Friday, October 26th, marks the upcoming annual celebration of Eid al-Adha, which commemorates the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael, is a day of celebration around the Muslim world. However, for millions of animals it is anything but a day for rejoicing as this day marks the beginning of ritual animal slaughter.
Many individuals in the Muslim world are either refusing to participate in this ritual or speaking up and asking for an end to animal sacrifice. Some are notable animal advocates such as Amira Hassan from Tunisia, Seçil Aracı from Turkey and Amina Abaza the founder of the Society for Protecting the Rights of Animals in Egypt.
And it isn't just animal advocates who wish to see an end to this ritual. It is average Muslims who are re-evaluating if this ritual is actually part of the tradition of compassion and mercy as espoused by the Quran and the living example of the Prophet Muhammad.
The Story of Abraham
Shahid 'Ali Muttaqi has written a widely circulated and robust piece on the religious and historical inaccuracies connected to the Eid sacrifice. His piece indicates that the single largest contributing factor to why this ritual continues is the misinterpretation of the story of Abraham.
In the traditional story Abraham, upon seeing a vision, believes God is instructing him to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. As the story goes, when Abraham is about to begin the sacrifice God saves Ishmael's life by providing a ram in his place.
If one opens the Quran, at verse 37:102, to read the ACTUAL story the interpretation turns out to be rather different:
"He (Abraham) said: "Oh my son! I see in vision That I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is Thy view!" (The son) said: "Oh my father! Do As thou art commanded: Thou wilt find me, If Allah so wills one Practicing patience and constancy!" So when they had both Submitted their wills (to Allah), And he had laid him Prostrate on his forehead (For sacifice), We called out to him, "Oh Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled The vision!" thus indeed Do We reward Those who do right. For this was obviously A trial And We ransomed him With a momentous sacrifice."
The Quran states that Abraham had a dream in which he believed God was instructing him to sacrifice his son. What should be obvious, yet is overlooked, is that at no point does the Quran state the dream was from God or that God demanded this sacrifice. This is an important distinction to make since the insistence for animal sacrifice is based upon the notion that Abraham's vision came from God and God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son. In fact it should be noted that God interjects to stop Abraham from sacrificing his son.
The next distinction to make in the story has to do with a translation of the last line -- "And We ransomed him With a momentous sacrifice."
In some translations of the Quran the term "Momentous sacrifice" has been replaced with animal sacrifice. There seems to be some debate among scholars on this last, but crucial, sentence. Quranic scholars such as Muhammad Asad have further interpreted this line to read "mighty" or "tremendous" and have indicated (in their references) that Abraham, himself, not God, sought out a Ram for slaughter.
In fact the Abrahamic sacrifice had nothing to do with the physical act of blood-letting. Abraham's sacrifice was ACTUALLY about his willingness to let go of the most important thing in his life, in order to fulfill, what he perceived to be, the will of the Divine Creator.
In order to properly commemorate Abraham's sacrifice it's important to ask ourselves if we are giving up something of intense value when we reduce the sacrifice to slaughtering an animal. Are we really making the same type of emotional and mental sacrifice that Abraham made? If not, then how exactly are we enhancing our spiritual development by continuing with this tradition?
Concern for the Disadvantaged
The next reason the practice of animal sacrifice continues has to do with the argument of using the meat of these animals to be able to feed disadvantaged people. Yes, it is true that some of the meat of the sacrificed animal goes to feed the poor.
However, we must ask ourselves -- are we concerned with feeding people for only a few days or maintaining the message of social justice the Quran espouses?
"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteous is the one who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels and the Book and the prophets and gives away wealth out of love for Him (God) to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask and sets slaves free... 2:177"
There are numerous verses devoted to social justice in the Quran. This one has been interpreted by scholars to mean that holistic spiritual observation involves understanding and responding to the conditions of the disadvantaged in our communities. That giving "away wealth" does not only include money but our time, involvement and long-term commitment to helping shift the conditions of those who do not have. And, meaningless religious observation, done for the sake of tradition, as is the case with animal sacrifice, has limited scope to alter conditions.
If we are concerned with social justice and creating meaningful, long term change then we Muslims must reconsider funneling our money from this sacrifice and make other investments in our communities to help the disadvantaged. Maybe those investments would be towards grassroots organizations. Such organizations engage the communities they work for. They give power to their constituents to determine what they need (education, vocational training, health care) instead of assuming to know what they need (meat), thereby "helping to change the condition of a people" (Quran 13:11) for the long-term.
Treatment and Conditions of Animals.
It would not be possible to discuss this issue without recognizing the very beings that give their lives for this tradition -- the animals.
There is a strong tradition in Islam for the just and humane treatment of animals and especially those who are to be slaughtered. The Prophet Muhammad, who was a strong advocate for animals and sensitive to their suffering, advised his followers "Fear God in regards to these animals who cannot speak their will." Al-Hafiz B.A. Masri, one of the leading Muslim scholars on the issue of animal welfare writes:
"If animals have been subjected to cruelties in their breeding, transport, slaughter, or in their general welfare, meat from them is considered impure and unlawful to eat (Haram). The flesh of animals killed by cruel methods (Al-Muthiah) is carrion (Al-Mujaththamah). Even if these animals have been slaughtered in the strictest Islamic manner, if cruelties were inflicted on them otherwise, their flesh is still forbidden (Haram) food."
Yet this idea of humane treatment of animals in Islam is at complete odds with the reality of how animals are treated. Live animal exports to Muslim countries from places such as Australia and New Zealand account for a majority of the animals who are used for the Eid sacrifice. There is now indisputable documented evidence, from both Muslim and non-Muslim investigators, detailing a level of cruelty to these animals, that would have caused our Prophet to weep.
Live export animals are routinely packed tight into transport containers for journeys that can take weeks. During that time they are provided with no food, no water, and stand chained and immobile in their own urine and feces. Many animals die of dehydration and malnutrition. Many pregnant sheep or cows give birth to their babies in these conditions, only to watch them die a slow, painful death.
Even if we forget for a moment how these animals arrive at their destination. Consider that during the Hajj more than two million animals are sacrificed in one day. It is absolutely impossible to slaughter this number of animals, within a few hours, and think it is done in a humane manner. In many Muslim countries butchers are now admitting that the demand for sacrificing animals keeps them from using Islamic humane methods, thus, rendering the slaughter against the very tenants of Islam and the meat un- Halal (not fit for consumption by Muslims).
If this is not reason enough to forgo the Eid sacrifice then consider that the livestock industry is the leading contributor towards land, air and water pollution and degradation of our ecosystem.
Consider, that, the very act of involving ourselves in the ritual animal sacrifice places our earth at jeopardy. As Muslims, on Eid, and the rest of the year, should we not be mindful of whether continuing such a tradition is compatible with our Islamic responsibility to be care-takers of this earth.
Many Muslims have privately contemplated these very points and have determined this tradition does not serve their understanding of Islam. You will find some of their thoughts and comments at thecompassionatemuslim.com. We invite all Muslims, progressive, moderate, conservative, atheist or agnostic , to join us and voice your story, and inspire others, to exchange the tradition of animal sacrifice for one of mercy and compassion.
And keeps them poor and dependent on charity meet every year! Why don't make them self dependent instead?
"Sacrifice of animal provide source of income to poor and increase business activity as well as social activity."
A menial business of street butchery? Have you ever thought of helping them rise up the social ladder and do respectable jobs? May be not because if they do prosper, you'll lose the excuse of pompous 'sacrifice' , one third of which satisfies your own taste buds.
"Its is a source of protein for growing children"
And a massive source of pollution and global warming that far outweighs the perceived nutritional value. There are more humane and cheap source of protein available if you care to look around.
Will we stop sacrificing animals if our countries became richer? The truth is, no. Our sacrifices help the poor (usually only one-thrid of the meat), but that is not why we do it.
We do it because we believe Allah asked us to do it. This article is asking us to reconsider that.
Did Allah ask us to slaughter an animal, or did he ask us to make a great sacrifice so that we can
'lose self' and become one with him? If the latter, then we Muslims are failing.
Of course Allah didn't forbid slaughtering as a form of sacrifice: it's a way of sharing God-given resources with others and be grateful. Slaughtering itself is Ok. But please think about the reality of how we observe this Eid.
Is it really close to the Islamic principle? Or, is it just another ritual?
Let's stop the mistreatment in transport, let's distribute the meat in a better way (we can do better than 1/3rd and we should avoid overlapping of meat distribution among the same localities), and above all, let us start thinking how to make real sacrifices in our own lives. Let us start evaluating ourselves before others get a chance to point out things from their grossly simplistic position.
In fact, I believe Allah has given permission for this in Quran when he says "its not the blood that reaches God; it is the piety". We know God loves for us to give charity and to care for the poor. I would rather have Muslims go into poor areas of India or Haiti or China or anywhere in the world and satisfy the hunger of the entire community. There are billions of Muslims now & together it would be possible to cure world hunger...even if just for a day...but if we did it right...it could be forever.
And the Muslims cry, "Here I am Lord, here I am! Your servant!" In other words the story of Abraham is not meant to be a physical act of sacrifice, but one that is offered from the deepest place in our hearts... a sacrifice of time and wealth where we feed the one family called humanity. Don't just say we're servants. Be one!
What if all the Children of Abraham become servants who brought rice, water, plumpy nuts, tools, cattle, knowledge about farming and irrigation...
I would rather have muslims outgrow their cocoon and think for the entire humanity instead of their own community
I'm a vegetarian. My sheikh said that the reason for halal slaughter methods is to teach people to have compassion for the animal, so much compassion that they stop killing animals.
The sacrificing of animals is a ritual which doesn't truly teach any Muslim the meaning of sacrifice as Abraham was asked to sacrifice. The Quran says, its not the blood that reaches God; its the piety. So we have God's permission to stop doing it.
Prophet Muhammad is known to have said 'to commemorate the Sunnah of your Father Ibrahim'.
In deed the Quran teaches compassion and the Prophet taught people to be caring and compassion towards animals.
If Muslims are not adhering to the proper etiquette when it comes to slaughtering the animals, then we cannot blame Religion for that. God says in the Quran that the knife must be sharp. The animal must not see the knife and nor should another animal see the slaughter and the animal should be given water to quench the thirst before the act.
There is a need for proper regulation and laws need to be laid down in accordance to Islam for slaughtering animals during Hajj.
The purpose of sacrifice is to express gratitude to God. The Sacrifice is the external symbol of the voluntary submission and the readiness to lay down one's life for God. Islam's attitude of ritual slaughter isn't that of blood atonement or seeking favour from God through another's death but rather thanking God for one's sustenance.
I don't think this this was addressed in the article, but the animal to be slaughtered must not bear any mark of pain at all - i'd assume this influences the treatment of animals on the way. The transportation of regular animals whose meat is sold as 'Halal meat' is in more need of investigation, because those animals end up in slaughterhouses, where there is no need to make sure they are unhurt (e.g. broken tail). Does that appear too similar to 'secular' meat-eating to oppose?
If you want to stop meat-eating in general, that is another debate which has nothing to do with what Islam says or doesn't ask us to do. That debate will need to be integrated with reasons of global mistreatment of animals, of which this Muslim occassion undoudbaly is a part, but not the only part. From there you can reason with the Muslims (a significant global population) in an attempt to convince them to give up meat in general and Eid-ul-Adha in particular, with the help of Islamic thoughts as a tool of debate, as interpretation of religious dictums becomes the primary obstacle in convincing Muslims to stop eating meat.
In short, caugh up.
Lots of write-ups seem to come from people who find it difficult to stomach the fact that such a large number of animals are being slaughtered within three days, and in the name of Allah.
Would they feel better if this was done in a schedule spread over the year? I think a lot of the people would still find it reprehensible that 'killing for meat' is done for religion. This, unfortunately, stands in the way of a true re-examination of the Eid, because people remain skeptic of the motives of the dissenters.
Let's start from a point of honesty. Do you oppose meat-eating in general? If you are fine with meat-eating, but want to do it in the most humane way possible, start from there. If anything associated with Islam makes your stomach churn, you are closing doors for actual debate by taking roundabouts.
Of course we should consider what we actually do when we 'sacrifice' animals. I guess a lot of people, if prompted to think, would be encouraged to reform the 'blood and meat fest' that this Eid has become. In the very least, it would encourage us to rethink how we treat the animals. This might result in reducing a number of slaughters to meet the IMPERATIVE of better tratment of animals. Would that appease critics, though?
(cont)
I have a general feeling that people jump into criticizing Eid-ul-Adha because it seems to corroborate a pre-conceived notion of Muslims they have, almost always without the slightest idea of Islam itself or of the thought-process of Muslims.
The whole poultry and livestock industry - emerging out of industrialization of agiculture in capitalism (starting from USA, I must add) - is enough to make anyone rethink meat. A lot have been written by leftism-oriented scholars and conscious commentators regarding especially chicken. Yet, very few people feel the urge to picket fastfood shops on behalf of animals. It's very telling when people don't criticize their own community but seek out others.
I do still like the isseus raised by this article. It's a good example of much-needed introspection. But I remain sceptic of the general motive behind this kind of write-up.
To be honest, the Quran says its not the blood that reaches God; its the piety. And I think that ayat is there to tell Muslims that there will come a time when it will not feel pious to slaughter an animal. Muhammad said we shouldn't let our stomachs become graveyards. I could see in the beginning when a hungry desert people would sacrifice the best sheep in their heard and share the meat, 1/3 of it with the poor who rarely had enough food. That was piety.
Now when there are billions of Muslims in the world. Its time to rethink all this and become a pious people who will sacrifice what matters to them most... usually that is wealth. Imagine if the goal was to give everything it takes to remove the hunger of all the people of the world. Billions of people could do that ... that would be the piety, the way of pleasing Allah who asks us to feed the poor, give charity, take care of the orphan. That is "Here I am, Lord, Here I am. Your Servant" (the chant made at the Hajj journey).
For those saying this is similar to turkeys being slaughtered for christmas, yes the sheer number of animals makes one equate the events. The difference is that the turkeys in the vast majority will not be conscious during their deaths. The animals killed during Eid al-Adha have their throats cut while still fully conscious. It may take them minutes to die as they bleed to death. These millions of animals do not have a swift or painless death.
As an Australian, I am very ashamed that my government still sends live animals overseas for slaughter, including supplying animals for Eid al-Adha. New Zealand banned its live animal exports about seven years ago because of the cruelty involved. I very much want my country to do the same.
Traditionally they had their necks pulled.
Cattle Sheep and pigs are generally stunned by a captive bullet system before there nervous system is disabled.
The Jewish and Muslim systems just cut their throats and bleed them Kosher bans stun guns.
My guess id the experts have never tried to see if it hurts.
But boxers etc will tell us that a KO Punch doesn't hurt I can confess to having been Knocked by a falling object it didn't hurt until I woke up.
The horrific mistreatment of animals, particularly during this eid (what I call a blood orgy) is despicable.
Muslims do see this contradiction. People rationalize it, like every other group of human being in the world. For example, they say, 'It is a sign of Allah's mercy that he asked us to sacrifice animals in the end.' They avoid sources of cognitive dissonance i.e. they refrain from thinking 'If Allah did ask us to sacrifice our children, should we have done it?'
No group of people in this world are very different from each other. They use the same tools to deal with the world. The fact that their stances seem so very different is because their worldview/actions are inflenced by different past and present. For example, a commn response to comments regarding cruelty to animals (e.g. stray dogs in cities) in poor countries would be 'people are suffering, you know'. I'm not saying cruelty to animals should not be addressed, but the lack of empathy to animals should not be taken as an example of a different mind-set altogehter. These very same people had traditionally been kind to dogs that came for food at their village houses.
No group of people in this world are very different from each other.------
That is fine. The problem arises when muslims insist and even force others to avoid sources of cognitive dissonance ie they don't allow their belief set to be rationally analysed. You will not find any other group of people in the world who would indulge in arson/riots, issue death fatwas and kill others for perceived blasphemy.
"The fact that their stances seem so very different is because their worldview/actions are inflenced by different past and present."
I would again disagree. I'v seen muslims behave very differently from other communities with whom they'v been sharing past,present,culture,geography and even race for generations. And we know what is the critical factor here.
Besides, The NEW testament confirms the Old Testament (as we call them) and Galatians 1:8 confirms that any following messages are false (Islam, Mormon etc)..