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| animal sacrifice [islam] |
Muslims celebrate one of their most important events in an Islamic year, "This sacrifice feast" I published an article extensively explaining the sacrifice feast before.
I would rather want to talk about the practice of Sacrifice and its absurdity and the lack of sense in Islam upholding this practice. when I was younger I occasionally wondered…
- Why are Muslims killing animals and calling that sacrifice?
- Are we giving something to Allah?
Sacrifice normally stands for giving something up or Dedicating something to Allah in this case briefly explained Muslims are expected to choose an animal for the sacrifice. Take that animal, lay down and place a knife on its neck Invoke the name of Allah, cut its arteries, tubes and pipes, Excluding the nervous system while the animal is fully awake and wait for the blood to stop pouring. This animal has now been officially sacrificed to Allah.
The meat taken from this animal is split in three parts One part goes to the one who commits to sacrifice, The second part goes to relatives and the third part goes to the poor…
Isn't it incredible to imagine the site of a goat? which is a pretty intelligent animal by the way Just lay there and die in agony while you invoke the name of Allah Because this animal is now losing its blood and life as a sacrifice to that Allah and later it will be eaten Whatever.
I know the biblical and quranic story is that Abraham sacrificed a lamb because he was ready to even kill his own child Upon God's tests. So God gave him a lamb instead and said: "This is for you, kill this instead." But that's why Muslims are now supposed to imitate Abraham and kill animals?
Something that they already kill all the time because they want to eat meat, Something that doesn't even take anything away from Muslims just enriches them in nutrition, Since this entire concept sounds very primitive.
Muslim apologists say we don't really sacrifice to Allah It is just a ritual to remember how Abraham was ready to sacrifice son to God, It is the remembrance of faith and piety and morals and goodness and the mercy bestowed upon us by Allah. Will remember how faithful Abraham was and that is why we kill animals and call it sacrifice It is interesting to dig a little bit into the term sacrifice and the background and history of this practice...
I would like to start with pagan Arabia right before Islam According to Islamic sources and all other sources animal sacrifice was very common in Arabia before Islam According to a hadith.
Sahih Bukhari [7.66.378]
Then I brought the child to Allah's Apostle and placed it (on his lap). He asked for a date, chewed it, and put his saliva in the mouth of the child. So the first thing to enter its stomach was the saliva of Allah's Apostle.
A companion of Muhammad once brought his child to Muhammad. Then I brought the child to Allah's Apostle and placed it on his lap He asked for a date, chewed it and put his saliva in the mouth of a child. So the first thing to enter its stomach was the saliva of Allah's apostle. (Oh wrong. Hadith. Sorry Forget this one, if you can....)
Okay, this one is the right hadith
Sahih Bukhari [7.66.378]
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| Sahih Bukhari 7.66.378 |
When a boy was born to one of us in the pre-islamic period, We would sacrifice a sheep and smear his head with its blood and when Allah brought Islam we sacrificed a sheep, Shaved his head and smeared his head with saffron. It is interesting that Islam adopts a sacrifice practice as is from pre-islamic pagans and just changes a few details, The reason the pre-islamic pagan arabs would smear a boy's head with the animal's blood is that the animal's blood was holy and dedicated to their gods. Pre-islamic pagans would also pour the blood of the animal on an altar as a dedication to their gods. Presumably they used to pour blood on an altar inside the Kaaba since this was a house dedicated to Hubal, an Arabian god just like other Arab tribes would sacrifice animals to their gods all over Arabia.
The practice of sacrificing animals can be seen in so many cultures In fact, it is considered the most common form of sacrifice in human history In ancient Greece, Rome Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, Persia, among the Hebrew people Nordic people and Celtic people in Europe in East Asia, Africa and so on and of course the Muslims.
In many cultures the animal was burned after the slaughter, and no eating took place. This was done because people thought if we kill animals for ourselves, we should also kill one for the gods. The gods will like that In ancient Greece for example. People would kill an animal, pour its blood on the altar Burn its inedible parts and distribute to the rest of the edible meat to the people.
Human sacrifice was also quite common in different cultures although it was much less common than animal sacrifice And anywhere in any culture, no matter what form of sacrifice is done, The purpose of the sacrifice was the same Please the gods or the ancestors or the spirits.
Now it seems like in biblical tradition when we come back to Abraham Abraham's story occurs at a time where human sacrifice is quite common in neighboring cultures And when the story goes that Abraham is ready to sacrifice his son to God. This looks like an idea that is not very crazy at that time It is just hard for him to do, because it is his only child from his wife Sarah that God gave him.
In fact, the Bible and historical sources clearly tell us that child sacrifice existed in cultures surrounding the Hebrew people. The Bible mentions how they sacrificed their children to their gods and how that practice was evil and should be forbidden instead God in the Bible tells Abraham to kill a lamb and no more humans.
Many Jewish scholars including Maimonides therefore concluded that the killing of the lamb marks a transition from a barbaric practice to a less barbaric practice which is a sacrificing of an animal as a step closer to prayer. Which is the ideal type of worship, It has generally understood that among pagan cultures. Sacrifice giving something to the gods. That's the common way of communicating with gods Abrahamic religions brought prayer instead and said do this. But let's come back to Islam...
Islam adopts sacrifice again just changes its meaning. But makes it a major practice again A major day, Part of the pilgrimage which every Muslim must have done once in their lifetime. Which is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Islam also requires practices for the sacrifice that look pretty pre-islamic pagan to me, but I will come to that very soon So to summarize we have many ancient cultures and all of them sacrifice humans and animals in order to share with gods. Dedicate to God's, give something up, communicate with God, Show God that you care about them, Which is why you kill animals or humans for them.
So they are pleased with you and send rain, A victory, blessing, health, happiness Abrahamic religion comes and says stop killing humans, kill animals instead. But most importantly pray. An Arab culture in Arabia is unaffected by that and still continues animal sacrifice, To their gods for blessing, just like many other cultures around the world at a time. While being dressed in certain ways and now Islam comes, takes those practices including the sacrifice, Mysteriously makes this a major form of worship again And here we are in 2019 killing animals and watching them lose their lifeblood and waste away because Allah wants it. Allah wants more blood Looking at history.
Doesn't it look like this practice is an extremely primitive practice? That should have died with ancient cultures.
Why would the Almighty Allah keep this practice up although the historical basis of this practice is obviously anything but, what Muslims claim Islam is supposed to be?
How does it make sense to kill animals? Just because a story in the Bible Adopted by the Quran Tells us that Abraham killed an animal instead of sacrificing his son. How does that make you more pious and remembering of Allah?
Doesn't this lead to the same result? That Allah wants you to kill animals every year for his sake just like all the other gods. but no Islam distinguishes itself. Allah doesn't want the blood.
Quran [22.37]
لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ مِنكُمۡ ۚ كَذَٲلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمۡ لِتُكَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَٮٰكُمۡ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ to
Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good.
The Quran therefore says, 'Their meat will not reach Allah nor will their blood but what reaches him is piety from you thus have we subjected them Animals to you that you may glorify Allah for that which he has guided you and give good tidings to the doers of good.'
- Allah wants you to kill animals for piety and goodness., Why?
Well, why not? Also this excuse is not excused enough, because as shown in the hadith earlier,
Sunan Nasai [4217]
أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ: سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ الْعَقِيقَةِ ؟، فَقَالَ: لَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْعُقُوقَ ، وَكَأَنَّهُ كَرِهَ الِاسْمَ، قَالَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّمَا نَسْأَلُكَ أَحَدُنَا يُولَدُ لَهُ، قَالَ: مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَنْسُكَ عَنْ وَلَدِهِ فَلْيَنْسُكْ عَنْهُ عَنَ الْغُلَامِ شَاتَانِ مُكَافَأَتَانِ، وَعَنِ الْجَارِيَةِ شَاةٌ . قَالَ دَاوُدُ: سَأَلْتُ زَيْدَ بْنَ أَسْلَمَ عَنِ الْمُكَافَأَتَانِ ؟، قَالَ: الشَّاتَانِ الْمُشَبَّهَتَانِ، تُذْبَحَانِ جَمِيعًا
It was narrated from 'Amr bin Shuaib, from his fahther, that his grandfather said: The messenger of Allah was asked about the 'Aqiqah and he said: Allah, the mighty and sublime, does not like Al-Uquq' as if he disliked the word (Al-Aqiqah). He said to the Messenger of Allah: 'But one of us may offer a sacrifice when a child is born to him.' He said: 'Whoever wants to offer a sacrifice for his child, let him do so, for a boy; two sheep, Mukafaatan, (of equal age), and for a girl, one.' (One of the narrators) Dawud said: 'I asked Ziad bin Aslam about the word Mukafaatan and he said: 'Two similar sheep that are slaughtered together.
Sahih Bukhari [7.66.380]
Narrated Salman bin 'Amir Ad-Dabbi:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "'Aqiqa is to be offered for a (newly born) boy, so slaughter (an animal) for him, and relieve him of his suffering."
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "'Aqiqa is to be offered for a (newly born) boy, so slaughter (an animal) for him, and relieve him of his suffering." (Note: It has been quoted in Fateh-AL-Bari that the majority of the Religious Scholars agrees to the Hadith narrated in Sahih At-TlRMlZY that the Prophet was asked about Aqiqa and he ordered 2 sheep for a boy and one sheep for a girl and that is his tradition "SUNNA".)
Muslims do not only sacrifice animals in order to remember Abraham's deeds. They also sacrifice animals when a child is born According to Islamic reports Muhammad said that when a boy is born two sheep should be sacrificed and when a girl is born one sheep should be sacrificed. Totally leaving a cite the fact that Islam typically makes a distinction between the value of a boy and a girl or a man and a woman. We will discuss this 'distinction' in another article...
You also clearly see here that Muslims sacrifice animals upon the birth of a child and dedicated to Allah. Muslims say thank you to Allah or invoke a blessing by making a sacrifice for the birth of a child by giving Allah a dead animal or its blood. This practice is also adopted from Pagans who used to make a sacrifice to their gods when a child was born.
- So why does Islam contain an obviously pagan and primitive practice ?
- Where humans thank their Arab God and pour the blood of an animal to thank him, Why would that be in any way good and useful?
- Why do you sacrifice animals?
- Why would anyone still want to do that with a clear mind?
Well, have a good sacrificed feast maybe go and watch the animal die and the blood pour out for Allah pleasure and think about it...