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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Friday Sermon
HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN AL KHALIFATULLAH
Munir Ahmad Azim
27 November 2009
(Summary of Friday Sermon)
After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace, the Khalifatullah read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then he said:
Fa basharnaahu bi ghulaaamin haliim. Falammaa balaga ma ahussa ya qaala yaa bunnayya innii araa fil manaami annii azbahuka fanzur maa zaa taraa! Qaala yaa abatif al maa tumar satajidunii insha allaahu minas saabiriin. Falammaa aslamaa wa lallahuu lil jabiini. Wa naaday naahu any-yaaa Ibraahim. Qad saddaqatar ruyaa, Inna kazaalika najzi Mulsiniin. Inna haaza lahuwal balaa ul Mubiin, Wa Fadaynahu bizibhin aziim.
“And We gave him the glad tidings of a very gentle son (Ishmael). And when he reached the age of travelling with him, he said: ‘My son, while I was sleeping I saw that I shall slaughter (sacrifice) you, tell me what is your opinion.’ He replied: ‘Father, do as you are ordered (by Allah). Allah willing, you shall find me one of those who are steadfast.’ And when they had both submitted, and his son had laid down prostrate upon his forehead, We called to him, saying: ‘O Abraham, you have confirmed your vision. ‘As such We recompense the good-doers. That was indeed a clear trial. So, We ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice” (Chapter 37 Verses 102-108)
Qurbani or sacrifice dates back to the time of Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) whom Allah asked to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail (on him be peace) so as to test his sincerity and faith in Him. The help and encouragement of his son – who did not hesitate to give up his life for the sake of Allah – made Prophet Ibrahim accomplish his duty towards his Creator without a single hesitation. Had he not said: “I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds”?
Without this sacrifice, Prophet Ibrahim could not have made himself being worth of the title of Friend of Allah (Khalil Allah). But the Khalil Allah did not have to go to the end of this one most difficult trial. Allah, the All-Knowing knew the feelings of His faithful servant. This symbolic event was intended to show to the world the sincerity of Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) towards Allah Taala.
This historic event of the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) reached Mina, in the suburbs of Mecca, where all the Hajees perform the Qurbani after completing the Hajj. This act is repeated every year on the tenth of Dhul Hijjah, not only in Arabia but in the different countries of the world. And this will continue if Allah wills, till Judgment Day, whereby each year after the Eid prayers, the Muslims who have the means, perform the Qurbani, not in honour of Prophet Ibrahim, Ismail (the ancestors of the Holy Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him) but in honour of Allah the Almighty.
We celebrate thus the sacrifice of these two prophets only for the pleasure of Allah the Most High. It is important to understand the weight of this act which may seem banal but where on the other hand holds great meanings which are deep-rooted.
We read in the Quran: “Say: “Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death belong to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (Chapter 6 Verse 163)
Verily this (statement) cannot be otherwise for the term “Muslimeen” means “the one who submit himself completely to Allah.” The Muslim is the one who believes sincerely that his Unique Lord is Allah. Thus, he worships only Allah and obeys only Him. Moreover, he is ever ready to sacrifice all that he has and represents for the sake of Allah for he knows that his life and death depend on Allah alone.
Is our Qurbani different from that of the times of ignorance (Jahiliya) – before the advent of Islam? Of course yes, for the pre-islamic people used to offer the blood of animals which they sacrificed to their idols. As for the Muslim believer, his sacrifice is the reflection of his devotion to Allah, and he has obtained the permission from Allah to eat from the meat of sacrifice. Thus, it is our piety which attracts the pleasure of Allah upon us.
“Never will their meat, or blood reach Allah, but it is your piety which reaches Him.” (Chapter 22 Verse 37)
Yes, the Qurbani must awake in us a pious sentiment, a feeling of fear and piety (that is, Taqwa). True sacrifice which the believer does is beforehand controlling himself so that he may be able to lead a virtuous life.
We say that humans are neither angels nor animals, but nevertheless they possess the angelic faculties. Moreover, they possess the intelligence and faculty which is absent in ordinary animals, and at the same time they have got the freedom of action which angels do not possess. Thus, one must use his intellect to multiply the accomplishment of good deeds.
The following saying of the Messenger of Allah (on him be peace) is reported by Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her): “Nothing is more pleasant to Allah during the days of Qurbani (Hajj) than the sacrifice of an animal.”
The animal presented in sacrifice will be presented on the Day of Judgement with its horns, furs and hoofs. Even before the blood of the animal reaches the soil, the sacrifice is accepted by Allah. For these reasons, one must without hesitation perform the Qurbani with a pure heart.
Qurbani is an independent act of worship which holds great importance in Islam. This act of worship is ordained by the Shariah (the Islamic laws) in commemoration of the act of Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) who offered his son Ismail in sacrifice as Allah commanded him to do. As the Qurbani is a specific act of worship, thus it cannot be replaced by any other acts of worship. Money offered in charity cannot replace the Qurbani as an act of worship. If a person offers charity (Sadaqa) instead of Qurbani, even though the charity is worth much more than that of the price of the animal for Qurbani, even then it is not sufficient and the person in question is not discharge of his obligation to do Qurbani – He must absolutely do it properly like commanded by Allah. Like the daily prayers cannot be replaced by something else, likewise the Qurbani of an animal on this occasion (Eid-ul-Adha) is essential and cannot be removed by offering something else in its place. Thus it is very important for those who are in the capacity to perform this duty to accomplish it.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has formally said that he dissociates himself from those who purposely decide not to perform the Qurbani.
A person on whom the Qurbani is obligatory and who does not do it is an unfortunate person. About such a person, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has informed us clearly: “The one who has the possibility to do the Qurbani, but does not do it, then he must not come near the Eid Gah.” (Ibn Majah)
In other words, this person is not worth presenting himself before Allah the Almighty.
Like I mentioned to you in my Friday Sermon last week, the animal which can be offered in sacrifice are: he-goats, she-goats, sheep, rams, cows, oxen and camels. It is not permitted to offer other animals in Qurbani (sacrifice). Goats must be one year old for Qurbani to be valid. Oxen and cows must be two years old. Camels must be five years old. If the age is inferior to that mentioned, then Qurbani is not valid.
The period for Qurbani begins as from the day of Eid-ul-Adha, that is, the 10 of Dhul Hijjah and ends the twelfth of Dhul Hijjah before sunset. Thus a believer can do Qurbani in whichever of these three days, but it is preferable if he does it on the day of Eid itself, that is, 10 of Dhul Hijjah, then if he cannot do so, the eleventh and then the twelfth of Dhul Hijjah before sunset.
It is reported in a Hadith that during the ten years that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) stayed in Medina, he performed the Qurbani every year.
It is also reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has said: “There are no days during which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than these (ten) days (first ten days of Dhul Hijjah).” Thus during these days recite a lot of Tasbeeh, Tahleel, Tahmeed and Takbeer. (Musnad Ahmad)
TASBEEH - Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah) TAHLEEL - Laillaha Illallah (There is no one to be worshipped except Allah) TAHMEED - Alhamdullillah (All praises belong to Allah) TAKBEER - Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great)
It is reported by Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has said: “The son of Adam does not do any action on the Day of Judgement which is more pleasing to Allah than the sacrifice of animals; and he will come on the Day of Judgement with its hairs, horns and hooves (for reward); and the blood (of the sacrificed animal) certainly reaches Allah before it falls down to the ground. So make yourselves purified therewith.” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
Zaid Ibn Arqam has related that the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what is this sacrifice (Qurbani)?” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied: “It is the Sunna of your father Ibrahim.” They said, “What is for us therein, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “There is one reward for every hair.” They said, “For wool, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “There is one reward for every strand of wool!”
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) has said: “Whoever made a sacrifice with all sincerity (and good intentions), the act of sacrifice will protect him from hell-fire” (Tabarani)
By doing the Qurbani each year, a Muslim is greatly rewarded by Allah and comes closer to Him. In addition to the fact that Qurbani can be done for three days, Muslims on whom Qurbani is obligatory must not miss this blessed act commanded by Allah.
The month of Dhul Hijjah make us revive the bond which exist between Allah and His elected Messenger, Ibrahim (on him be peace). Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) got the title of Khalil Allah with much difficulty. He had to face lots of difficulties and hard trials, but with the grace of Allah he succeeded in facing these difficulties in a remarkable manner. Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) showed extraordinary patience, submission and self-control. We shall recall his absolute trust in Allah when he was pushed into a great fire meant to kill him, but then we recall his unshakeable faith in Allah and his courage when he received clear orders from Allah to leave his wife Hajra and his son Ismail (on them be peace) in a deserted valley (which later on become Mecca).
But the hardest of all trials which he had to face remains without a single doubt the ordained sacrifice of his unique son Ismail (on him be peace). The latter was his beloved son who was born when Ibrahim (on him be peace) was more than eighty years old. Nevertheless, when he received instructions (in his dream or vision) from Allah to offer his son in sacrifice, he was all ready to obey the command of Allah. – We must note that Allah was neither in need of human sacrifice nor of the blood of Ismail. His aim was to test Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) so that he manifests clearly to whom is he more attached to: Allah or his own son. – It was much after, when he was really going to cut the jugular veins of his son Ismail that Allah stopped him and gave him the good news that this instruction was just a trial for him and that in lieu of Ismail, he shall sacrifice an animal. This act of submission was so appreciated by Allah that He (Allah) made this spirit of sacrifice become an integral characteristic of Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace).
The principle teachings which we learn through the behaviour, reaction and attitude of Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) is indeed his absolute submission to Allah, to the every order which Allah gave him. In other words, Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace) was ever ready to do sacrifices and submit himself to the will of Allah. It is this characteristic which we must forge to protect us in the spiritual environment in which we are living and where it is becoming all the more difficult to put into practice our religion (Deen). We must learn to sacrifice our desires so that we shall be enable to submit all the more to Allah, and also to combat satan and our own ego (which propels us towards evils and wrong deeds). May Allah help us, protect us and render our steps firm in His path. Ameen. |
