It is neither their meat nor their blood that
reaches Allah. It is your piety that reaches Him.
(Al-Quran)
Eid-ul-Adha which means “festival of the
sacrifice” is nearing and Muslims are confused what happens, though, with
qurbani/udhiya in the time of a global pandemic, when many masajid continue to
be closed, social distancing is recommended and performing the ritual slaughter
to honor the story of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) may be difficult to do?
The festive Eid-ul-Adha signifies the story of
Prophet Ibrahim’s (as) test of faith. Muslims believe that Prophet Ibrahim (as)
was commanded by Almighty to sacrifice his lone son, Ismael (as), which was
readily accepted by both the son and the father when they proceeded to
accomplish the will of Allah.
However, later on Ismail was spared, placing
an adult sheep in his place and Allah informed Prophet Ibrahim (as) that he had
stood the test.
So commentating that event, Eid-ul-Adha is
marked with the sacrifice of lambs and then the mutton is distributed among
relatives, family members, neighbours and the needy ones. The festival reminds
us the trials and hardships faced by Prophet Ibrahim (as) during his entire
life time.
Sacrifice of a lamb is a chief event of this
festival as indicated by the very name, Bakr Eid, which shows
that a Muslim is always ready to respond to Allah’s command by sacrificing
everything with willingness and promptitude.
There is no alternative to sacrifice in Islam.
If a person wants to give money to a needy person in exchange for an animal
sacrifice, it is indeed the best deed in sight of God but it will not fall into the category of qurbani/udhiya.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are hurdles
and uncertainty in the way of preparations for the festival. Especially there
is a confusion in the Muslim community of Kashmir about Bakr Eid,
because of lack of clarity till date whether or not administration will allow
the qurbani and religious congregations.
About the religious verdict of qurbani, the
majority opinion is that it is a strong practice (sunnah mu'akkadah) for those
who are not on pilgrimage of Hajj to make a sacrifice or pay for one to be
done. The minority opinion is that it is compulsory (wajib). In my opinion
during the present pandemic, people who are able to do the sacrifice can do so
if they follow guidelines and check with local scholars for specific questions.
People are advised to check with the ruling within their madhab & school of
thought on this as with all issues.
In other places around the world where the
coronavirus is wreaking havoc, some religious institutions have issued fatwas
to allow for monetary donations to those in need instead of doing qurbani and
sharing meat.
As the common view prevails, when animals are
not easily available in extraordinary circumstances, like in the time of
coronavirus, then Muslims can forego the ritual of qurbani on this Eid.
My opinion is that all the confusion related
to qurbani during pandemic is because of mishandling of administration. As a
Muslim-majority state, the people here had the right that local administration
would take all matters related to Eid and Qurbani seriously and come up with a
comprehensive plan to overcome the obstacles and difficulties in its
implementation. It was the duty of the administration to issue clear safety
guidelines for the cattle market, individuals who plan to do the qurbani and
taking cattle for sacrifice and how can one commemorate the day of Eid ul Adha
safely? The administration should also have planned to maintain discipline at
the time of buying and slaughtering the animals so that people can avail the facility without any trouble. It was up
to the people in charge to form task forces and include local organizations
& NGOs to the force as they used to do with other religious ceremonies
including annual Amaranth Yatra.
Due to the current pandemic and lockdown, as
the festival is nearing Muslims are confused what happens and how to do with
the qurbani/udhiya. First of all let’s keep in mind that there is no need to go
panic but ensure all SOPs related to the pandemic are followed in letter and
spirit. This is our third consecutive Eid under a Lockdown and Kashmiri’s are
familiar with Eid under lockdown. It may be unfamiliar to the entire world but
not Kashmir.
What is important is that people should adhere
strictly upon guidelines and maintain SOPs while carrying out the sacrifice of
animals on the eve of Eid-ul-Adha. People must follow SOPs, besides wearing
masks and maintaining social distances so that no chance will be given to virus
to spread. one important thing which everyone has to keep in his/her mind that
we should stay away from overcrowding at this juncture. There should be no
overcrowding during the purchase of sacrificial animals. Once an individual
stepped outside for the distribution of meat, he/she should ensure that no SOPs
are violated. He/She should consider himself/herself that if he/she may have
some infections, it can spread to community members if precaution is not taken
into account.
People should also keep in mind that the
animals slaughtered can be donated to local organizations, which can distribute
meat to those in need. This year, we expect things to change slightly due to
the pandemic, masks, social distancing and lockdown guidelines and local NGOs
should come forward who only used to collect animal skins on Bakr Eid, should
now also collect donated animals and meat and distribute it to those affected
due to lockdown.
