A Message for those who oppose Qurbani

People opposing "Qurbani" simply proves why it is important to have understanding of the religion. As the great Dr. Israr said:

"Hum mai Imaan nhi hai, Aqeedah hai, jo Maa Baap or society se mila hai; asal wala Imaan kaha hai? Kia hame waqai yaqeen hai Allah or Allah k ehkaam pe?" (Quote rephrased for better understanding)

When you don't learn the essence of the law, you either blindly follow it or completely ignore it because you don't know the significance.

For example, stopping at the red light has a purpose; without understanding that purpose, one would be following just to avoid fines and punishment, and as soon as one finds a gap - like CCTV not working and no cop around- one would be inclined towards crossing the red light. But if someone understands why it is important to stop, they would even if there is no camera or a fine.

Similarly, we need to understand rules of religion; so far from what I have observed, there is no single rule from Allah or Prophet PBUH that has no benefit for us; everything we are told is for our own betterment. Think about it, why would Allah want us to follow something? Allah doesn't need us, He has a kingdom full of obedient creatures, we are just a mere fraction of His creations. Even the five time prayers are for us, not for Allah; it's an opportunity to bow down and be grateful and ask for forgiveness and bounties.

What we need to understand is that Allah owns this world; just like when we own something, a Corporation or a country, we make our rules; even at our homes, there are certain rules in one way or the other.

The world is a temporary place, a place of trial; just like if someone goes to jail, he has to follow certain rules, he is provided with the necessities in which he has no say, he can't choose what he wants and what he doesn't.

Same is with this world, we have been given instructions on what to have and what not to have, we can’t make amendments to fit our own desires; divine laws are crafted to fit the needs of everyone.

Similarly, we have been instructed on what to eat and what not to eat. Things that are made halal are to be consumed. If one doesn't want to eat animals out of love, great, Allah will indeed reward you for your love towards animal; but saying that it's a cruel thing to do is like questioning Allah’s authority.

Ever watched survival movies or shows? People eat and drink things that one can't imagine. Being a Vegan is also a sort of privilege; there are people who don’t get to choose what they would eat, they go even through trash cans to kill their appetite in order to live. If you truly want to be a vegan, try eating basic food and not the fancy expensive type.

Read and understand the story of Hazrat Ibrahim and His son to understand the essence of Qurbani. I know not everyone could meet that essence, but at least performing it would meet some part of it. Just like if you can't or don't want to be a part of someone's celebration, sending a gift would suffice your absence. Allah looks at intentions more than actions.

And besides, if you don't eat meat because you don't want to kill animals, then consider yourself lucky because you can meet the true essence of "Qurbani"; a meat lover who just spends money on qurbani can't feel much about it, but you are someone who will be hurt to see something happening that you don't want to, just like Hazrat Ibrahim; so your Qurbani with the sorrow is what it's all about, you might get bigger reward than others; surrendering your desires in front of the Lord.

"Qurbani" is to tell us that we don’t own this world and whatever is in it, we just have to follow the orders of Allah which will eventually benefit only us.

To survive in this world, one can’t be either very harsh or very soft; sometimes hard decisions have to be taken for the greater good, but we human beings are not capable of drawing boundaries, so boundaries have been set for us.

Remember how Australia had to kill over 10,000 camels last year due to the bush fires? Camels drink a lot of water and Australia had to preserve every drop of it, so they had to take a harsh step for the greater good.