Zayd ibn Arqam (may God be pleased with him) relates that the Companions asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is Udhiyah?’ He replied, ‘It is the Sunnah of your father Ibrahim (‘alayhis salam).’ They asked again, ‘What benefit do we get from it?’ He answered, ‘A reward for every hair (of the sacrificed animal).’ ‘And [what reward is there for animals with] wool, O Messenger of Allah?’ they asked. ‘A reward’, he said, ‘for every fiber of the wool.’
Zayd ibn Arqam (may God be pleased with him) relates that the Companions asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is Udhiyah?’ He replied, ‘It is the Sunnah of your father Ibrahim (‘alayhis salam).’ They asked again, ‘What benefit do we get from it?’ He answered, ‘A reward for every hair (of the sacrificed animal).’ ‘And [what reward is there for animals with] wool, O Messenger of Allah?’ they asked. ‘A reward’, he said, ‘for every fiber of the wool.’
As we approach Eid, you have probably heard of how we are supposed to do Udhiyah (also known as Qurbani). While most American Muslims have seen their parents do this Qurbani overseas, we may not completely understand why.
The intention of the Udhiyah as an act of sacrifice is to “draw nearer” to God in worship by freely submitting to God’s Will. From this intent of surrender to and faith in God to “draw near” Him comes the Arabic word qurbân. Don’t forget that the purpose of Udhiyah/Qurbani is to give the best of thanks to God for all of our blessings.
While we can do Qurbani locally, we should truly consider what would be a sacrifice that draws us nearer to God. Yes, we sacrifice the ability to consume a Qurbani share for our families, but let’s consider meat consumption in countries worldwide.
In the United States, the average American consumes 273 lbs. of meat annually. Compare this with the average Bangladeshi who consumes only 8.9 lbs. of meat annually. How can we not consider giving to countries that don’t have access to nourishing meat? The statistics speak for themselves:
As we have written before, these statistics show that families in need only have access to “fresh meat” at the time of Eid al-Adha. Zakat Foundation of America selects impoverished countries to donate freshly slaughtered Udhiyah/Qurbani meat that is hand-delivered. These people have limited access to meat. Most of these recipients only have a chance to consume meat once a year on Eid.
As a humanitarian organization, Zakat Foundation of America offers Udhiyah/Qurbani in hard-to-reach places like Gaza, Yemen, and Syria. We are committed to bridging this food security gap because we see the disparity and want to bring joy on Eid to those with so very little.
We do this because this is the way of Islam. As Muslims, we have an obligation to take care of our brothers and sisters in humanity. What is a better way to gain blessings and rewards from God than to sacrifice for our brothers’ and sisters’ sake?
Zayd ibn Arqam (may God be pleased with him) relates that the Companions asked,
‘O Messenger of Allah! What is Udhiyah?’ He replied, ‘It is the Sunnah of your father Ibrahim (‘alayhis salam).’ They asked again, ‘What benefit do we get from it?’ He answered, ‘A reward for every hair (of the sacrificed animal).’ ‘And [what reward is there for animals with] wool, O Messenger of Allah?’ they asked. ‘A reward’, he said, ‘for every fiber of the wool.’
Won’t you help? Every hair of your Qurbani gift counts as a blessing for YOU. You can even dedicate your Qurbani to a loved one.
