As another Eid-ul-Adha arrives, the issue of mass animal sacrifice has once again become a point of debate among both Muslim vegans and non.
Some Muslims insist killing animals must be done to commemorate Prophet Abraham’s experience.
The story goes like this:
Prophet Abraham was told by God in a dream to sacrifice his son Ismael (Isaac according Christendom). So as he was about to do it, God at the last moment saved his son and replaced him with a sheep instead. So Abraham killed the ram and from that day forward, it is a tradition to do the same thing to commemorate his willingness to make such a difficult sacrifice.
Most Muslims believe this.
I’d like to explore the verses relating to this incident and offer perhaps another viewpoint that I feel is reasonable and in line with the rest of the Qu’ran.
Some Surprising Facts
“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you…” – Genesis 22:1-2
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. –Genesis 22:6-8
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22:9-14
Now here is the Qu’ran’s actual account:
And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.” -Qu’ran 37:102
Okay here is a very critical difference:
The Bible states God commanded Abraham directly to sacrifice his son. The Qu’ran on the other hand states it was actually Abraham’s son (who was a boy at the time; estimated to be between 7-13 years old) that believed his father’s dream was a command from God.
There is absolutely no ambiguity here.
And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, We called to him, “O Abraham, You have fulfilled the vision.” Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations. “Peace upon Abraham.” -Qu’ran 37:103-109
Furthermore, it is against God’s patterns in the Qu’ran to leave such a monumental matter to a dream; which of course is open to a wide range of interpretations.
Other important questions to consider: Does God violate His Own Law to test His servants? Would He actually command someone to execute their own son? Think about this for a second. Is this part of His infinite compassion and mercy? Does this even make sense and gel with a rational mind? Or is it more likely a human thought or inferred their dream was of divine origin?
But Aren’t The Dreams of Prophets True?
There is a widespread belief among many Muslims that the dreams/visions of Prophets are true and that they are as good as revelation from God. It never actually says this directly in the Qu’ran but it’s a popularized idea many Muslims uphold (myself included).
However, one must be consistent when applying this standard to the Qu’ran. We read:
Prophet Joseph also had this vivid dream and his God given miracle was he interpreted dreams accurately.
However, nobody will argue 11 stars, the sun and moon physically prostrated to him. We know from the story however, this was a symbolic premonition to what would follow about 40 years later when his 11 brothers, did indeed prostrate to him and he elevated his parents (sun and moon) to the throne. It doesn’t mean his dream wasn’t true; it means it manifest itself differently.
So if this dream was purely symbolic to Prophet Joseph who’s actual miracle was to interpret dreams; why shouldn’t we be open to the idea Prophet Abraham’s dream was as well?
So using this incident as “evidence” God commanding something is inconclusive and insufficient.
A Different Perspective
Now here is where I’d like to offer a slightly different perspective on the incident. I’d like to focus on the fact Abraham tells his son “I have seen in a dream” (manaam) and a few verses later, God states:
“O Abraham, You have fulfilled the vision. (ru’ya).”
Why does Allah (swt) refer to it as a vision and not dream; as Abraham did?
It is possible from the context, the meaning is “you have surely believed the vision” or “you really believed what you saw.”
So the entire verses can read like this (parenthesis my comments):
“And when he reached with him the age of exertion, he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you, so see what you think” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.” And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, We called to him, “O Abraham, You have surely believed the vision.” (As in, he truly believed what he saw in his dream)
Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. (The reward was for Prophet Abraham’s sincerity in what he truly believed was from God and his willingness to follow through despite the severe difficulty). Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations. “Peace upon Abraham.” -Qu’ran 37:102-109
What Exactly Was The “Great Sacrifice”?
Irrespective of the interpretation one follows (you certainly do not have to agree with mine), it’s important to delve even further to get an idea of where this animal sacrifice even comes into play.
So what is this referring to?
“It was reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “A ram which had grazed in Paradise for forty years.”
“Then We ransomed him the one whom he had been commanded to sacrifice namely Ishmael or Isaac —two different opinions — with a mighty sacrifice; a mighty ram from Paradise the same one that Abel had offered as as sacrifice (which) Gabriel peace be upon him brought it and the lord Abraham sacrificed it as he cried Allāhu Akbar ‘God is Great’.”
Now this is interesting.
If we go by these well known interpreters; then whatever was sacrificed wasn’t even an animal from this world! It was from the unseen realm. These tafaseer are widely accessible so I am unsure why this fact has been widely concealed from people.
So we know God rewarded Abraham with some type of animal from Paradise in exchange for his unyielding devotion to God. Why exactly are we mass slaughtering animals today?
Sacrificing In Context
So let’s bring this back to our time – where does any of this apply? Context is key here.
If we examine the whole notion of sacrificing an animal – this dates back well before Islam and well before the time of prophet Abraham.
Pre Islamic Pagan Arabs also practiced this regularly by sacrificing to a wide array of gods to appease them, as did the Jews and Christians at the time by way of burnt offerings and such. The “lamb” of God being “sacrificed” is the obvious image that comes to mind.
Islam however never requires blood sacrifice.
Muslims themselves will debate with Christians and tell them God doesn’t need to kill his “son” to forgive sin, He can just forgive. Muslims will also quite rightly point out the concept of blood atonement is not from God’s tradition so there is no need for Jesus to be killed for Adam’s sin.
What Islam did come with instead is the idea of self struggle and personal sacrifice not blood sacrifice.
Their meat will not reach Allah , nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you… – Qu’ran 22:37
So the most important action here is not the killing itself but one’s intent to please God.
Justifying slaughtering billions of animals today on Eid because of what occurred with Abraham and his son or even because the Prophet Muhammad performed it during certain years is to ignore the historical context and how people at the time lived. People owned animals as a means of wealth as well as sustenance. So the Qu’ran dealt with sacrifice at that particular time for 7th century Arabian society and the relationship they had with their animals.
The meat was distributed to the poor and seen as a way of communal sharing and charity; not to atone for anything with a blood sacrifice like the Pagans and Christians.
Looking Ahead
Today, do we really need to mass kill billions of animals?
Does the survival of the poor depend on this? Absolutely not. I suggest we need to give from what is actually valuable to us in our day and age as we do not put any value in “livestock” animals.
Maybe that’s why we are so adamant on killing them because we are so detached from them affecting us personally. Which one of us can genuinely state they felt profound loss after killing a sheep?
Let’s be real – we don’t give a damn as we have been consuming them even though this is standard industry practice. Not so strict on the “Qu’ran and Sunnah” now, are we?
Today’s societies place value on many things: money, land, information, technology, etc. – not goats and sheep. So why aren’t we giving from what we really value like they did in the days of the Prophet?
If we want to be as firm on following the example of the Prophet as we are on other things; then give from what you love – not from something you have zero emotional attachment to.
I’ve argued previously the importance of a new fiqh for food. Now more than ever, we need it because part of this fiqh should clearly define what a poor person actually is since “poor” in 7th century Arabia is materially different than poor in the inner cities in the United States which is again very different form poor in Bangalore or Kinshasa.
Islam has grown by gigantic proportions since these verses were revealed and as such, there is a natural difference in socio-economic status based on where people are form.
As a result, what would adequately satisfy the poor needs to be thoroughly re-examined based on geographic areas. That is to say, meat in most parts of the developed world is not seen as a delicacy or something of value. So why should the “sacrifice” all be the same?
Also, add to the fact killing so many animals is literally destroying our planet which I went into great detail here.
These are all factors in concluding that animal sacrifice in or day and age is grossly misplaced and negligent. It does nothing to satisfy the original objective of udhiya – which is to feed the poor. If killing animals today is having the opposite effect of what udhiya intended (causing more human starvation) – then why do it?
Have a cruelty-free Eid this year and spare an animals life.
You will be rewarded for every act of kindness and compassion.
Eid Mubarak.
Excellent article. I am a muslim and have just turned vegetarian and may well transition to veganism inshallah. Aside from the issues you highlighted, what about the simple fact that animals are killed in their millions, one in front of the other – this is completely against our creed and should put a stop to our muslim brothers and sisters consuming meat full stop.! The meat you consume is not halal by any stretch of the imagination, so stop kidding yourselves and stop accusing others of discriminating against Muslims and Islam. It is we that are falling short when it comes to compassion.
Look at the conditions anaimals are housed in, they are fattened up, injected with antibiotics and often don’t see daylight. Male chicks are killed at birth and cows are forcibly impregnated. Our beautiful earth is being destroyed all because of our insatiable appetites, greed and hypocrisy.
Where is our mercy, our conscience and respect for our creator. Muslims should be at the forefront of change and fight for the rights of every sentient being – shame on us!
Well said!
Great to see this article. It is always good to critique and question what we’ve all grown up with. It is a very interesting thread. Thanks for opening this debate.
I remember my uncle told me he took a wrong turn in Hajj he ended up wading through a sea of blood and guts from sacrificed animals. Are we to believe that the millions slaughtered are given to the needy? Can you imagine the costs and effort required to clean, refrigerate and distribute all that meat? And to where? Can you imagine the level of hygiene?
I believe there are two topics which (for me) require further investigation. 1. Ibrahim’ dream relating to sacrificing his Son. 2. The need to sacrifice an animal during Hajj pilgrimage
Back to the sacrifice or indeed killing in the Quran, please correct me I am only speaking from memory here, no nlood sacrifice or killing was ever commanded by Allah.(again, please correct me here)
Usually the disbelievers were drowned or destroyed by Allah (swt). Furun, people of Lut, Nuh’s arc,….
Khidr (as) did kill a boy though right?
The prophet Muhammad (saw) suffered greatly from the disbelievers and was involved in some battles (although, this too may need exploring, especially given how he was patient despite experiencing intense persecution, so why would he then kill, even in battle?)
Musa (as) did unintentionally kill someone and Allah forgave him.
In Sura Hajj i found this though:
1. We have made sacrificial camels ˹and cattle˺ among the symbols of Allah, in which there is ˹much˺ good for you. So pronounce the Name of Allah over them when they are lined up ˹for sacrifice˺. Once they have fallen ˹lifeless˺ on their sides, you may eat from their meat, and feed the needy—those who do not beg, and those who do. In this way We have subjected these ˹animals˺ to you so that you may be grateful. And….
2 v67 Surah Baqara: And ˹remember˺ when Moses said to his people, “Allah commands you to sacrifice a cow.”1 They replied, “Are you mocking us?” Moses responded, “I seek refuge in Allah from acting foolishly!”
And in V 73.. “So We instructed, “Strike the dead body with a piece of the cow.” This is how ˹easily˺ Allah brings the dead to life, showing you His signs so that you may understand.”
I have barely scratched the surface here. My only conclusion thus far is this requires further research and inshallah guidance from Allah for us all.
Salamz & thanks for everyone’s input.
Well said and thank you for your detailed feedback.
Yes, since I completely agree that we don’t need to kill millions of animals in the name of religion these days but what bothers me and shocks me is when I come across those verses especially the one you mentioned in surah Baqarah when Moses asked people to sacrifice a cow when God commanded it!!
I mean why would God ask such a thing to do to PLEASE HIM!!
Why there’s a need to do it??
Instead of asking sacrificing a cow he should have asked something else right??
Idk I’m really disturbed and bothered about this
Thank you for your article. In fact I am searching for the Truth on prophet ibrahim and his son incident. Now I have a doubt in a verse
“Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good”.
Here, as killing a man is major sin in quran, why Allah appreciated ibrahim for his faith which was a misinterpretation of his dream? Why Allah mention the reward? I am confused.
I know Allah will never promote an evil act.
Could you please make clear this verse.
Thank you
Kadar, you are right – Allah will never promote an evil act.
The whole point of the article was to argue that God never commanded Prophet Ibrahim to kill his son; as this is contrary to His own Laws.
The reward mentioned here (in my interpretation) was for Prophet Abraham’s sincerity in what he truly believed was from God, and his willingness to follow through, despite the difficulty.
By the way, the verse doesn’t say he saw that he had killed his son, it actually says he saw (in his dream) he was about to. So preparing for the act was simply fulfilling that portion of the dream.
this was the one thing troubling me, thank you and alsalam alikum.
You’re welcome.
I would like to know which mazhab, which mufti is this coming from? Because it is pretty clear in the Hadith about qurbani.
1. The Prophet went towards Al-Baqi (the grave-yard at Medina) on the day of Eid-ul-Adha and offered a two-Rakat prayer (of Eid-ul-Adha) and then faced us and said, “On this day of ours, our first act of worship is the offering of prayer and then we will return and slaughter the sacrifice, and whoever does this concords with our Sunna; and whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before that (i.e. before the prayer) then that was a thing which he prepared earlier for his family and it would not be considered as a Nusuk (sacrifice.)” A man stood up and said, “O, Allah’s Apostle! I slaughtered (the animal before the prayer) but I have a young she-goat which is better than an older sheep.” The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said to him, “Slaughter it. But a similar sacrifice will not be sufficient for anybody else after you.
(Hadith No: 93 From: Sahih Bukhari. Chapter 15, The Two Festivals (Eids))
2. Let us sacrifice from hearts, obsequiously and with a heart. Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] once said: “That whosoever is capable of performing Qurbani but he does not perform, then such a person should not come close to my Eidgah [place where the Eid Salah is offered].” [Ibn-e-Mjah 2123], [Ahmad 8273]
Also in Quran permitted us to eat animals unless the animals fall into these categories.
“Allah has forbidden Muslims to eat animals that did not die as the result of man, contain blood, are pigs, or have been sacrificed to another god”(Qur’an 2: 173)
If it was “pretty clear” then you wouldn’t have the Prophet’s closest companions not do it for as Umar ibn Al Kkattab put it “for fear the people would think it is compulsory”. This means Umar thought it was NOT compulsory. The very thing he feared centuries ago where people think killing animals on Eid is compulsory has come true today.
Examine the practice in today’s context with the very real challenges we now face (as outlined in various articles here); and not just a text on it’s own.
Thank you.
thanks for the knowledge, as i was looking after having noted some suspicion about those who have deviated from the path of god. if it is any consellation, i concluded that the story was actually about salah, in which the command given to ibrahim was from god in respect to ransom for such, with the word forehead used as an example. and as all people of al muslimeen know the biggest sacrifice is salah. i guess this would have been more obvious, if it were not for the devil. may peace and thanks be with sammer.
Thank you for the feedback. Interesting take!
Correction: There was no animal sacrifice by Christians since as you pointed out we see that the atonement to please God was through Jesus (Isa) once and for all time. It is interesting that even in the Torah which you quoted, Allah says repeatedly that He finds no pleasure in animal sacrifice, in the blood and fat of rams and bulls. These are all a symbol. As far as I know in Judaism this practice has also stopped about 30 years after Jesus (Isa) in 70AD after their temple, where they sacrificed animals, was destroyed by the Roman army. So officially these sacrifices had stopped hundreds of years before Mohammed but continued among pagan religions and possibly in some Jewish sects. I agree 100% with you that animal sacrifice is unnecessary. But as some Muslims commented here animals were given by Allah to be consumed by mankind as food among other purposes. This occured at the time of propher Nuh (Noah).
Assalamu alaikum, Sammer, thanks for the interesting, informative, enlightened article. This is not the first time that you have helped me in my quest to reconcile Islam with my convictions as an animal rights believer and activist, and I thank you for all that you do. Keep up the great work! More power to you! Ignore people who nitpick you!
Walaykum Assalam Cathleen and you’re most welcome and very happy you have found these articles helpful. Your support is much appreciated. You keep up the terrific work of standing up for our animals friends!
Beautifully said!
Thank you.
Thank you. Assalamu alaikum.
First of all, when did you speak to Allah(swt) and heard Him that He changed his mind regarding the scrafice too feed poor and needy all over the world.
Second the scrafice itself was in many religions before Islam and it used to be a human being scrafice, Allah changed it into a sheep instead.
Vegan is funny for me, lions and wolves eat cows and deers they never think of eating trees, that makes the balance in the jungle and in life,
Let’s stop eating animals, they will be more than humans one day that you can’t go to work or even leave your house.
Allah(swt) in Quran said in many aiats that he created animals just for us to eat and wear clothes in cold weather.
Scrafice is the core of any religion to show God obedience and politeness.
Animals know why were they created , we can’t discuss with them if we stop eating them will they stop bringing more animals to life and take our place, if you know how many hungry humans eat out of that scrafice in Eid, and how.many waiting for that day…..billions around the world.
I tell you one thing, go and live in the jungle, convince all animals to be good to each other, when you see a lion is close to your daughter tell him eat vegetables instead and leave my baby.
Ask your baby to grow without getting milk of her mother and see how will she grow.
Do what you like, just the Muslims do what they like too.
3 years in Islam is not like 59 years in Islam with the ability to read Arabic and understand Quran.
Thanks
Thanks for your input Aly.
Animals won’t be more than human once we stop eating them, they’re breeded Ito confinement by humans~ now imagine a world that has gone vegan (though I guess it’s too good to be true), no domestication and no breeding, animals would be able to be reproduce naturally the way they were meant to be.
And veganism doesn’t mean stop consuming your mother’s milk. lol. it includes not consuming other species milk like not drinking cow’s milk cuz cows lactate for the sole purpose of feeding their babies and no species other than humans drink other species’ milk, isn’t it hypocrisy? Educate yourself before commenting about veganism.
And if you’re that jealous of lions and wolves and others, by all means go ahead and hunt instead of paying animal abusers for raping, confining, feeding poor diets, inserting unnecessary hormones in animals, objectifying, and ultimately murdering.
Well said.
Aly, You dimwit, so many mistakes in your response to such a great article, it actually made me laugh. I can’t be bother to correct it as you have made so many stupid statements, instead, this guy will sum it up for you: https://youtu.be/I3EB77t-u3M
He obviously responded emotionally, hence my reply to him. You cannot engage those who begin a conversation with defensive mindsets.
Jazak Allahu Khairan for the reminder. You just wrote my thoughts. I hope Muslims who claim to be vegan one day will understamd that they can not be more murciful than Allah. I just want to add: Did Muhammed s.a.v. ate meat, hoey, eggs, chees? Well this answers the question if veganism makes sense for Muslims.
This is a gross oversimplification of the issues at hand and reflects you not actually understanding the content presented.
If you really think the Prophet ate products from tortured and abused animals, then it is you that needs to re-examine their belief system.
I read something good today..somthing evry person should read and about it ..know that they have emotions too…
…keep doing this work thku ….
This is the real rubbish article from other people who’ve name as Muslim as his fake name to misguiding other new Muslim. You are not a prophet and nor a muhaddits so your article and opinions not from Allah set but from your personal desire.
Thank you for your feedback.
A bit like the gay lobby, or the ISIS monsters, your justification for your views also smack of fallacious reasoning and mis-interpretation. I feel your arguments bear hallmarks of those specially trained activists that certain organisations are flooding the Muslim world with to twist Quran and Hadith to undermine societies.
It’s possible though you are genuine, and feel passionately, but in order to convince the majority of Muslims I think it would be more persuasive and transparent if you were to take your arguments and references to a recognised scholar, then with their permission share the transcript or video of the discussion.
I think however there is a case to be made for reduced meat consumption on health grounds.
Interesting how you state I have misrepresented with “fallacious reasoning” but didn’t actually reference said reasoning.
This is definitely is something I am glad to read. As a new muslim vegan I get a lot of hate from the muslim community as i am against killing animals. maybe it had happened in the prophets time but there is no need now, especially to that extent. I will share the page to everyone i know I hope they will understand more of this issue. I never got the whole thing about sacrificing animals on Islam, we do not need to eat meat to survive, we can easily give meat alternatives to charity or poor people if that is the case, or even just the money that they need.
Very happy this site could be useful to you. May Allah guide us to what is best.
why did you delete my comment
It contributed nothing to the discussion.
So , why did Mohammed (SAW) did this ? And his companion continued his sunnah? They didn’t know all that ?
Your attention should be focused on macdonalds and other fast foods and this fast food culture in general , which is causing mass slaughter on 6949844 times more than slaughtering on Eid. Moreover , they also don’t treat the animals well. There have been many cases of abuse.
Muslims slaughter and distribute the meet to poor and needy too. So there is rotation of meat and people don’t stay without meat, who can’t eat because it’s expensive. . It’s not for their own greed that they sacrifice.
Vegan / vegi IS ok but trying to modify a core tenant of religion will not get you any where. That mass sacrifice is better for mankind. Stopping it can have an effect in so many dimensions.
Muslims are one of the biggest abusers of animals on the planet. Let’s not sugarcoat the truth or try to pretend Muslims actually treat animals well whether in Muslim majority countries or in “halal” slaughterhouses which in of themselves are not moral, ethical and have no basis in Islam. They don’t even treat each other well.
Animal agriculture is a stain on all of humanity and the sooner we Muslims boycott it and encourage others to do the same, the sooner we can heal this broken planet.
I was thinking about the same thing.
I mean the poor and needy need meat? Really?
There are more nutritious alternative than meat.
And the prophet saw said in a hadith to avoid meat as it may cause addiction.
Well said Kamar.
They dont even need meat, there are so many other ways we can help the poor without any suffering taking place. No to animal cruelty and the killing of animals!
Are you a Quraaniyoon?
I.e rejector of hadith.
No.
Bro, don’t divide us into sects anymore…aren’t you tired of this?
Allah knows best, you should never judge another muslim. You should judge your own relationship with God first. No one is perfect, everyone is practising their own religion in their own way.
Have you read “Defending Beef” by Nicolette Hahn Niham because I don’t think you have and from what I see in this day and age we all choose the easy way out to solve our problems. Then correcting them or working towards it. Hasn’t Allah s.w.t said that our lives are test in possibly every way?
To shun meat doesn’t stop meat production(we need cows for the environment btw) and hasn’t Islam said ALL animals will go to heaven to lessen our burden in this world and hearts?
The “easy way out” is to continue doing what we’re currently doing and annihilate this planet in the process. Shunning animal products is actually THE BEST thing we can collectively do for this world. It will help reverse a good chunk of the damage we’ve unleashed.
As for needing cows for the environment; we do not need billions upon billions of artificially bred cows. There is more livestock in this world than all the humans and wild animals COMBINED and it’s destroying our world. That is NOT what our faith asks of us.
If you live in a society that offers plenty of plant based foods, then what is your reason for refusing to take the better road?
assalamuallaikum for my all over the world’s moslem brothers&sisters
l am an lndonesian moslem.
in my opinion if we want to be followers of Rasulullahu’allaihi wasalam the very simple way is we just SAMI’NA WA ATTO’NA.
nothing wrong with Alqur’an&hadist sahih!!
ALLAH Subbahanahu wata’alla had make islam as a perfect form as the religion that permited by HIM.islam rules had fix!
do not try to make a new rule or excuse to change syariah or you will be lost.
be smart,islam so easy and ALLAH will keep the environment of the earth while we keep going to follow HIS rules and keep going to stay HABLUMINALLAH WA HABLUMINANNAAS..
wassalam.
Thanks for your input Takashi.
Hey, this is very well written and I find it pretty persuasive. I have one question though. How do I answer my Muslim friends who say the word of the Qur’an is forever and hence continuing to eat meat when it’s unnecessary in this day and age or wherever we live isn’t wrong?
Your Muslim friends should know the objective of Islam is to minimize harm and maximize benefit.
The Qu’ran did not mandate flesh eating. In fact it regulated it more than anything.
Ask your friends if they think the Prophet Muhammad would continue doing something he knew very well is destroying the planet.
Well, if you truly followed the Prophet (saw), you wouldn’t be vegan.
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari: ***”I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) eating chicken.”*** [Muslim]
Thanks for your input.
The prophet never sat in a car, why do you?
the narrated here is weak.
he never ate beef. it’s doubtful that he ate chicken.
he was known to eat quail, lamb, eggs, goat cheese. camel milk, and refused to eat wheat after hijrah
eating meat is not wajib. eating meat more than neccesary is makruh, eating meat at night is makruh because it’s said to interfere with waking up for salah tahajudd
Which narration are you referring to?
You should also say you should not just take the words of the quran literally, you must understand the context and reasoning behind it. That is why we get a lot of extremist muslims that do not understand islam or the quran at all and think what they are doing is right because they do not understand the context behind the verses.
Nicely said.
hi assalam sammer hakim, i’m a muslim from malaysia. i’m not a vegan yet, but since learning about veganism, i changed my diet a lot. and i’m still learning. i’m also doing research on veganism and islam for my thesis writing. can i directly contact you through email? nasrullahmohdzaki@gmail.com
Sure! We can put you in touch with a fellow Muslim doing their PhD on Islam and veganism.
can I have your email?
contact@veganmuslims.com
Sammer, i have sent you an email
I believe in one God, for I think He is too vast to be comprehended by we – humans. Hence to me what is logical is spreading love to his creation and not violence and that will definitely draw us closer to the creator.
Sammer , its really touching to see such a thoughtful content that intends to spread compassion. Please keep up the good work..
Thank you very much Koyel.God bless you.
May Allah bless you brother
Never mind people and stay on the right path
(41. The likeness of those who take to themselves protectors other than Allah is that of the spider. It builds a house. But the most fragile of houses is the spider’s house. If they only knew.)AlAnkaboot
May Allah guide those that Little do they know they are following a different religion
Stay a person of the Lord
(The path of those You have blessed, not of those against whom there is anger, nor of those who are misguided.)
Thank you Nasser for your great words of support. It’s always pleasing to read thoughts from others who can relate to the content.
Thankyou brother for saving my faith in Allah because i was questioning my faith and about to become atheist as i donnot believe a God cud ever instruct his followers to kill/murder a sentient innocent being like animals whu have a central nervous system,pain receptors and areas in brain cortex,whu have a pain threshold much lower than humans,whu love affection and give back affection,whu make families and have emotions.
The Sacrifise of Billions of animals om Eid just didnt resonate with me atall.I was just this close to becoming an atheist,then i came across thia video on yoube (Cubes of truth in uk) where the vegan activist asked the muslim guy to visit veganmuslims.com and that search brought me here and restored my faith in the Most Merciful,peaceful God .❤
Thank you very much for sharing your story Khan, we greatly appreciate it.
Loving God is loving his creation – all of it.
May Allah (swt) continue to bless you so you can help us make this a better world for all.
Hi, glad to find this website. I believe we all should our own individual truths and wisdom of the heart. Since my spiritual ascension after a dark night of the soul my heart did not accept to kill another spirits flesh just to please a God or fill my tummy. I also agree that many religious verdicts have been misinterpreted to cater personal interests. I also believe that many islamic traditions are not a strong line to adhere with but depends on ones conscious development. If God told the pagan arabs at that time 1400 years back to stop eating meat their dumb consciousness would never understand its spiritual perspectives but as ones awareness increases so does the context of things relative to him change also. In modern days when a muslim has attained spiritual ascension to realize that animals are also souls like humans then he will never be accepting to kill them. I think that is why God kept this area open for further conscious development and did not make it an obligation that would violate ones faith. For example if we look into islamic traditions we still find narrations which talk about rights of slaves but in our modern world the human consciousness has developed to surpass this act of slavery and hence such islamic traditions are not needed mostly anywhere now. Stay blessed
Very interesting take Umair – thank you for sharing.
Salam Alaikhum, Sammer!
Your domain name is dead on! I was wondering how to find other Vegan Muslims like myself to join forces with…
What is interesting about the vegan issue in the Qur’an is that, like the 10 Commandments, it requires the research of the teachings of the previous Prophets. While the Bible in its Standard form has been falsified (Jesus performs miracles and then, through the phenomenon of ‘broken telephone’, he is God or God’s son), there are many important passages that are not. (Essentially we are to use our knowledge of the Qur’an, through daily readings, to discern between true and false passages). GENESIS 1:29 and 1:30, for instance. It is in Genesis 1:29 that we find God’s first directive as to what we should be eating: (Genesis 1:29) Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you”. Yes, a vegan diet! So how can God prescribe a vegan diet and the halal slaughter mentioned in the Qur’an? (Keeping a non-judgemental, open mind can be essential for God’s teachings.) There are probably many reasons which only God and those with whom He has shared his knowledge know, however, one just has to glimpse the rampant abuse of animals in PETA videos on factory farming to see that there is a need to limit humans from causing harm to the animals that they want to eat (remember, we ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad). I would also guess that the consumption of non-kosher/halal slaughter probably distances a human further from God. God has permitted the consumption of kosher-halal slaughter, however – as the Qur’an states – ‘not in excess’. What is ‘in excess’? According to scientific research, the consumption of more than 5% animal protein/day – combined with a carcinogen – leads to cancer (The China Study, T. Colin Campbell & son). So one may conclude that the consumption of more than 5% animal protein/day is not permitted by God’s Commandments in the Qur’an, as it would be ‘in excess’.
Despite all the discrepancies found in the Bible – like the crucifixion of Jesus, who we know from the Qur’an was not, in fact, crucified, but a likeness of him – I still recommend reading it. It has many essential teachings: the 10 Commandments, the meeting of Abraham with God – where God reveals His Blessed Name, YHWH. (How is a Muslim supposed to bless his food, if he knows not the Blessed name of God?) Or where God finds man truly Evil, after He witnesses Noah’s sacrifice of the animals on the Ark, upon reaching land (yet another confirmation of a vegan diet.)
Alternatively, there is a link to the @2000 year-old Bible found in Turkey – which apparently corroborates with events as depicted in the Qur’an – in the ‘Suggested Reading’ section on http://www.ZakatCanada.ca .
Hope this helps. I found your contemplation very interesting. In passing, when going to Mecca, you can make a grain offering instead of an animal sacrifice. I am hoping to do so when I go, INSHALLAH.
Keep in touch…
Thanks Sabrina for your input.
Your views are definitely interesting and worth looking further into from my end.
Hope you have a blessed day.
Walaykum Assalam Sabrina – thank you for your well thought out feedback. I very much appreciate various points of view and apologies for not getting to this sooner.
One needs to examine the historical contexts of the people in question. Some civilizations sustained themselves very heavily on animals and the Bedouins were one such civilization. The fascinating thing here though is even though this was the case, the Prophet Muhammad’s staple was barley and dates. He ate very little meat even within this context.
Muslims today not only consume way too much meat but they consume it via factory farms and slaughterhouses which in my view is outright forbidden and shouldn’t even be a point of discussion if we truly valued Islam’s values and weren’t so focused on our appetites.
Sammer, I came across this website by accident. I can’t say I know many vegan muslims, (maybe because of where I live) but I really admire you for your writing and work to educate people and spread the message of compassion to our non human animals friends.
Muslim religion confuses me. I hear its a peaceful and a good religion but I don’t necessarily see this played out by its members..its so hard to convince Muslims to think rationally when it comes to animal sacrifice. My Muslim friend can’t accept that his halal meat is not really halal and need to abstain from consuming it neither can he do a vegan fast when he cant manage a real fast, because its not Islam. I don’t get this lack of rational thinking. Mind you Christians and secular people can be stubborn when it comes to eating meat too but they justify it with health reasons and tastebuds…however animal sacrifice in the 21st century baffles my mind esp when the quran never said to do so. Mind you this was a covenant between God and Abraham – the father of many nations. I don’t see us common people having the same covenant or being parents of many nations!
Anyways, I appreciate your out of the box thinking and good writing. I am not criticizing the religion but I think the practises are misrepresenting God. I myself question things in my own religion and it is important to do so and not follow potentially misunderstood status quo.
Thank you so much for your feedback, I greatly appreciate your support!
Yes I am so very glad that i found a muslim vegan community, it has made it a lot easier as a new vegan definitely helping me deal with the struggles of it all
Thank you sammer for this compassionate article..the mass killing of animals need to stop.I have been a vegetarian for 34 years.and I am a christian.hope your article helps people to look at things in a different perspective.
Thank you Rosh for your compassion and support. We’re all in this together!
So basically, you just pick and choose what you want to follow and deliberately ignore the entirety of the authentic Sunnah which strongly urges Muslims to sacrifice an animal on the day of Eid and the virtues of doing so and the story of Ibrahim alayhis salaam or that dreams of the prophets are revelation from Allah
It was narrated from al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 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.
I honestly have to question your ability to comprehend what you even posted.
The verses you posted of Ibrahim alayhis salaam are as clear as day that:
1. he had a dream, he told his son he has been commanded to sacrifice him
2. His son told his father to do what he has been commanded and the ayah says “and when they had both submitted” to his commandment,
3. Finally it was revealed to him he was successful in passing the trial that was set to him “and thus do we reward the doers of good” If his understand was wrong at any stage, why was his understanding not corrected? Or do you think Ibrahim alayhis salaam did not understand what was asked of him?
There is no ambiguity in the story what so ever.
You said:
////
There is a widespread belief among many Muslims that the dreams/visions of Prophets are true and that they are as good as revelation from God. It never actually says this directly in the Qu’ran but it’s a popularized idea many Muslims uphold (myself included).
////////
Its not in the Quran, and its a idea popularised you say, as if to suggest this belief came out of thin air and has no basis in reality.
The Quran suggests dreams of Prophets are revelation. Some are clear and require no interpretation, others as was the case with Yusuf alayhis salaam – interpretation was required and it became apparent what it was when it happened many decades later.
It is firmly established from the authentic hadith, narrated by so many sahaba, that there is no room for doubt:
How we perform salah is not in the Quran and yet we pray a certain way, how is that?
Do you pick and choose which aspects of hadith you follow or which conform to your world view?
Saheeh Muslim (no. 2263) from Abu Hurayrah, which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the time (of the Day of Resurrection) draws near, a believer’s dream will hardly be false. And the truest vision will be of one who is himself the most truthful in speech, for the vision of a Muslim is the forty-fifth part of Prophecy, and dreams are of three types:
the good dream which is glad tidings from Allah;
the bad dream which causes distress, which is from the Shaytaan;
and the dream which represents what a person is thinking about.
So if any one of you sees a dream which he does not like he should get up and pray, and not tell people about his dream…”
True dreams for a believer is 1/46th of Prophethood. The dreams of the Prophets are revelation and we know this as many times the Prophet PBUH had revelations
Narrated `Aisha:
The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of good righteous (true) dreams in his sleep. He never had a dream but that it came true like bright day light.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6982 or Book 91, Hadith 1 [Book of dreams]
Narrated Abu Qatada:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A true good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan.”
[Sahih Bukhari Book 91, Hadith 3]
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “Nothing is left of the prophetism except Al-Mubashshirat.” They asked, “What are Al-Mubashshirat?” He replied, “The true good dreams (that conveys glad tidings).
[Book 91, Hadith 9]
See chapter of book of dreams in Sahih Al Bukhari.
You seem to want to use the argument like many other modernists and liberals that want to reject certain beliefs or downplay them by saying “Its not in the Quran” Many things are not in the Quran and yet we practice upon them, where did they come from? How to perform our salah and what we recite in it. The two Eids are not mentioned, yet we celebrate them and so on.
You are spreading misguidance
its one thing to be concerned about the welfare of animals, and yes – everyone can agree that animals should be well treated and when they are slaughtered should be done humanely. Just because that is not happening, or we live in a different world compared to them does not negate the practice of udihyah which is either mandatory or a strongly confirmed sunnah and a practice firmly established by the Prophet and those that came after him.
Thank you for your protracted thesis but aside from you quoting several unreliable and weak hadeeth, you have contradicted yourself.
You stated:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A true good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan.”
[Sahih Bukhari Book 91, Hadith 3]”
A simple question – is a dream where you see yourself slaughtering your son a good or a bad dream?
Only a dishonest person would say it’s a good dream so you are essentially saying Abraham’s dream was from Satan since only bad dreams come from him.
I think before you further engage, it would be wise to collect your thoughts and articulate them in a clearer manner so as to not infer anything derogatory towards Allah, His Messenger and other Prophets.
Not all dreams of Prophets are revelation. You are simply offering one understanding and trying to impose it on someone with different one. The fact you label me all sorts of titles and level false accusations is not from the Subnah either, I assume?
Finally you stated:
“1. he had a dream, he told his son he has been commanded to sacrifice him”
No, he did not. He told his son he had a dream where he saw himself killing him and he asked his feedback on it. Nowhere does it say he told his son it’s from God – that is your literal interpolation in order to advance a particular viewpoint.
Peace! 🙂
I’ll leave personal attacks/insults to 1 side.
Lets discuss the cold hard facts.
You said:
//
Thank you for your protracted thesis but aside from you quoting several unreliable and weak hadeeth, you have contradicted yourself.
//
On what grounds do you dismiss narrations from Sahih Bukhari to be weak and unreliable? His book is unanimously accepted by all qualified scholars of this Ummah as the most authentic book of hadith that we have.
What qualifies you to dismiss any of them?
You said:
///
No, he did not. He told his son he had a dream where he saw himself killing him and he asked his feedback on it. Nowhere does it say he told his son it’s from God – that is your literal interpolation in order to advance a particular viewpoint.
///
Lets break it down:
So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy.
And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think.” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.”
1. Allah gives him glad tidings of a forbearing boy. What does forbearing mean? It means he is patient which is shown in how he reacts in the next verse.
Ibrahim alayhis salaam tells his son he has seen a dream that he must sacrifice him, and yes he asks what he thinks. His son responds as true believer with patience and true eemaan would respond, “Do as you have been commanded to do”
What was Ibrahim alayhis salaam commanded to do, and by who?
And we continue with the remaining verses:
And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead,
>> Ask the question, what did father and son submit to? A dream he had that wasn’t from Allah?
We called to him, “O Abraham,
You have fulfilled the vision.” Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.
Indeed, this was the clear trial.
And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice,
>>> What vision did they fulfill?
If we are to understand your argument, it was all a big misunderstanding. Which certainly doesn’t hold any water when you take into account Allah stated both of them submitted, that he fulfilled the vision, and that he rewards the doers of good.
1 would think you’d at least be able of producing a scholar of tafsir to support your argument?
What did all of them great scholars, including the sahaba miss that you didn’t?
Furthermore you reject Hadith now too which you dismissed as being weak and unreliable, without any proof to support such an assertion, and without any real qualification in that field to make such a statement.
I’m not here to argue or insult anyone.
Veganism has its merits as far as healthy lifestyles go, and promoting the humane welfare and treatment of animals is something all should do.
At the same time i cannot sit quietly and let misinformation like this misguide other Muslims away from doing a practice that has been established in the Sunnah by the Prophet PBUH, even more so when i see this website being mentioned in a well known news website on the subject of Eid Al Adha.
“On what grounds do you dismiss narrations from Sahih Bukhari to be weak and unreliable? His book is unanimously accepted by all qualified scholars of this Ummah as the most authentic book of hadith that we have.”
This is actually one of the biggest and most widely spread nonsense circulating in the Muslim world. The moment we stop peddling this unfounded claim, the sooner we can examine text on it’s merits and not by mere association. Sahih Bukhari contains sound hadeeth but it also contains MANY weak, unacceptable hadeeth (like the Prophet married a 9 year old, he was after a woman who rejected him and insulted him, Prophet Moses ran around with his testicles showing, etc. etc.
The honor of the Prophet is above and beyond Bukhari or anyone else for that matter. If his hadeeth go against established Quranic text or reason, or Islamic principles, it is rejected not blindly swallowed just because it’s in Saheeh Bukhari.
The statement God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son is NOT in the text.
You are inferring and interpreting in a manner to fit your preconceived ideas. Nothing you posted is anything different from what’s already there.
Please -reread the article
As far as you are not here to insult anyone, you already have but it’s okay.
Wassalam.
You said:
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This is actually one of the biggest and most widely spread nonsense circulating in the Muslim world. The moment we stop peddling this unfounded claim, the sooner we can examine text on it’s merits and not by mere association. Sahih Bukhari contains sound hadeeth but it also contains MANY weak, unacceptable hadeeth (like the Prophet married a 9 year old, he was after a woman who rejected him and insulted him, Prophet Moses ran around with his testicles showing, etc. etc.
///
Again, weak according to who? You? Which respectable scholar of Hadith has said they are weak?
They are unacceptable to people like you because you are embarrassed by the prospect of our Prophet having married a 9 year old.
He was attacked for every reason under the sun, and yet never his marriage to her, why is that? In fact, when did this even become a real issue? In the past few decades. It was never an issue in the past.
Hadith sciences is a vast field, with its own methodology created by those who were experts in that field to authenticate narrations. They know what they’re talking about.
Opinions of uneducated people like you or me having no bearing on validity of it. Just because you are embarrassed by what the narration says or can’t understand a story that was narrated ( and clearly invented details which were never actually part of said story i.e his testicles were showing )
Does not make them weak or unacceptable according to your liberal modern standards.
I along with all Muslims since the Quran was revealed know what those verses of the Quran mean. We get our understanding from our Prophet, he taught his companions the story of Hajj, the meaning of those verses and all the key aspects of Hajj which was witnessed by 10s 1000s of people in the 10th year of Hijjrah.
Who are we going to follow, them and what is supported by clear cut evidence or a tiny little minority like you? I’d show your opinions some level of respect if you could actually provide scholarly evidence in Islamic history that also held such a view, but you can’t because this is something no one has ever disagreed upon.
I have no agenda. I’m following what the Quran and the authentic Sunnah says.
You are trying to sell an idea of Veganism by attempting to discredit a belief of our religion that is firmly supported by fact by trying to change what these verses of Quran mean.
You want to be a Vegan, then be a Vegan. Extoll the virtues of it, but don’t think people are going to remain silent when you start promoting misguidance and attempt to discredit aspects of Islamic teachings to support this lifestyle you want to follow.
Wow.
I suggested you undertake some research earlier before you post and it appears you are unable or unwilling to do so.
Very well.
Let me show you what “sahih bukhari” says about our beloved Prophet and other Prophets. Aside from the fact you think it’s ok to insult the prophet with the DISGUSTING AND UNTRUE ALLEGATION that he was a pedophile – in marrying a 6 year old girl and having sex with her at 9 JUST BECAUSE IT’s IN “SAHIH BUKHARI” – an utterly and outright blasphemous and preposterous allegation; the texts do not stop just there.
Here:
1.The Prophet ﷺ forgoting several verses of the Quran and completing dropping them from certain Surahs only to reminded about them by a blind man (Hadith #2655)
2.The Prophet also having vivid false memories (certain he’d had sex) only to be told it didnt happen. (Hadith #5765)
3.Umar (r.a.) and some other companions claim part of the Qur’an is missing, they recall several verses that are later missing including that of stoning (Hadith #6830)
4.The Prophet ﷺ took off his clothes and was naked while repairing the Kaaba before Prophethood (Hadith #364)
5.The Prophet ﷺ asked a Muslim woman to give herself to him, to which she insulted the Prophet as a lowlife and sought refuge in God from him (Hadith #5255)
6.The Prophet ﷺ attempted to touch a Muslim woman without her permission (Hadith #5255)
7.The Prophet Musa (a.s.) ran around naked chasing a rock so people could see his testicles were ok. (Hadith #278)
8.The Prophet ﷺ had sexual relations with a littel girl 9 years old (Hadith #5133 ) such a young girl isnt even obligated to Pray or Fast in Islam due to her young age
EVENTHOUGH another hadith in Bukhari states A father must seek consent from his daughter before marrying her even if shes a virgin (Hadith #5136) how would a 6 year old consent to the concept of marriage? So was it invalid at the time?
Moreover, (the Hadith in Abu Dawood):
Instruct your children to pray at 7 and discipline them if they dont pray at 10 AND separate siblings of different genders from sleeping in the same bed at 10. (Book 25, Hadith #491) So could they have had adult bodies at 9? Whilst sleeping with their siblings? Could they be mature to understand marriage but NOT prayer?
9. The Prophet Sulaiman عليه السلام wanted to have sex with a 100 women in one night (Hadith #2819)
several Hadith about the Prophet Sulaiman عليه السلام wanting to sleep with so many women in one night; with 70 women, 90, 99 etc)
10. The Prophet Sulaiman being punished with a handicapped baby for simply not saying InshaAllah. (Hadith #2819 )
11. The Prophet ﷺ having magic done unto him which goes on for months and results in the Prophet becoming clumbsy and forgetful, forging false memories of having sex (in non-Bukhari: sexually impotent too) (Hadith #5765 )
12. The companions رضي الله عنهم ignoring the Prophet’s instructions and calling him ‘delirious/speaking nonsense’. (Hadith #4431)
13. The Prophetﷺ pointing towards the house of his wife Aisha and said “This is where the fitnah will be, this is where the devil will rise from”. (Hadith #3104)
14. The Prophet ﷺ after waking up from heavy sleep goes to pray but doesnt make wudu (ablution) (Hadith #137)
15. All children (including the Prophet) are stung by Satan at birth, except only Jesus (a.s.) and his mother. (Hadith #3431)
16. Animals speaking Arabic including cows & wolves and the Prophet saying he believes that to be true. (Hadith #3663)
17.Prophet Moses getting into a fight with the Angel of Death and then punching the Angel’s eye in. (Hadith #1339)
18. The Prophet ﷺ going on the night journey (Isra/Miraj) to receive Prayers etc BEFORE he was a Prophet. (Hadith #7517)
19. God and the Prophet ﷺ making mistakes in revelation; not knowing a blind man was sitting behind the Prophet when the verse came speaking of any not going to war, the verse is immediately updated to excuse the blindman once he objects. (Hadith #4594)
20. The Prophet giving up hope and trying to commit suicide on several occasions (Hadith #6581)
21. Fatima (r.a) daughter of the Prophet, dies whilst being angry with Abu Bakr (r.a) the Caliph. (Hadith #3093)
22. Arabic which makes no sense: ‘The Alcohol was slaughtered by the (Arabic letter) noon and the sun” (Hadith #5492)
Please do not blindly repeat this utter nonsense that Bukhari is the most authentic book in the Qu’ran without actually going through the book and realizing it has some good content as well as utterly absurd stuff too.
You will not have any answers to these because they are stupid, ridiculous and fabricated.
Imam Malik is just one of MANY scholars who rejected such ahadeeth and no scholar in their right mind would accept these to be true on reason and commonsense – unless their only criteria is to judge a text based on it’s association and not it’s content.
The honor of the Prophet comes above and beyond Bukhari!
Thank you for your compassion, friends.
Best regards and support from Brazil!
Much love to you Simone and Brazil!
More animals are killed for daily food than on the Eid day, stop that first, speaking hypocrisy is a passion today.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
I am a Hindu… but I like Islam too. Islam has some great philosophies which world should adhere to.
In this article you have explained ur point so well. I hope people will listen to you.
I personally believe that animals have a soul and they have emotions and if u kill an animal , u kill an innocent soul and all its emotions, which is not a good thing.
Eid Mubarak ! 🙂
Thank you Vikrant – God bless!
Plz be vegan
Amen!
Thank you Brother for this clear reference.
Eid Mubarak
Ibrahim
Thank you Ibrahima, may God bless you and your family. Have a wonderful Eid.
“If killing animals today is having the opposite effect of what udhiya intended (causing more human starvation) – then why do it?”
Thank you, Sammer for this compassionate article. May it plant many good seeds and change many hearts this year on Eid and even otherwise. No God of any good intentions would want his creatures to be killed in his name. May you inspire many to ‘sacrifice’ their addiction to meat. Much love and regards.
Thank you for your support and kind words.
A nicely written article