this post is to remind myself & for my kids to know the reasons why we celebrate Eid-ul-adha (or hariraya haji); the festival of sacrifice (qurban) which is strongly related to sembelih and what is "sembelih/slaughter" the islamic way.
The festival, observed on 10th day of Zulhijjah, remembers the Prophet Ibrahim A.S's willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to. God appeared in a dream to Ibrahim and told him to sacrifice his son Isma'il. Ibrahim and Isma'il set off to Mina for the sacrifice. As they went, the devil attempted to persuade Ibrahim to disobey God and not to sacrifice his beloved son. But Ibrahim stayed true to God, and drove the devil away. As Ibrahim prepared to kill his son God stopped him and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead.
Ibrahim's complete obedience to the will of God is celebrated by Muslims each year.
Each Muslim, as they celebrate, reminds themselves of their own submission to God, and their own willingness to sacrifice anything to God's wishes. During the festival Muslims who can afford to, sacrifice domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibraham's sacrifice. (British law insists that the animals must be killed in a proper slaughterhouse.) The meat is distributed among family, friends and the poor, who each get a third share. (from bbc religion website)
the festival also marks the end of Hajj Pilgrimage in Mekah, hence why its called Hari Raya Haji. the norm is to puasa sunat hari wukuf di Arafah on 9th Zulhijjah, the eve of Eid-ul-Adha.
these are some pics which i hijacked from nasrul, kamar's nephew fb wall. not sure where the place was but its at his friend's kampong. these are typical scenes in on eid-ul-adha mornings. dulu2 masa kat msia, selalunya kami balik raya haji & qurban di kelantan.
doa dibaca sebelum disembelih.
alhamdulillah, selesai..
proses melapah..
proses pembahagian/distribution
those who dont know the reasons behind the muslim sembelih method find it disturbing/torturing the animals. and for that, its important that my kids know why its done that way.
The Islamic method of slaughtering animals, known as Zabiha has been the object of much criticism from a large number of people. One may consider the following points, which prove that the Zabiha method is not only humane but also scientifically the best: (thanks to my friend mazlina for sharing this on fb)
1. Islamic method of slaughtering animal
Zakkaytum is a verb derived from the root word Zakaah (to purify). Its infinitive is Tazkiyah which means purification. The Islamic mode of slaughtering an animal requires the following conditions to be met:
a. Animal should be slaughtered with a sharp object (knife)
The animal has to be slaughtered with a sharp object (knife) and in a fast way so that the pain of slaughter is minimised.
b. Cut wind pipe, throat and vessels of neck
Zabiha is an Arabic word which means ‘slaughtered’. The ‘slaughtering’ is to be done by cutting the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in the neck causing the animal’s death without cutting the spinal cord.
c. Blood should be drained
The blood has to be drained completely before the head is removed. The purpose is to drain out most of the blood which would serve as a good culture medium for micro-organisms. The spinal cord must not be cut because the nerve fibres to the heart could be damaged during the process causing cardiac arrest, stagnating the blood in the blood vessels.
2. Blood is a good medium for germs and bacteria
Blood is a good media of germs, bacteria, toxins, etc. Therefore the Muslim way of slaughtering is more hygienic as most of the blood containing germs, bacteria, toxins, etc. that are the cause of several diseases is eliminated.
3. Meat remains fresh for a longer time
Meat slaughtered by Islamic way remains fresh for a longer time due to deficiency of blood in the meat as compared to other methods of slaughtering.
4. Animal does not feel pain
The swift cutting of vessels of the neck disconnects the flow of blood to the nerve of the brain responsible for pain. Thus the animal does not feel pain. While dying, the animal struggles, writhes, shakes and kicks, not due to pain, but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles deficient in blood and due to the flow of blood out of the body.
