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For the past couple of days, I have been trying to understand Eid-Ul-Adha and its history in deep detail; this question is part of that understanding I am trying to have.

I am trying to understand the true purpose of Eid-Ul-Adha celebrations. Below are three of the purposes that I have come across:-

  1. It is done to commemorate the happenings of Prophet Ibrahim. But nowhere in Quran it is specifically mentioned that do sacrifice animals to commemorate the happenings of Prophet Ibrahim. Also nowhere it is mentioned how this Sunnah of Ibraheem started. Also I can not find a satisfactory answer as to why Allah asked Prophet Ibraheem in the first place to sacrifice his son.

https://quran.com/2/196?translations=20
https://quran.com/5/2?translations=20
https://quran.com/22/28?translations=20
https://quran.com/22/34?translations=20
https://quran.com/22/36?translations=20
https://quran.com/6/162?translations=20
https://quran.com/108/2?translations=20
https://quran.com/37/107?translations=20
https://quran.com/37/107?translations=20
https://quran.com/16/123?translations=20

Above are some of the references in the Quran where it has been talked about the sacrificing of animals but nowhere it has been explicitly mentioned to do this to commemorate the happenings of Prophet Ibrahim.

  1. Another purpose that I have been told is that by sacrificing an animal, Allah wants to check one's willingness and piety to sacrifice a loved one in the name of Allah but this is not applicable as nowhere a sacrifice of an animal can be compared with the sacrifice of a human being. It does not even come close to that as many people nowadays do not have even keep sacrificial animals as pets for a long time. They just buy it a week ago and sacrifice the animal. Also, there are permissions that you can have another person sacrifice the animal for you which again kills the purpose. You can still choose not to look at the sacrifice of animals again killing the purpose.

  2. Somewhere I read that animals are sacrificed on this day to mark the end of the Hajj but again this applies to the people who have gone for the Hajj and not to those who are sitting afar. The below surah mentions the same if I am not wrong.

https://quran.com/2/196?translations=20

Please clarify!

2
  • This question is unfocused and argumentative. The purpose of sacrifice is the same as the purpose of performing wudu, prayers, fasting, itikaf, tawaf or any other ritual worship: It is to gain closeness to Allah through the means that He has prescribed. It is also the spending of property in a way that He has ordained.
    – UmH
    May 27 at 8:16
  • @UmH: I am sorry if you found my question unfocused or argumentative but I am not sure how much clear I can be with my question. Based on my understanding of Eid-Ul-Adha from the questions I have asked on this forum and what I could find on the web, I have framed this question with all the relevant links as well.
    – Ganit
    May 27 at 9:23

1 Answer 1

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Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha by first offering Eid prayer and then sacrificing an Udhiyah (animal of the an’aam class) because

  1. To glorify Allah and show piety.

  2. It is Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah) or fard (obligatory).

  3. To commemorate Prophet Ibrahim's devotion to Allah and his readiness to sacrifice his son.

Allah's Glory in Sacrifice:

Their meat will not reach Allāh, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allāh for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good. — Saheeh International

22:37

Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad:

The Prophet said:

“Whoever offers a sacrifice after the prayer has completed his rituals (of Eid) and has followed the way of the Muslims.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5545)

Ibrahim's Sacrifice:

  1. He said: "I will go to my Lord! He will surely guide me
  2. "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!"
  3. So We gave him the good news of a forbearing son.
  4. Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: "O my son! I have seen in a vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: now see what is thy view!" (The son) said: "O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills, one of the steadfast!"
  5. So when they had both submitted (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice),
  6. We called out to him "O Abraham! ...
  7. "Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" - thus indeed do We reward those who do right.

37:99 to 37:109

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  • About your 1st point that you mentioned i.e. Allah's Glory in Sacrifice , if you read the Surah carefully, the sacrifice is being mentioned for only those people who are coming to Hajj (22:28) and nowhere in this Surah it has been mentioned something like "O people of the whole world, on this particular day you are mandated to sacrifice the animal no matter you are coming for Hajj or not", then how can we assume that Quran has revealed Eid-Ul-Adha for all the Muslims all across the world whether they are doing Hajj or not. Please clarify on this.
    – Ganit
    Jun 1 at 3:37
  • About your 2nd point you mentioned i.e. Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad , this means this is not mandatory and must as per Quran and might be a recommendation for the Muslims and the same has been talked about in this question as well : islam.stackexchange.com/questions/43210/… . And the Hadith you mentioned is referring to the day of Eid, which is referring to 10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah which is again associated with Hajj and the people who are doing it. Then it again comes back to the same thing that this has been mentioned only for Hajj people.
    – Ganit
    Jun 1 at 3:47
  • About your 3rd point you mentioned i.e. To commemorate Prophet Ibrahim, can you please give me a verse from the Quran which explicitly & specifically mentions and apply to all the eligible Muslims (who can afford an animal for sacrifice) around the world (doing Hajj or not) that you have to sacrifice an animal to commemorate the happenings of Prophet Ibrahim?
    – Ganit
    Jun 1 at 3:54
  • 1
    @Ganit No, no Hadith can ever be wrong or not verified all sahih hadith are equally valid and it is necessary upon all Muslims to accept them. The work of verifying what hadith is right or not is ONLY and solely a work for scholars, that they have done for us. It is mandatory upon laymen to follow one madhab specifically, so if you want to, you can follow the Shafi'i madhab where you don't have to do the eid sacrifice. Also, there are multiple ahadith that look contradictory word-by-word but both are equally sahih and reconciled by scholars.
    – user51831
    Jun 18 at 10:28
  • 1
    No I am done! Thanks !
    – Ganit
    Jun 19 at 14:58

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