Zulhijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar.
Literally, it means ” the possessor of hajj .”
Obviously, this name of the month indicates that
the great annual worship of “ hajj ” is performed in
this month, which gives it special significance.
Some specific merits and rules relevant to this
month are mentioned below:
First Ten Days
The first ten days of Zulhijjah are among the most
magnificent days in Islamic calendar. The Holy
Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said,
“One fast during these days is equal to the fasting
of one complete year, and the worship of one night
during this period is equal to the worship in the
“Lailatul-Qadr”.
Every Muslim should avail of this wonderful
opportunity by performing during this period as
much Iba’dah (acts of worship) to Allah as he or
she can.
The 9th day of Zulhijjah
The 9th day of Zulhijjah is called ‘Youmul -
“Arafah’ (The Day of ‘Arafah). This is the date
when the Hujjaj (Haji pilgrims, plural of Haajj)
assemble on the plain of ‘Arafat, six miles away
from Makkah al-Mukarramah, where they perform
the most essential part of the prescribed duties of
hajj , namely, the ‘Wuqoof of’Arafat (the stay in
‘Arafat).
The Fast of Youmul ‘Arafah
For those not performing hajj , it is mustahabb
(desirable) to fast on this day according to their
own calendar. It sometimes occurs that 9th
Zuihijjah falls on different days in different
countries according to the sighting of the moon. In
such cases, Muslims of each country should
observe ‘Youmul ‘Arafah according to the lunar
dates of their own country.
For example, if ’Youmul ‘Arafah’ is being observed
in Saudi Arabia on Friday, and in Pakistan on
Saturday, Pakistani Muslims should treat Saturday
as ‘Youmul ‘Arafah’ and should fast on that day if
they desire to benefit from the fast of
‘Youmul’Arafah’.
The fast of ’Youmul ‘Arafah’ has been emphasized
by the Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam,
as a mustahabb (desirable) act. According to a
hadith, the fast of this day becomes a cause,
hopefully so, of forgiveness for sins committed in
one year.
Takbir-ut-tashriq
Beginning from the Fajr of the 9th Zulhijjah up to
the ‘Asr prayer of the 13th, it is obligatory on each
Muslim to recite the Takbir of Tashriq after every
fard prayer in the following words.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,
La Ilaha Illallahu, Wallahu Akbar,
Allahu Akbar wa lillahilhamd.
(There is no god but Allah and Allah is the
greatest, Allah is the greatest and to Allah belongs
all praise.)
According to authentic Islamic sources, it is
obligatory on each Muslim, to recite this Takbir
after every fard salah. For women also, it is
commendable though not obligatory. Whether you
are performing salah with Jama’ah (collectively) or
on your own (individually) makes no difference.
You must recite the Takbir. However, male
Muslims should recite it in a loud voice, while
females should recite it in a low voice.
On the Eid day
The following acts are sunnah on the day of Eidul-
adha :
1. To wake up early in the morning.
2. To clean one’s teeth with a miswak or brush
3. To take bath.
4. To put on one’s best available clothes.
5. To use perfume.
6. Not to eat before the Eid prayer.
7. To recite the Takbir of Tashriq in a loud voice
while going to the Eid prayer.
How to Perform Eid Prayers (Hanafi School)
The Eid prayer has two raka’at performed in the
normal way, with the only addition of six Takbirs,
three of them in the beginning of the first raka’ah,
and three of them just before ruku’ in the second
raka’ah. The detailed way of performing the Eid
prayer is as follows:
The Imam will begin the prayer without Adhan or
iqamah. He will begin the prayer by reciting Takbir
of Tahrimah (Allahu Akbar). You should raise your
hands up to the ears, and after reciting the Takbir,
you should set your hands on your navel. The
Imam will give a little pause during which you
should recite Thana’ (Subhanakallahumma .:.).
After the completion of Thana’, the Imam will recite
Takbir (Allahu Akbar) three times. At the first two
calls of Takbir you should raise your hands up to
the ears, and after reciting Takbir (Allahu Akbar) in
a low voice, should bring your hands down and
leave them earthwards. But, after the third Takbir,
you should set them on your navel as you do in
the normal prayers.
After these three Takbirs, the Imam will recite the
Holy Qur’an, which you should listen calmly and
quietly. The rest of the raka’ah will be performed
in the normal way.
After rising for the second raka’ah, the Imam will
begin the recitations from the Holy Qur’an during
which you should remain calm and quiet. When the
Imam finishes his recitation, he will recite three
Takbirs once again, but this time it will be just
before bowing down for ruku’. At each Takbir you
should raise your hands up to the ears, and after
saying ‘Allahu Akbar’, bring them down and leave
them earthwards. After these three takbirs have
been called and completed, the Imam will say
another takbir for bowing down into the ruku’
position. At this takbir you need not raise your
hands. You just bow down for your ruku’ saying,
‘Allahu Akbar’. The rest of the salah will be
performed in its usual way.
Khutbah: The Address of Eidul-Adha
In this salah of Eid, Khutbah is a sunnah and is
delivered after the salah, unlike the salah of
Jumu’ah where it is fard and is delivered before
the salah. However, listening to the khutbah of Eid
salah is wajib or necessary and must be listened
to in perfect peace and silence.
It is a sunnah that the Imam begins the first
Khutbah by reciting takbir ( Allahu Akbar ) nine
times and the second Khutbah with reciting it
seven times.
Note:
The way of Eid prayer described above is
according to the Hanafi school of Muslim jurists.
Some other jurists, like Imam Shafi’i, have some
other ways to perform it. They recite Takbir twelve
times before beginning the recitations of the Holy
Qur’an in both the raka’at. This way is also
permissible. If the Imam, being of the Shafi’i
school, follows this way, you can also follow him.
Both ways are based on the practice of the Holy
Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
Sacrifice or Qurbani: Philosophy and Rules
The Urdu and persian word Qurbani (Sacrificial
slaughter) is derived from the Arabic word Qurban .
Lexically, it means an act performed to seek
Allah’s pleasure. Originally, the word Qurban
included all acts of charity because the purpose of
charity is nothing but to seek Allah’s pleasure.
But, in precise religious terminology, the word was
later confined to the sacrifice of an animal
slaughtered for the sake of Allah.
The sacrifice of an animal has always been treated
as a recognized form of worship in all religious
orders originating from a divine book. Even in
pagan societies, the sacrifice of an animal is
recognized as a form of worship, but it is done in
the name of some idols and not in the name of
Allah, a practice totally rejected by Islam.
In the Shari’ah of our beloved Prophet, Sall-Allahu
alayhi wa sallam, the sacrifice of an animal has
been recognized as a form of worship only during
three days of Zulhijjah, namely, the 10th, 1lth and
12th of the month. This is to commemorate the
unparalleled sacrifice offered by the Prophet
Sayyidna Ibrahim, Alayhi Salam, when he, in
pursuance to a command of Allah conveyed to him
in a dream, prepared himself to slaughter his
beloved son, Sayyidna Isma’il, Alayhi Salam, and
actually did so but, Allah Almighty, after testing his
submission, sent down a sheep and saved his son
from the logical fate of slaughter. It is from that
time onwards that the sacrifice of an animal
became an obligatory duty to be performed by
every well to do Muslim.
Qurbani is a demonstration of total submission to
Allah and a proof of complete obedience to Allah’s
will or command. When a Muslim offers a Qurbani,
this is exactly what he intends to prove. Thus, the
Qurbani offered by a Muslim signifies that he is a
slave of Allah at his best and that he would not
hesitate even for a moment, once he receives an
absolute command from his Creator, to surrender
before it, to obey it willingly, even if it be at the
price of his life and possessions. When a true and
perfect Muslim receives a command from Allah, he
does not make his obedience dependent upon the
command’s reasonability’ as perceived through
his limited understanding. He knows that Allah is
All-knowing, All-Wise and that his own reason
cannot encompass the knowledge and wisdom
underlying the divine command. He, therefore,
submits to the divine command, even if he cannot
grasp the reason or wisdom behind it.
This is exactly what the Prophet Ibrahim, Alayhi
Salam, did. Apparently, there was no reason why a
father should slaughter his innocent son. But,
when came the command from Allah, he never
asked about the reason for that command, nor did
he hesitate to follow it. Even his minor son when
asked by his father about the dream he had seen,
never questioned the legitimacy of the command,
nor did he pine or whine about it, nor did he ask
for one good reason why he was being
slaughtered. The one and only response he made
was:
‘Father, do what you have been ordered to do. You
shall find me, God willing, among the patient”.
The present-day Qurbani is offered in memory of
this great model of submission set before us by
the great father and the great son. So Qurbani
must be offered in our time emulating the same
ideal and attitude of submission.
This, then, is the true philosophy of Qurbani. With
this in mind, one can easily unveil the fallacy of
those who raise objections against Qurbani on the
basis of economic calculations and depict it to be
a wastage of money, resources and livestock.
Unable to see beyond mundane benefits, they
cannot understand the spirit Islam wants to plant
and nourish among its followers, the spirit of total
submission to Allah’s will which equips man with
most superior qualities so necessary to keep
humanity in a state of lasting peace and welfare.
Qurbani is nothing but a powerful symbol of the
required human conduct vis-a-vis the divine
commands, however “irrational” or “uneconomic”
they may seem to be in their appearance. Thus,
the distrustful quest for mundane economic
benefits behind Qurbani is, in fact, the negation of
its real philosophy and the very spirit underlying it.
No doubt, there are in every form of worship
ordained by Allah, certain worldly benefits too, but
they are not the main purpose of these prescribed
duties, nor should they be treated as a pre-
condition to submission and obedience. All acts of
worship, including Qurbani, must be carried out
with a spirit of total submission to Allah,
irrespective of their economic, social or political
benefits. This is what Ibrahim, Alayhi Salam, did,
and this is what every true Muslim is required to
do,
Keeping this in view, we are giving here some rules
governing the worship of Qurbani in our Shari’ah
according to the Hanafi School.
The Time of Qurbani
Qurbani can only be performed during the three
days of Eid, namely the 10th, Ilth and 12th of
Zulhijjah. It is only in these days that slaughtering
of an animal is recognized as an act of worship.
No Qurbani can be performed in any other days of
the year.
Although Qurbani is permissible on each of the
three aforesaid days, yet it is preferable to perform
it on the first day i.e. the 10th of Zulhijjah.
No Qurbani is allowed before the Eid prayer is
over. However, in small villages where the Eid
prayer is not to be performed, Qurbani can be
offered’ any time after the break of dawn on the
10th of Zulhijjah.
Qurbani can also be performed in the two nights
following the Eid day, but it is more advisable to
perform it during daytime.
Who is Required to Perform Qurbani ?
Every adult Muslim, male or female, who owns
613.35 grams of silver or its equivalent in money,
personal ornaments, stock-in-trade or any other
form of wealth which is surplus to his basic needs,
is under an obligation to offer a Qurbani. Each
adult member of a family who owns the above
mentioned amount must perform his own Qurbani
separately. If the husband owns the required
quantity, but the wife does not, the Qurbani
obligatory on the husband only and vice-versa. If
both of them have the prescribed amount of
wealth, both should perform Qurbani separately.
If the adult children live with their parents, Qurbani
is obligatory on each one of them possessing the
prescribed amount. The Qurbani offered by a
husband for himself does not fulfil the obligation of
his wife, nor can the Qurbani offered by a father
discharge his son or daughter from their
obligation. Each one of them should care for his
own.
However, if a husband or a father, apart from
offering his own Qurbani, gives another Qurbani on
behalf of his wife or his son, he can do so with
their permission.
No Alternate for Qurbani
Some people think that instead of offering a
Qurbani they should give its amount to some poor
people as charity. This attitude is totally wrong.
Actually, there are different forms of worship
obligatory on Muslims. Each one of them has its
own importance and none of them can stand for
the other. It is not permissible for a Muslim to
perform salah instead of fasting in Ramadan, nor is
it permissible for him to give some charity instead
of observing the obligatory Salah. Similarly,
Qurbani is an independent form of worship and this
obligation cannot be discharged by spending
money in charity.
However, if somebody, out of his ignorance or
negligence, could not offer Qurbani on the three
prescribed days (10th, 1lth and 12th Zulhijjah)
then, in that case only, he can give the price of a
Qurbani as sadaqah to those entitled to receive
Zakah . But during the days of Qurbani no Sadaqah
can discharge the obligation.
The Animals of Qurbani
The following animals can be slaughtered to offer a
Qurbani :
1. Goat, either male or female, of at least one year
of age.
2. Sheep, either male or female, of at least six
months of age.
3. Cow, ox buffalo of at least two years of age.
4. Camel, male or female, of at least five years of
age.
One head of goat or sheep is enough only for one
person’s Qurbani. But as for all other animals like
cow, buffalo or camel, one head of each is equal to
seven offerings thus allowing seven persons to
offer Qurbani jointly in one such animal.
If the seller of animal claims that the animal is of
the recognized age and there is no apparent
evidence to the contrary; one can trust his
statement and the sacrifice of such an animal is
lawful.
Rules about Defective Animals
The following defective animals are not acceptable
in Qurbani:
1. Blind, one eyed or lame animal.
2. An animal so emaciated that it cannot walk to
its slaughtering place.
3. An animal with one-third part of the ear or the
nose or the tail missing.
4. An animal that has no teeth at all, or the major
number of its teeth are missing.
5. An animal born without ears.
The following animals are acceptable in Qurbani :
1. A castrated he – goat. (Rather, its Qurbani is
more preferable).
2. An animal that has no horns, or its horns are
broken. However, if the horns of an animal are
uprooted totally so as to create a defect in the
brain, its Qurbani is not lawful.
3. An animal the missing part of whose ear, nose
or tail is less than one third.
4. A sick or injured animal, unless it has some
above mentioned defects rendering its Qurbani
unlawful.
The Sunnah Method of Qurbani
It is more preferable for a Muslim to slaughter the
animal of his Qurbani with his own hands.
However, if he is unable to slaughter the animal
himself, or does not want to do so for some
reason, he can request another person to slaughter
it on his behalf. In this case also, it is more
preferable that he, at least, be present at the time
of slaughter. However, his absence at the time of
slaughter does not render the Qurbani invalid, if he
has authorized the person who slaughtered the
animal on his behalf. It is a Sunnah to lay the
animal with its face towards the Qiblah, and to
recite the following verse of the Holy Quran:
I, being upright, turn my face towards the One who
has created the heavens and the earth, and I am
not among those who associate partners with
Allah. ( Al-An’am, 6:79)
But the most essential recitation when slaughtering
an animal is: Bismillah, Allahu Akbar. (In the name
of Allah, Allah is the greatest). If somebody
intentionally avoids to recite it when slaughtering
an animal, it does not only make his Qurbani
unlawful, but also renders the animal haram, and it
is not permissible to eat the meat of that animal.
However, if a person did not avoid this recitation
intentionally, but he forgot to recite it when
slaughtering the animal, this mistake is forgiven
and both the Qurbani and the slaughter are lawful.
If somebody is unable to recite “Bismillah Allahu
Akbar” in the Arabic language, he can recite the
name of Allah in his own language by saying, “In
the name of Allah”.
Distribution of the Meat
If an animal is sacrificed by more than one person,
like cow or camel, its meat should be distributed
equally among its owners by weighing the meat
strictly and not at random or by mere guess. Even
if all the partners agree on its distribution without
weighing, it is still not permissible according to
shari’ah .
However, if the actual weighing is not practicable
due to some reason, and all the partners agree to
distribute the meat without weighing, distribution
by guess can be done with the condition that each
share necessarily contains either a leg of the
animal or some quantity of its liver.
Although the person offering a Qurbani can keep
all its meat for his own use, yet, it is preferable to
distribute one-third among the poor, another one-
third among his relatives and then, keep the rest
for his personal consumption.
All parts of the sacrificed animal can be used for
personal benefit, but none can be sold, nor can be
given to the butcher as a part of his wages. If
somebody has sold the meat of the Qurbani or its
skin, he must give the accrued price as sadaqah to
a poor man who can receive Zakah.
Hajj
The most important way of worship performed in
this month is “ hajj “, one of the five pillars of Islam.
The Muslims from every part of the world assemble
in Arabia to perform this unique way of worship.
Hajj is a worship, which requires at least five days
to be performed in its proper way. There are
detailed rules for different acts ofhajj for which
separate books are available, and the present
article does not aim at explaining all these details.
However, some basic information about its
obligation is being given here:
1. Hajj is obligatory on every adult Muslim who
can afford to go to Makkah during the hajj season,
whether on foot or by any other carriage.
2. If a person can travel to Makkah to perform hajj ,
but he cannot travel to Madinah, hajj is obligatory
on him also. He can perform hajj without visiting
Madinah.
3. A Muslim woman cannot travel for hajj unless
she is accompanied by a mahram (i.e. husband or
relative of a prohibited degree like son, father,
brother etc.) If she does not find any mahram to
accompany her, hajj is not obligatory on her until
she finds one. However, she must make a will that
in case she dies before performing hajj , his heirs
should arrange for her hajj-e-badal out of her left
over property.
4. Hajj is obligated only once in one’s life. After
performing the obligatory hajj ; one is not required
to perform it again. However, he can perform the
nafl (optional hajj as many times as he or she
wishes.)