Qurbani K Masail

Qurbanī (Arabic: قربانى‎), Qurban, or uḍḥiyyah (أضحية) as referred to in Islamic law, is the sacrifice of a livestock animal during Eid al-Adha. The word is related to the Hebrew קרבן‬ qorbān "offering" and Syriac qurbānā "sacrifice", etymologised through the cognate Arabic triliteral as "a way or means of approaching someone" or "nearness".[1] In Islamic law, udhiyyah would refer to the sacrifice of a specific animal, offered by a specific person, on specific days to seek God's pleasure and reward. The word qurban appears thrice in the Quran: once in reference to animal sacrifice and twice referring to sacrifice in the general sense of any act which may bring one closer to God. In contrast, dhabīḥah refers to normal Islamic slaughter outside the day of udhiyyah.

Islam traces the history of sacrifice back to Abel and Cain (Habil and Qabil), whose story is mentioned in the Qur'an.[2] Abel was the first human being to sacrifice an animal for God. Ibn Kathir narrates that Abel had offered a sheep whilst his brother Cain offered part of the crops of his land. The ordained procedure of God was that a fire would descend from the heavens and consume the accepted sacrifice. Accordingly, a fire came down and enveloped the animal slaughtered by Abel thus accepting the sacrifice of Abel while Cain's sacrifice was rejected. This led to jealousy on the part of Cain resulting in the first human death when he murdered his brother Abel. After much repentance and remorse, Cain was forgiven by God.

Ibrahim's sacrifice

The practice of qurbani can be traced back to [Ibrahim], who dreamt that God ordered him to sacrifice his son. Ibrahim agreed to follow God's command and perform the sacrifice, however, God intervened and informed him that his sacrifice had been accepted. Unlike the Bible, there is no mention in the Qur'an of an animal (ram) replacing the boy, rather he is replaced with a 'great sacrifice'. Since the sacrifice of a ram cannot be greater than that of ibrahim's son (and a prophet in Islam at that), this replacement seems to point to either the religious institutionalisation of sacrifice itself, or to the future self-sacrifices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions (who were destined to emerge from the progeny of Ishmael) in the cause of their faith. From that day onward, every Eid al-Adha once a year, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal to commemorate Ibrahim's sacrifice and to remind themselves of abnegation.

Wisdom of sacrifice

The philosophy behind udhiyyah is that it is a demonstration of submission to God, complete obedience to God's will or command and sacrificing everything for his pleasure. Ibrahim demonstrated this spirit of submission and sacrifice in the best possible manner. When confronted with the challenge of love and allegiance, he chose to submit unconditionally to God and suppressed personal desire and love for his family and child. Qurbani calls for the slaughter of one's innate desires by placing the knife of courage and resistance on hatred, jealousy, pride, greed, animosity, love for the world and other such maladies of the heart.