Understanding the Rites of ‘Eed Al-Adh-ha -I

During the first ten days ofThul Hijjah, the IslamicUmmahlives through
great days and virtuous nights that are full of the remembrance of
Allaah The Almighty and praising Him.
Pilgrims go to Makkah individually and in groups from all over the
world by air, sea and land. They represent a great scene of servitude
to Allaah The Almighty as pilgrims ask for the Mercy and Forgiveness
of Allaah The Almighty, remember and invoke Him while admitting their
humiliation, inability, poverty and need of Him. They attribute all
meanings of power, dignity, wealth and exaltation to Allaah Alone.
"Allaahu Akbar, Allaahu Akbar, La ilaaha illallaah, Allaahu Akbar,
Allaahu Akbar wa lillaahil-hamd."
The day of'Eed Al-Adh-hais a great day, in fact, the best day of the
year when all Muslims share happiness and pleasure; remember Allaah
and glorify Him, then pray and slaughter their sacrifice in order to
thank Allaah The Almighty for His blessings.
'Eedis a time of joy and happiness and we, as Muslims, feel happy when
we complete the acts of obedience and gain the Reward and Forgiveness
of Allaah. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Say, "In the Bounty
of Allaah and in His Mercy - in that let them rejoice; it is better
than what they accumulate."{]Quran 10:58[
Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid,"The day of Nahr )the 10th day of Thul-Hijjah( is
the Day of 'Eed and it is the day of the greater Hajj and the day
Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger declared their dissociation from
every polytheist."The Prophet, said:"The best day in the sight of
Allaah is the Day of Nahr and the day of staying at Mina )the eleventh
of Thul-Hijjah(."
During these blessed days it is permissible for you to perform
generalTakbeerat any time from the beginning ofThul-Hijjahuntil the
end of the Days ofTashreeq. RestrictedTakbeershould be recited after
the obligatory prayers; from theFajrPrayer on the Day of 'Arafah up
till the 'AsrPrayer of the last day ofTashreeq. Hence, try to
participate in reviving thisSunnahthat has been abandoned these days
and most people have forgotten it, even the righteous ones, and this
contradicts the deeds of our righteous predecessors.
You should know that thanking Allaah The Almighty for His blessings is
achieved through obeying Him, not by committing sins, so use your time
in performing acts of obedience such as remembering Allaah,
maintaining kinship ties, forgiving those who treat you badly,
avoiding sins whether in the way that you are dressed or by listening
to music and the like. It is through thanking Allaah that blessings
are maintained.
Be keen to attend the 'EedPrayer and listen to theKhutbahwithout
exposing your beauty and do not eat until you return home and eat from
your sacrifice.
You should know that it is prohibited to fast on the Day of 'Eedand
that there is no specific prayer or Quranic recitation recommended for
the night before'Eed.
It is favorable to provide more food, drinks and clothing for one's
family without extravagance.
The 'Eedsacrifice is one of the rites of Islam and it is a great act
of worship that Allaah The Almighty mentioned along with the prayer.
TheSunnah)tradition( of the Prophet,, clarified its virtue and showed
that the Prophet,, performed it regularly.
The 'Eedsacrifice is an animal that is slaughtered on the days of 'Eed
Al-Adh-hato gain the pleasure of Allaah The Almighty.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:
·}So pray to your Lord and sacrifice ]to Him Alone[.{]Quran 108:2[
·}Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my
dying are for Allaah, Lord of the Worlds. No partner Has He. And this
I have been commanded, and I am the first ]among you[ of the
Muslims."{]Quran 6:162,163[
·}And for all religion We Have Appointed a rite ]of sacrifice[ that
they may mention the Name of Allaah over what He Has Provided for them
of ]sacrificial[ animals. For your god is one God, so to Him submit.
And, ]O Muhammad[, give good tidings to the humble ]before their
Lord[{]Quran 22:34[
It was narrated on the authority of Anas ibn Maalikthat he said,"The
Prophetslaughtered )sacrificed( two horned rams, black and white in
color, and he slaughtered them with his own hands, mentioned the Name
of Allaah )saying Bismillaah(, said Takbeer )Allaahu-Akbar(, and
placed his foot on their sides )while slaughtering them(."]Al-Bukhaari
and Muslim[
Ibn 'Umarsaid,"The Prophetstayed in Madeenah for ten years during
which he used to slaughter a sacrifice every year."Slaughtering a
sacrifice is a confirmed act of theSunnahand it is unfavorable to
abandon it if the person can afford it.
Slaughtering a sacrifice is better than giving its price in charity.
Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid,"Slaughtering is better than giving the price of the
animal in charity even if the money was more than the price of the
sacrificial animal because the purpose of this is slaughtering the
animal and shedding its blood. If slaughtering was replaced by giving
money in charity, a great rite would have been deserted."
The original ruling for the 'Eedsacrifice is that it is slaughtered
for those who are alive as what the Prophet,, and his Companionsused
to do. This is in contrast to what some common people think, as they
think that sacrifice is for the dead people only.