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Even though I am a non-muslim (Orthodox Hindu Brahmin), I am a rational person. I don't stick to my religion, but I study all religions and love all philosophies. It is by that I read the Qur'an and Hadith. I liked it, but though for some points I couldn't get any proper explanation. Ipso facto, I am stating one of the points ad seriatim:

I know one festival by name "Bakrid" (Eid-Al-Adha). I have read about the history of the festival and liked the sincerity of Prophet Abraham (PBUH) towards the words of God. As per the history, God once wanted to test the faith of Abraham (PBUH) and God came in the dream asking Abraham (PBUH) to sacrifice his own son for him. Abraham (PBUH) being a great prophet and a staunch believer in God, went to his son and told him the same, and his son also agreed the will of God. When Abraham (PBUH) was going to kill his son, God replaced his son by some ram.

It makes much sense to me since Abraham (PBUH) had much love towards the God and was ready to sacrifice his own son for the God; there is no problem that God replaced the son by a ram.

Question: Why do other Muslim brothers slaughter animals remembering the sacrifice of Abraham (PBUH)?

Sacrificing animals is not a test of human sacrifice. If one sacrifices his own hand for God then it's a true sacrifice, but how can sacrificing an animal be considered at the same level as the sacrifice of a man? (The animal is sacrificing its life there.)

I have been having very long debates about vegetarianism and other things but I didn't receive a satisfactory answer.

After some brother answers this question, I would be interested in an answer to this question too.

Question: If God created animals for eating, why would he create them with the ability to feel pain? He could have removed that stimuli from animals and then make them just only for eating.

It contradicts to some extent that God didn't create animals for eating and we humans are having the domination over animals.

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    You are asking 2 different questions in one post. Try to avoid asking too many questions in a single post
    – user123
    Commented Aug 28, 2012 at 12:54
  • @Power-Inside : Dear Power-Inside, I have asked the two different versions of the same subject. I didn't ask two different questions in that case , your comment makes much sense. Thank you for editing tags anyway.
    – IDOK
    Commented Aug 28, 2012 at 16:09
  • i once watched a documentry about a young girl that was born without pain receptors, so she couldn't feel pain. Her parents said it is very difficult for them to take care of her, she is in constant risk of endangerment, because they aren't notified when she is in pain. She often hurt herself, and didn't relize what she was doing was bad, and if she got a tiny little scratch, she would be at risk of infection, and they would never know.
    – NesreenA
    Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 8:28
  • so what im trying to say it that feeling pain is a good thing, its supposed to notify us and people around us when we are in danger, they is a point in time where livestock is livng and if people can't properly take care of them if they don't know whats wrong. The animal can also hurt itself and die. And in the end, it would be more tourturous to be born without feeling pain, because of the constant risk. At least when you die, it quick and virtualy painless, and we get food from it. When they die on their own, its an early death and we cannot eat it.
    – NesreenA
    Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 8:29
  • It's argued that Islamic slaughter results in instant death, so the animal doesn't feel pain. It's also argued by anti-Islamists that it does result in a lot of pain. Hard to say. It's a sin to use a dull knife or prolong death. Here's one reference: mustaqim.co.uk/halal.htm , there appears to be many others on both sides, but most avoid/warp actual scientific research.
    – Muz
    Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 8:58

3 Answers 3

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We call the sacrifice as Qurban (in Indonesia)

The word Qurban, derived from the Arabic qurban, taken from the word: qaruba (fi'il Madhi) - yaqrabu (fi'il mudhari ') - Qurban wa qurbânan (mashdar). Means, approaching or approached (Matdawam, 1984). According to the terms, qurban is anything that is used to draw closer to God in the form of animal sacrifice or the other (Anis Ibrahim et.al, 1972). In Arabic, animal sacrifice is also called UDH-hiyah or adh-dhahiyah, with al-adhâhi plural. The word is derived from the word Duha, ie the time the sun began to erect that is prescribed to slaughter sacrifices, ie approximately at 7:00 to 10:00 (Ash San'ani, Subulus Salam IV/89).

So Sacrifice is not about "What animals were created for ?" or "sacrifice test" .. but this is what Rasulullah SAW ordered us as his ummah to draw closer to Allah. Qurban is not about flesh and blood but of devotion which we offer to our God Allah Ta'ala ..

Wallahu a'lam

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  • I doubt if it's really an answer but personal or regional opinions. For example, no clarifications have been given that why slaughtering an animal will bring someone close to God.
    – An_Elephant
    Commented May 27, 2023 at 12:18
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I have identified two questions but I will answer one of them fully i.e. about Eid & sacrifice. I will answer the vegetarianism vs non vegetarianism question in short. But I would beg you to open another question, so that people who read the title can read the answer too.... This will make this site more useful for people seeking answers.

A) Why do Muslims sacrifice animals to remember Ibrahim(pbuh)?

Firstly , I'd like to bring to your notice that it is recommended that the meat is normally divided into 3 equal parts. One part is for the poor (charity), the second part is for friends, neighbors and family(sharing), the last part we eat oursleves.

It is this willingness to do acts of charity & sharing that we will be rewarded by Allah. It is these good deeds that make us closer to Allah.

This fact is confirmed by the Quran...

"It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him;.. " (Quran 22:37)

The above verse is very clear that nothing reaches Allah except for the righteousness.

This simply implies, even if we sacrificed anything (including the hand), it would not reach Allah rather the righteousness and piety.

Ibrahim(pbuh) was promised honor in the coming generations for his great act of sacrifice.

"And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations: .."(Quran 37:108)

This honor is in the form of the Hajj (and Eid), where we follow and remember Ibrahim(pbuh) & his families acts. No Abrahamic faith except Islam can boast of having its biggest pilgrimage to honor this great prophet(pbuh)

B) Why do Muslims eat animals and plants?

Scientifically, if you see the teeth of carnivorous animals like lions & tigers, you will notice they have strong molar teeth(back teeth) and weak or absent incisors.

If you see the teeth of herbivorous animals like cow and deer, you will notice that they have incisor teeth(front teeth) but weak or absent molar teeth.

BUT if you see humans, we have both molars and incisors which are sufficiently developed. So since we have both the sets of teeth, we should eat both meat and vegetables.

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    the second part of your answer has no evidence or proof based on islamic sciptures, they are asking for the islamic view not the scientific view.
    – NesreenA
    Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 8:16
  • @NesreenA the question title is off tangent to the second topic.Therefore, in the beginning of my answer I have urged the questioner to open another question. By saying "islamic view" and not "scientific view" you are simply implying that they cannot be coherent...which I would strongly disagree. Using scientific views to explain Islam is actually more acceptable to people normally.
    – islam101
    Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 11:36
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    the problem isn't that you use science the problem is that there is no evidence based on quran and sunnah i meant that its soley based on 'science' and no islamic scripture
    – NesreenA
    Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 12:20
  • islam permits us to eat some animals, i have used science to simply probe that God created our teeth in that way. just like in the question we are asked why god did not grow meat on trees.
    – islam101
    Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 13:01
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    please go to the chat room
    – NesreenA
    Commented Aug 30, 2012 at 13:30
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According to Muslims, Jesus and Muhammad are prophets like Ebrahim. But Christians believe prophet itself is the God or something like that.

For your second question, if you are thinking in such way then why did God give pain to humans? Or why do God created predators? And why do we can eat only vegetables and living organisms? Why can't we eat stones? Moreover, studies says that even plants also can feel pain.

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