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Upon learning of my veganism, skeptics (particularly those who are more religiously inclined) have been known to ask about my stance on the idea and consequent practice of sacrifice in Islam. I’ve touched on this subject in particular before, but recently an event took place that made me question it on a much deeper level.
But before I delve in to the ethics of animal sacrifice in Islam – a quick refresher for those of you who are not familiar with it.
Also referred to as ḏabiḥa (ذَبِيْحَة), animal sacrifice is ritually offered during Eid Al Adha (known as the festival of sacrifice). Worldwide, muslims preform a sunnah(mimicking a good deed done by a prophet) to the Prophet Ibrahim by sacrificially killing either a lamb, sheep, goat, cow or less commonly a camel. The meat of the offering is divided into parts – the largest portion is given to the poor, the second largest to the person’s relatives, and the smallest portion to the person’s direct family. The act of sacrifice is done to help the less fortunate and to commemorate Ibrahim (Abraham)’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael at God’s request.
When I was growing up, my family performed this almost every year. My brother and I would cower in the back of the garden watching a butcher read a blessing over a sheep he had hauled over in the back of his rickety truck. As per Halal requisites, he would feed it some water, say Bismillah (in the name of God) and swiftly slit it’s throat. I sometimes find it odd that I never really questioned the practice while growing up – or that I continued to eat meat for years after, but something about seeing the ritual year-on-year from such a young age left me desensitized in sense. It wasn’t till I started eschewing meat altogether that I started to question this unnecessarily brutal ritual, which stood out to me like a sore thumb in a religion that preached compassion, love and understanding for all living beings.
Fast forward a good 20 years or so. Recently a string of unfortunate events befell my family; my mother, brother and I all had bad accidents almost consecutively. Luckily we’re all safe and well – and nothing has been compromised that cannot be replaced. In spite of that my mother insisted that these happenings were an act of the evil eye, and she wanted to do something to ward it off; a sacrifice.
I hardly had time to react, when she told me they would be slaughtering a sheep in our garage, then handing out all the proceeds to the poor. It had been years since I’d seen that reel play in front of my eyes, and I was unsure how to deal with it. Should I protest? Should I suggest that we simply offer money to charity in lieu of a sacrifice? For some reason I felt it would be best not to interfere. So the morning of said sacrifice I made myself scarce, and returned only well after it was all over – though the smell of blood was pungent and piercing. It left an awful taste in my mouth and in my conscience. Needless to say it became clear to me that I disagree with this practice through and through.
Despite the fact that it is a ritual occurrence in our religion and culture; many don’t realise that sacrifice is NOT a pillar of Islam. In order to understand the institution of sacrifice in Islam one must consider the context in which it was first introduced.
Historically, pre-Islamic Pagan Arabs, Jews and Christians all offered some sacrifice in the hopes of attaining protection, acceptance or material gain from God – but the notion of “vicarious atonement of sin” (that is absolving one’s sins through the blood of another) is not mentioned at all in the Qur’an. Neither is the idea of gaining favor by offering the life of another to God – all that is demanded is one’s personal willingness to submit one’s ego and will.
Essentially, Muslims are not asked to kill an innocent animal to appease a higher power. So why did it happen all those years ago, when the Sunnah of sacrifice first came to be? Again – let’s revisit context. It must be considered that the Qur’anic verses that discuss animal sacrifice – in relation to the circumstances under which these revelations were received – resulted in people trying to make a personal sacrifice by sharing their limited means of survival with poorer members of the community.
Islam’s perception towards ritual slaughter is not one of blood atonement, but rather the act of thanking God for one’s sustenance and the personal sacrifice of sharing one’s possessions and valuable food with fellow less fortunate people. The ritual itself is NOT about the sacrifice – it was about sharing the best of what you had.
There are several Qur’anic verses that highlight the true purpose and objective behind sacrifice – but of all of them allude to the same thing. The act of animal sacrifice is pertinent to the role animals played in Arabian society at the place and time. Humans were commanded to give thanks to God and praise Him for the sustenance provided by him by sacrificing something of value to themselves to demonstrate their appreciation for what they have been given.
In this case it was the very animals on which their survival was based, but as we all know, times have changed. Thanks to the advent of modern agriculture and farming methods – we no longer need animals to survive – the millions of people turning vegan and vegetarian each year are living proof of that.
If my religion asks that I offer something I deem valuable to those less fortunate to give thanks for my own blessings and sustenance – I will not hesitate. I will offer a basket of fresh organic vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lentils. I will offer money, clothes, books and toys. But I will not compromise the life of an innocent animal and inflict pain and suffering where it is not needed.
very interesting..thank you for sharing this.
Brilliant blog and hopefully very persuasive for anyone considering sacrifice.
great to read this coming from an Arab, already fearing Eid Al Adha seeing all these innocent creatures waiting for death
SAME!!! My parents have started the teasing and have made me feel ‘less of a Muslim’ because of it all
Of course may Allah swt bless them I know they just want me to be the best Muslim I can be…but I’m dreading Eid sacrifices also..
You shouldn’t be feeling any less than what you are a sensitive compassionate person sparing suffering to those poor creatures that societies has been exploiting cruelly using..because its “necessary” and humain need animal’s protein..etc etc..
Don’t doubt yourself…do you think God want us to be more humain,enlighted and intelligent..or do you think he want us to just follow blindfully whatever practice that the mass is doing..just because it done all over the places it dosen’t make it right!
I absolutely understand where you are coming from and I am not arguing about the usual practices of halal slaughtering. Years ago I found this video on halal slaughtering and it makes total sense, no harm to the animal whatsoever, just total submission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA7-7igGU1I
Ru Delusional? They force the animal to the ground and kill it? How come no harm is done? Jeez.
The fact that you are supposed to take Allah’s name when killing an animal is proof that you are committing a sin.
But you pray to Allah for forgiveness. This is done because if there was no provision for committing this sin then in the desert a lot of muslims would have died of hunger if they were not “allowed” to eat meat.
I personally believe that this “allowance” has been wrongly taken as compulsion.
I dissagree with killing animals for food. There’s even a hadith saying to avoid eating meat every day for 40 days, yet people do it all the time! Frankly speaking, our prophet (PBUH) *did* eat meat, but he rarely ever did so. I think that’s (along with a few quranic sources) is more than enough for me to consider eating meat as allowed, but a good idea not to abuse this privilege. But in your defence, although I dissagree with killing the animal, calling it a sin is too far. Generally, the *correct* way to kill an animal is:
-Only for food, not hunting, not a hobby, nothing else,
-Make sure it’s quick and painless, not long and agonising,
-Make sure they’re in a healthy state,
-Make sure they’re calm and blindfolded
-Not to be killing in front of other animals
-et cetera
So really, if you’re gonna kill a sentient being for *survival*, at least don’t make it suffer like in all those slaughter machines..
We have moved on ,lets stop pretending that it is ok to kill animals ,lets stop pretending that the animals feel nothing ,,let us stop practising what Arabs practised 1500 years ago ,we are living in a world where meat can be grown in a factory ,so the need to kill anything is no longer ,we are advanced now hello .
As Muslim vegans, we have a fine line to walk between absolutely vs. conditionally condemning animal slaughter and consumption. We need to be critical and vocal when the rights of animals are abused or when slaughter deviates from the compassionate model of the Prophetic practice. I’m sure most vegans would say slaughter can never be compassionate, but veganism is not my faith, Islam is. Thank you for sharing your reflection on this topic, sister!
trying to harmonize islam and veganism is just an absurd and futile try. one really can’t be muslim and vegan because veganism is not only about refraining off eating meat, yet it is about to denounce all forms of animal abuse. many muslim “vegans” try to evade talking about what the Quranic stance from slaying animals but truth is truth, wither you like it or not. many verses are there in quran persuade muslims to slay innocent beings for the sake of allah.
best example that every muslim know is in surat alkawthat (So pray to your Lord and sacrifice) and in arabic ( fasalli lirabika wanhar) wanhar means and slay!!!!
if you feel compassion toward animals or in other word “vegan” you have to denounce this verse for it gives muslims the sacred right to kill those innocent beings.
I liked you story by the way
everything in this world holds a reason !! With this theory we must kill every carnivore animal to help other live.. But by doing this we will mess things up.. our body to the extent even our teeth are desigend to eat flesh and organic food and stomach to support digesting that.. moreover its not anymore a myth that plant do feel pain yet you suggest to eat them cause the cant even create a sound in comparison with animals who can atleast express through any means.. Isnt it even more cruelty ??
Hi Awais, in actual fact research holds a lot of evidence that humans are biologically herbivorous/natural plant eaters, not meat eaters. With respect to teeth, carnivores and omnivores have short and pointed incisors, long sharp and curved canines, and sharp jagged and blade shaped molars. Herbivores and humans on the other hand have broad flattened and spade shaped incisors, short and blunted canines and molars that are flattened with nodular cusps. We also have carbohydrate digesting enzymes present in our saliva, similar to herbivores, while carnivores have none. Additionally, carnivores and omnivores swallow their food whole with some simple crushing, whereas herbivores and humans require extensive chewing. Perhaps most damming is the length of the small intestine, in humans it is 10-11 times our body length, whereas carnivores’ intestines are typically 3-6 times their body length – this allows for easy transit and digestion of raw flesh to prevent it from rotting. All in all, anatomical evidence points to the fact that humans are optimized for eating mostly or exclusively a plant-based diet.
As for killing plants – plants are living yes, but they are not sentient beings and do not possess a central nervous system therefore they are not capable of feeling pain in the same manner as an animal. Also being vegan is about causing the least amount of harm as possible, I find that my diet and lifestyle allow me to practice this, however everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I am not here to judge – purely to share my thoughts.
so islam asks to sacrify animal on eid, what do u do?
if you doing hujj, will you sacrifies animal or no?
What Nonsense No vegan Advocates that. You just come up with stuff. Its cruel to kill when you don’t need to. Humans do not need to eat meat. Yeah if your teeth are designed to eat meat go and bite a chunk of a goat with your bare teeth and show me please.
Check this link it has comparison of Herbivore Carnivore and Omnivore we are not even Omnivores. Gorillas have larger Canines than what we cal as Caninse and it is for biting into shoots like sugarcane.
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
Not the Plant thing You know unlike Living beings Plants have been cut up to molecular level and no nervouse system and been found.
Go and do some research on Pain. Pain is very different from Stimuli. Its just a wrong assumption that stimuli and pain have the same bearings.
Also if you take a look at it from Evolutionary of from Creationism. It makes No sense for Plants to feel Pain WHEN THEY CANNOT MOVE.
So It is highly unlikely that plants would not evolve to move away from pain just like other beings that do. The reaction to Pain is to move away from it and escape it.
And if you believe in GOD then it must a cruel God who gave the ability to feel pain to plants but no way to escape it.
That being said and done Plants do not feel pain. They have “life force” not even Life. Jagdish Chandra Bose who discovered plants have life used the same apparatus and instruments to conclude that……………..wait for it……………METALS HAVE LIFE!
Yes it is official but we never learned about it in our school it does sound absurd.
But not so much when you find the same finding in Jain Philosophy where Plants and Metals and in the same category as Living beings with less senses. And Actually they just have life force Which is required to feed us.
I won’t even get into the fact that since Plants cannot move they need animals like bees and butterflies to pollinate(to reproduce) and they need animals and humans to eat the fruit and disperse the seed.
That is why fruits are appetizing Do you find a live rabbit or a hen appetizing. DO you find a slaughter house appetizing? But any human would enjoy being in a fruit orchid and the aroma of fruits would tempt him to eat it.
But we humans would shut our nose in a slaughterhouse and many of us would never be able to eat the same meat if we saw how it was slaughtered.
While carnivores go crazy on the smell of a live animal and a dead one and at the smell of blood.
That should tell you its simple common sense that we can observer that Humans are not wired to eat meat as we do not find it appetizing.
We find cooked/prepared meat appetizing or processed meat because of the spices and the curing process and salt. And then its simply acquired practice that goes against our very nature
So well said!
The animals we eat, all eat plants as well. And a whole lot more than we can consume. In the end, being vegan also drastically reduces plant “suffering” or plant death.
Also, most plants become edible at the end of their natural lifespan. You can either choose to eat, let it rot and decay through autumn and winter to see if some form of life emerges out of it. I love it how a tree can bare fruit and let it drop to the ground. Out of all the hundreds of seeds dropped each year, how many actually grow out to be a new tree or plant? I had 10 sunflowers in my frontyard last year. I figured if i let the seeds drop, i didnt need to replant because the seeds would grow by themself. How many sunflowers did i have this year? ZERO! I had been better off taking the seeds and giving them to the starving birds last winter.
Sometimes i think that the fruits of plants are like semen. Drop a million of potential new lives, but only 1 or 2 come out alive. Perhaps in that gap the enormous amount of herbivores were able to emerge on this planet.
Nature knew all about mishaps ,hence the millions of semen cells and seeds
A vegetable or a tree or any plant does not have the complexity brain that animals have ,thus according to our current knowledge there is no evidence to suggest the toll on an animal and a vegetable /plant is the same ,it is akin to asking is it moral to kill a fly ?
Salam sister Nada, an excellent article and a reminder that just because eating meat is Halal for us, it doesn’t mean we have to just stuff our face everyday with meat. I love the last paragraph and it is something I will quote next Eid Al-Adha.
Halal (allowance) doesn’t means wajeb (obligation). Nowadays all the animals are at risk… the entire earth is at risk. Can you imagine prophet Noah sacrificing and animal in the ark which is at risk of extinction?? Well is time to be like Noah! Save the animals!!!
Only plant based diet was consumed by humans, thus herbivores, before the great flood. After the flood, the people on the ark were allowed to eat meat. Why do you suppose that happened? Was food scarce on the ark? When Noah saw a lion tear into a sheep, do you suppose the humans tried it? Do you think they found sustenance from this ‘new found food’? Do you suppose they liked it? Do you suppose they saw it less work to raise an animal, just feeding it than to plant a garden, tend the garden, harvesting the fruits and vegetables and preparing a meal? The slaughter law became kosher to prevent spoiled meat consumed causing illness and death. No refrigeration meant, fresh kill, eat and leave rest for wild life to finish. Islam followed suit with halal slaughter. Or what do you think happened? These books were written by mortals justifying their actions at the time. Human’s are herbivores. I agree “save the animals.” They are sentient beings, JUST LIKE US!
When I first became vegan it was towards the end of ramadan , my uncle told me eating the meat in Eid al Adha was a ” fardh ” .. beliving him I forced my self to eat the meat believing this was what god wanted. I continued to be vegan till now … I had some doubts about my religion.. Until I read this article. all I can say is THANK YOU. You helped clear my doubts
You’re most welcome Alia, thank you for reading.
Excellent article ,keep it up ,a good Muslim is a vegan Muslim
To the admin and to whom who wrote the article: Animal Sacrifice is the decree from Allah s.w.a and sunnah of Hadrat Ibrahim a.s. Its not about wasting or just killing animals, its Allah’s order to sacrifice an animal (whoever is able to do so), its obligatory on him/her. If you or someone says that ” I won’t sacrifice animal but instead I would give that amount of money to some poor or give food/feed to poor people; that itself is virtue but won’t be accepted in place of sacrificing an animal. The current obligation is to ‘Sacrifice’, if you or someone donates his/her whole wealth to needy people even then that won’t be accepted in place of sacrifice. I repeat “the decree is to slaughter an animal and feed poor people, give to relatives and remaing part for yourself – sacrifing an animal – that’s all.
P.s. sorry for poor english. I will write an article about this InshaAllah.
Sacrifice can mean sacrifice an animal or sacrifice any other possession that is important to a family. We all sacrifice something during our lives to make our children’s lives better. What is it about sacrificing an animal that is better than providing money for education or preventive medicine for under privileged children? The intent is to sacrifice something dear/important to one and giving to the needy to better their lives, right? The Quran was written 14 centuries ago what was the intent then? Fast forward to the 21st century and the sacrifice should meet the intent of the Quran. What was dear to people then is different than what is important now to people. Sacrificing the best healthiest animal 14 centuries ago to feed the poor was a very big sacrifice. Now education and medicine is very sought after. Only a sacrifice of money can help achieve the education and medicine needed by the poor.
The Quran intent for the feast of sacrifice is for people to sacrifice something personally very important to them. To give away Something important to a person is truly a sacrifice to show thanks for all blessings. In this 21st century, Muslims do not sacrifice the animal, they sacrifice the money to buy the animal. If they sacrifice the money, the money should go to the poor. Where they need it the most, medicine, education, housing, plumbing, whatever. The feast of sacrifice appears to revolve around the process and spectacle of killing these animals. To parade, betray, restrain and saw through an animal’s neck to the spine or puncture a camel to bleed out in agony appears to be entertainment. The sacrifice of the animal bought with money to show thanks is a fake sacrifice. They did not raise the animal, they have no personal attachment to the animal, the animal is not important to them except maybe to showcase their wealth to others which is shameful, not a sacrifice. I have been very disturbed by this Muslim ritual for many years. This forum to share ideas is helpful to me. Thank you to the author for this opportunity. I welcome comments to my understanding of this feast of sacrifice.
I find it depressing to read that people like him think killing animals is the sore thumb in the “religion of peace”–and not bits that condemn homosexuals and apostates to death.
Islam is a NOT the religion of peace. Never was. Never will be.
Amen!
At first, I think you should go over the Holy QUran again and understand that it is not just associated with helping poor. Sacrificing after any bad event is different to the one done at eid because we are commanded to do it. You are not required to eat meat, but doing sacrifice is not optional.
One can sacrifice many “things” to show thanks. The thing must be important to one and must have value as you are giving it, sacrificing a piece of your life to give thanks and honor Ibrahim. A prized jewel, money, a perfect animal, only if it belongs to you and you raised it for your family. Giving it for sacrifice, even if I object to the killing of said animal, is truly a sacrifice of yours to honor Ibrahim and give to the poor meets the intent of the koran’s instructions. If one takes money to buy an animal for the feast of sacrifice, a big beautiful bull or camel to show off one’s wealth, it does not meet the intent. It is actually shameful. The money is one’s sacrifice not the animal. The animal means nothing to the person buying it for this purpose. I do not understand how a Muslim can interpret it in any other way, unless there is a confusing translation of the Koran.
True! A very good read! The earth is for every creature that ALLAH created. Although I am from Pakistan and not a vegan (which I’m ashamed of but I believe I will be very soon). Allah never forced people to kill animals. Animals are beautiful, lovable, they don’t have the power of defend themselves, I see people love to see them suffer, why not leave them where they want to if they aren’t troubling you at all?
The protest about Eid Al-Adha is about the cruelty and suffering involved in the sacrifice done each year by Muslims who still adhere to the dogma in the Koran about cutting the throat of an animal minus pre-stunning. The Koran preaches about the use of a sharp knife and the show of compassion to the animal about to be slaughtered. This is all very noble and ‘religious’, but ask yourself if you would substitute yourself as Allah’s gift to the poor as food. In other words, can you go as far as identifying the suffering of another creature, and would you be willing to endure such agonizing suffering through having your throat cut because a book from a distant past said so. Be honest. Is this the most humane way to take life? Individuals who do not find it necessary to eat animal flesh, carrion, are not troubled by the sophistry implied in following what is written as dogma in a holy book. A person must think critically, and morally, and follow, I repeat, the Golden Rule, common to all cultures and religions: Do unto others (and this includes life forms other than our species) as you would have them do unto you. This natural law takes precedence over relativistic statist/human law and religion. Be compassionate, love all life. Do no harm. At best, become vegetarian, then vegan. Do not compromise your ethical behaviour.
John Farnan: Wow. Perfect explanation of my own feelings. I will use this, with your permission, giving your name as the author.
Spread the word. You manage an interesting site, Sandi.
i am having same thoughts about this topic why every year so many animals are killed for food of heumans need I think if heuman try to eat vagetables there is no need to eat meat muslims says that scrifices on EID day is order like a sunh so I think muslims should also abey other orders of their lord,s
in my thoughts a question mark (?) that why heuman are meat eaters and is that scienctifcly proved that heumans need to eat meat for living and surviving on earth?
if any one has knowledge about my question then must reply
What is the scholarly consensus on how Eid al adha should be celebrated?
Is there anything wrong with the way muslims are currently celebrating it from an Islamic perspective?
The Quran intent for the feast of sacrifice is for people to sacrifice something personally very important to them. To give away Something important to a person is truly a sacrifice to show thanks for all blessings. In this 21st century, Muslims do not sacrifice the animal, they sacrifice the money to buy the animal. If they sacrifice the money, the money should go to the poor. Where they need it the most, medicine, education, housing, plumbing, whatever. The feast of sacrifice appears to revolve around the process and spectacle of killing these animals. To parade, betray, restrain and saw through an animal’s neck to the spine or puncture a camel to bleed out in agony appears to be entertainment. The sacrifice of the animal bought with money to show thanks is a fake sacrifice. They did not raise the animal, they have no personal attachment to the animal, the animal is not important to them except maybe to showcase their wealth to others which is shameful, not a sacrifice. I have been very disturbed by this Muslim ritual for many years. This forum to share ideas is helpful to me. Thank you to the author for this opportunity. I welcome comments to my understanding of this feast of sacrifice.
Hi Sandi,
That doesn’t answer the question from an Islamic perspective. This isn’t a qualified answer.
Hi Shaf!
I am interested in the Islamic point of view. Does the Arabic word for “sacrifice” not translate literally to English. The feast of sacrifice, I believe is only covered in the Hadith. I have not reviewed the Hadith. During discussions with a Muslim friend I have gained my knowledge of this ritual, and the changes over time. I will continue to look for answers to your post.
Given the world wide emphasis on a materialistic lifestyle, I can see how the ritual could be bastardized over time, not meeting the intent of Muhammad’s teaching. My intent is to learn not offend. I am vegan, know animals are sentient beings and always disturbed by this event. I want to understand.
Hi Sandi,
There is a strict criteria for deriving rulings based on sacred text. This was followed by the majority of Muslims throughout the majority of the Islamic history (Traditional Islam aka mainstream Islam).
Unfortunately, due to a number of reasons, a lot of muslims in the modern era are simply not aware or have abdanoned this practice and hence there is so much that is being taken out of context.
Below is a letter (downloadable pdf) to the leader of ISIS, undersigned by over 100 mainstream scholars around the world.
In the letter, it explains how sacred text has been taken out of context (I do understand this is an extreme example but it clearly illustrates the point clearly) and what the pre-quisites are and the methodology to be used in order to derive rulings from sacred text and for the ruling to be valid.
http://www.lettertobaghdadi.com/
This is the starting point for understanding how rulings are to be derived and who has the requisite knowledge to issue the rulings.
In the absence of meeting the criteria and following the methodology set, we have DIY Islam which includes literal readings, gross misinterpretations and simply put, unqualified answers by lay muslims and hence muslims are strongly advised against DIY Islam.
Happy to carry on this discussion on email also.
Hi Shaf! Sorry it took so long to respond. I woukd like to continue this discussion in another forum, if you are still open to further discussion. I read the information on lettertoBaghdadi.com.
I struggle desperately with this event. I am against this event and DIY Islam is even more of a reason to avoid the killing portion of this festival.
The times have changed. 14 centuries ago, meat was valuable for sustenance. Today money is more valuable than meat, as vegetarian diets are healthier for all and give all the sustenance needed to survive. Education, preventive medicine and medicine for children’s illness is much more valuable than meat. Thus, money is the correct sacrifice to honor Ibrahim, if that is important to Muslims. Think the real sacrifice to those with wealth. Sacrificing an animal is not following the Quran as the Quran states kindness to animals. To watch videos of the transport, removal from transport, restraining and sawing the thick neck skin, muscles, trachea, tissues all the way to the spine while the animal is conscious does not appear to the animal as kind. Children throwing stones at the animals and hitting them. It looks more like teaching violence.