BaKhabar, November 2011, Page-4

better light a candle than curse the darkness

BaKhabar, Vol 4, Issue 11, November 2011

Eid Al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice), Gheyas S. Mahfoz Hashmi, Jeddah, Email ID: hgheyas@albatool.com.sa

The Shariat Mohammadi has given us 2 Eids (festivals), Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.
The word عيد which has come once only in Quran (5/114) religiously means physical expression of Thanks to Allah on His blessing, kindness and favour. It is known in English as Festival and the word أضحى is colloquial which means sacrifice. The correct word is تضحيه .We find wordsهدى ونسك و نحر in Quran in the meaning of Sacrifice. Since this festival is marked by sacrificing an animal it is known as Eid Al-Adha. This festival was given to us by Allah Almighty in commemoration of the prophet Ibraham (AS). So, slaughtering an animal by Hajis in Mina and by Non-Hajis at their respective places is Sunnah of the prophet Ibrahim (AS).
Sacrificing of an animal by Haji during Haj is Wajib for Mutamatte and Qarin and Masnoun for Mufrid. For Non-Haji (normal Muslim), it is Sunnah Muakkadah (confirmed Sunnah) as per Maliki, Shafayee and Hambali Schools of Thought. It is Wajib as per Hanafi. Please note that the rank of Wajib is between Fard and confirmed Sunnah according to Hanafi School of Thoughts. Every adult who has one month provision of foods can sacrifice an animal. As per Shafayee, sacrificing of an animal in a family is Sunnah Ain. Its time is from Zul Hijjah 10th Fajr to 12th Maghrib. According to Shafayee its time is up to 13th. Those who want to sacrifice animal should not cut their nails and hair from moon sighting time till sacrificing the animal (Muslim Sharif). Eid Al-Adha came into existence in 2 Hijri calendar.

As for 2-Rik’at Eid prayer, it is confirmed Sunnah according to Imam Malik and Imam Shafayee, Fard as per Imam Hambal, and Wajib according to Imam Abu Hanifah.
The first 10 days of Zul Hijjah is very important in terms of its blessing as seen by Salaf Saleheen. Quran (Al-Fajr:1-3) says. "By the dawn; by the ten nights, by the Even & the Odd". Swearing by Allah an oath by something indicates its importance and great benefit.
Although there are different opinion (as we don’t have any authentic clear saying of the prophet-PBUH) about the interpretation of the above verse in connection with the determination of ten nights, whether it is of Zul Hijjah or Ramadan or Muharram, Ibn Abbas (R) says that the ten nights are nights of Zul Hijjah. “Odd” means 9th Zul Hijjah (Arafat Day) and “Even” means 10th Zul Hijjah (Sacrifice Day) as per some scholars of Quran interpretation. According to Ibn Temiah it is 10 nights of Zul Hijjah and he considers its value more than last 10 nights of Ramadan. There is no specific description of Ebadah in Hadith for these 10 days except glorification of Allah (Takbeer, Tahmeed, Tahleel and Tasbeeh). These days should be respected by doing any Ebadah (prayers, fasting, Sadaqah, etc), but fasting for Non-Hajis on 9th Zul Hijjah is recommended as per the Hadith.
Even for those who are not performing Hajj, the first ten days of this month are considered to be very sacred, seeking Allah's forgiveness, doing good and various other forms of worship.

Prophet Mohammed (S) has said about the first ten days: There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing (Bukhari).

No doubt, these days are very important for Hajis, but these were also made important for non-Hajis, so that they could partake in the blessings of Almighty Allah by observing them at their homes as prescribed by Sunnah.

ISLAM AGAINST RACISM AND PREJUDICE - Hajj as a shift against racism
El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X)'s letter

Many Muslims who have been blessed to make Hajj often speak of how the journey is a life-changing experience. This is more the case for some than others.
Hajj_Mina

MalcolmX is one Muslim who saw the light of true Islam through his Hajj in April 1964.As a former member and speaker for the Nation of Islam, a black spiritual and nationalist movement, he believed that the white man was the devil and the blackman superior.
After leaving the Nation of Islam in March 1964, he made Hajj, which helped change his perspective on whites and racism completely.
Here is an excerpt of a letter El Hajj Malik El Shabazz wrote about his Hajj experience. In it, he explains what it was during this blessed journey that made him so profoundly shift his perspective on race and racism:
"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.
You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have been always a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.
During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug)-while praying to the same God with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of the blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the ‘white'Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana.
We are truly all the same-brothers.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds."
Sent by Perwez Ahmad email: perwez.str@amjaad.com
Source: http://www.soundvision.com/info/racism/xletter.asp