbah-28092014

Note: Due to the Eidul Adha Holidays, Hazrats next majlis will take place on the 19th of October Insha Allah.

The Museum @ Darul Uloom Zakariyya will be opened on the following Sundays:

Sunday 26th October 2014

Sunday 30th November 2014

All welcome....

LOCATION: Adjacent to the Darul Hadith at Darul Uloom Zakariyya, Zakariyya Park, Johannesburg

TIME: 1 pm to 4 pm

Bring your hifz/maktab/madressa/aalim students etc to view.

To book day/time contact: Ml Younus Ali : 082 302 9850

Darul Uloom Eid programme:

Fajr Salaah: 5:00 am Jamaat
Eid Bayaan : 5:45 am
Eid Salaah : 6 am SHARP