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Allahu Akbar (Allah is The Greatest), Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar in deed He is, and praise be to Him abundantly, and glory and praise be to Allah day and night.
O Allah, our Lord, have peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his good and purified Folks and Companions.
Following Millat our father Ibrahim, peace be upon him:
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says in the Noble Quran:
﴾ And strive hard in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). He has chosen you (to convey His Message of Islamic Monotheism to mankind by inviting them to His religion, Islam), and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship, it is the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) (Islamic Monotheism). It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Qur'an), that the Messenger (Muhammad, peace be upon him) may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), give Zakat and hold fast to Allah [i.e. have confidence in Allah, and depend upon Him in all your affairs] He is your Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.), what an Excellent Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.) and what an Excellent Helper! ﴿
Dear brothers, Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is mentioned in so many Ayat, and the Almighty Allah orders us to follow Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, because He is the one who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Qur'an), according to the previous Ayah, but what does exactly Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, mean?
What is the meaning of Millat Ibrahim?
1- Ibrahim represents a method, rules and norms:
Dear brothers, there are so many Ayat in the Quran in which Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is mentioned. One of these Ayat is the following:
﴾ Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allah), and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and those who joined partners with Allah). ﴿
Dear brothers, Al-Ummah in this Ayah means the Path and Method, namely, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, represents a method, a law and a norm, thus whoever follows him will reach Allah and will gain happiness in the worldly life and in the Hereafter.
Some scholars said, "Al-Ummah means the group of people", which means that when someone follows the Method of Allah, applies Islam in his house and at work and he is sincere to His Lord, he will win the heart of those around him, and they will endear him. Hence, he will be highly loved by them.
﴾ Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), ﴿
Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was Shir'ah (law), a method and a group unto himself. Some scholars said, "Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was Ummah means that he acquired all sorts of goodness, he enjoined Al-Ma'roof (righteous deeds), he forbade Al-Munkar (evil deeds), he called to Allah the Almighty, he applied the Method of Allah and he turned to Allah and submitted to Him. Some scholars said, "Umm (mother) of something is its origin and ground". Accordingly, Ibrahim was Ummah in the sense of being one of the basic Principles of religion. Other group of scholars said, "Ibrahim was Ummah in the sense that he was peerless and unique."
Once Ibn Mas'ood, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Indeed Mu'adh was an Ummah, obedient to Allah, a Haneef (pure in his belief of tawhid) and not from the polytheists." So Ibn Jarir said to him, "Rather Allah says, 'Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allah).' [An-Nahl, 120]." At this, again Ibn Masood repeated "Indeed Mu'adh was an Ummah, obedient to Allah…", so I remained quiet understanding that he deliberately intended this. He then asked me "Do you know what an Ummah is?" so I said "Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him, know best." He said "An Ummah is the one who teaches the good and judges with it, and the obedient is the one who obeys Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Likewise Mu'adh used to be a teacher to all good, and obedient to Allah the Mighty and Majestic and to His Messenger (peace be upon him)."
As I said earlier, Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is mentioned in so many Ayat, and it is explained in some of them like the one below:
﴾ Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanifa (i.e. to worship none but Allah), ﴿
2- Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was given the Hujjah (proof):
Dear brothers, one of the senses of Millat Ibrahim is:
﴾ And that was Our Proof which We gave Ibrahim (Abraham) against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. ﴿
Allah had never taken an ignorant Wali (pious person), and if He had done so He would have taught him. The believer should have the minimum ability to support his arguments with proofs, because Islam is the religion of Allah, and it is from Allah, and Allah has installed reasoning in man and provided Muslims with the Quran:
﴾ Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad) the Book (the Qur'an) ﴿
If the believer cannot give others proofs, who can, then? If the believer cannot defeat the enemies of Allah with proofs of the truth, who can? Hence, Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, means that he owned the proofs of the truth.
3- Ibrahim, peace be upon him, renounced every sin and error:
Dear brothers, Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, means also that Ibrahim used to renounce every sin, error and polytheism.
﴾ Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: "Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred for ever, until you believe in Allah Alone," except the saying of Ibrahim (Abraham) to his father: "Verily, I will ask for forgiveness (from Allah) for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before Allah." Our Lord! In You (Alone) we put our trust, and to You (Alone) we turn in repentance, and to You (Alone) is (our) final Return, ﴿
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((He who loves [i.e., bears affinities to / is infatuated by / is fond of / admires / is inclined to / takes a fancy to] Kuffar, he shall be resurrected with them, and nothing from his deeds shall benefit him.))
4- Ibrahim, peace be upon him, supported believers and renounced polytheists:
Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, also means to support the believers and to renounce those who join partners with Allah in worship, to belong to the group of obedience to Allah and to stay away from the group of sinners, given the Prophet, peace be upo0n him, said:
((Whoever mingles with the Mushrikeen (polytheists) will be breaching the covenant))
This is another sense of Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
5- He was granted guidance:
Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, also means that Ibrahim was granted guidance which is the mother of the Divine Graces.
﴾ And indeed We bestowed aforetime on Ibrahim (Abraham) his (portion of) guidance, and We were Well-Acquainted with him (as to his Belief in the Oneness of Allah, etc.). ﴿
Let me repeat again: Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, means, owning the proofs, having the guidance, being obedient and being Ummah, and these are some of the meanings of Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
6- Allah disclosed some facts to Ibrahim, peace be upon him:
One of the characteristics of Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is that some facts will be Divinely disclosed to whoever follows Ibrahim's method and Millah.
﴾ Thus did we show Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) the kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he be one of those who have Faith with certainty. ﴿
7- Obedience:
Dear brothers, Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, also means obedience:
﴾And (remember) when the Lord of Ibrahim (Abraham) [i.e., Allah] tried him with (certain) Commands, which he fulfilled. He (Allah) said (to him), "Verily, I am going to make you a leader (Prophet, peace be upon him) of mankind. ﴿
When did Allah make Ibrahim, peace be upon him, a leader of mankind? When he, peace be upon him, fulfilled the Commands of Allah.
The knowledgeable who does not apply his knowledge
Will be tortured in Hell before idol worshipper
Dear believers, keep obedient to Allah, for Allah values His servants through their deeds not their words. Thus, I do not care about the words of the wise as much as I do about his Islamic concerns and lofty aspirations.
The prudent is ready for the meeting with the Almighty Allah:
Dear brothers, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was chosen by Allah in the worldly life:
﴾ And verily, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. ﴿
Also our Master Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said the following to his sons:
﴾ And this (submission to Allah, Islam) was enjoined by Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) upon his sons and by Ya'qub (Jacob), (saying), "O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die not except in the Faith of Islam (as Muslims - Islamic Monotheism)." ﴿
This Ayah has an outstanding indication:
﴾Then die not except in the Faith of Islam (as Muslims - Islamic Monotheism)." ﴿
One might ask, "Does this Ayah mean that death is due to our arrangement, O Lord?" How come You order us not to die except in the Faith of Islam since death is out of our control?" Scholars commented on the following Ayah:
﴾Then die not except in the Faith of Islam (as Muslims - Islamic Monotheism)." ﴿
They said, "This Ayah means that death comes out of sudden, so do not let death takes you whilst you are not prepared to meet the Almighty Allah." It was reported in the Prophetic Hadith:
((Whoever regards tomorrow a day of his life, is not well aware of death.))
Death takes you aback
And the grave is the container of deeds
***
﴾Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) about his Lord (Allah), because Allah had given him the kingdom? When Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) said (to him): "My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death." ﴿
Life and death are in the Hand of Allah, so is provision. Thus, saying the word of truth will not prevent any provision, nor will it make you closer to death.
﴾He said, "I give life and cause death." Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) said, "Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; then cause it you to rise from the west." So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allah guides not the people, who are Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.).﴿
The Ayah which summarizes Millat our father Ibrahim, peace be upon him:
Dear brothers, the following Ayah is very precise, and it summarizes the meaning of Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, Allah says:
﴾And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism); and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer - see V.2:112). ﴿
This Ayah sums up religion in two words only:
﴾and has enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat,﴿
[Maryam, 31]
Salat establishes a connection with Allah, and Zakat builds bridges between people. The following Ayah stresses this meaning:
﴾And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism); and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer - see V.2:112). And follows the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) Hanifa (Islamic Monotheism - to worship none but Allah Alone). And Allah did take Ibrahim (Abraham) as a Khalil (an intimate friend).﴿
As you see, in so many Ayat we are ordered to follow Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, who was obedient to Allah and Hanifan (worshiped Allah Alone, and his heart submitted to Allah and stayed away from anyone and anything else). Scholars said, "The acts of worship should be accompanied with Love for Allah in order to be counted, and he, who obeys Allah without loving Him, never worships Him, and whoever loves Allah without obeying Him, is not considered a worshiper."
You disobey Allah pretending that you love Him
What an awful claim it is!
If you truly love Him, then you should obey Him
As lovers obey whom they love
***
Man should use available means then put his trust in the Lord of heavens and earth:
It was reported in Riyad As-Saliheen: Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said:
((When (Prophet) Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) was thrown into the fire, he said: "Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the Best Disposer of affairs."))
This means that the Almighty Allah is enough for me, He defends me, He leads me to Him, He grants victory to me and He bestows Mercy upon me, so Allah Alone is sufficient for me.
((Narrated Awf ibn Malik: The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, gave a decision between two men, and the one against whom the decision was given turned away and said: "For me Allah is sufficient, and He is the best dispenser of affairs." The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Allah, Most High, blames for falling short, …"))
This is a moral lesson to all Muslims. Tawaakul (depending on Allah without using the available means) reflects weakness, idleness and carelessness. Some scholars said, "Tawaakul leads to poverty of idleness not the Divinely decreed poverty", and there is a big difference between the two, as the first sort of poverty comes from carelessness, imperfection, lack of striving, lack of managing, postponing, laziness and falling short and all of that are manifestations of Ajz (helplessness). The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((Allah, Most High, blames for falling short, but apply intelligence, …))
Intelligence here means managing matters by using the available means then putting one's trust in the Lord of the heavens and the earth. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((… and when the matter gets the better of you, say; For me Allah is sufficient, and He is the best disposer of affairs.))
Do not say this word unless you are over-pressured by hardship, and all Muslims should learn this lesson. We should use the means we have, we should put our trust in the Lord of Lords, we should manage our matters, we should prepare for our destiny and we should use all the means in order to achieve our goals, lest we will be considered Mutawaakileen (the one who resort to Tawaakul). Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said:
((When (Prophet) Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) was thrown into the fire, he said: "Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the Best Disposer of affairs."))
When did Ibrahim, peace be upon him, say that? He said that when he was thrown into fire and was helpless. Our Master Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, also said it:
﴾Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them.﴿
It is the same problem we, Muslims, face these days, for the enemies of Islam gathered against us.
﴾Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them." But it (only) increased them in Faith, and they said: "Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)."﴿
((It is reported in Riyad As-Saliheen that Ibn Mas'ood, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "I met Abraham, peace be upon him, on the night of my ascent and he said: 'O Muhammad, greet your nation with peace from me and tell them Paradise has pure soil and delicious water, that it is a plain leveled land and its plants grow with the glorification of Allah, the praise of Allah, the declaration there is no God but Allah, and Allah is the greatest.))
The good righteous deeds are to glorify Allah, to exalt Him, to praise Him highly and to exclaim Allah is Great by saying: Allahu Akbar. As you know we say Allahu Akbar during Eids, particularly Eidul Adha, on which we finish our prayers with the word "Allahu Akbar".
Voiding the words of truth from their content manifests backwardness:
Dear brothers, two days ago I mentioned the following, "Whoever said Allahu Akbar even for thousand times, but he obeyed a creation in the disobedience of Allah, had never said it no matter how many times he used to say it. Whoever said Allahu Akbar even for thousand times, but he did not apply Islam in his house, had never said it not even once. Whoever said Allahu Akbar thousand times, but he considered disobeying Allah more beneficial to him than obeying Allah, had never said it."
Dear brothers, voiding the words of truth, such as glory be to Allah (Subhan Allah); praise be to Allah (Al-Hamdu Lillah); there is no god worthy of worship but Allah (La ilaha illa-llah); and Allah is the Most Great (Allahu Akbar) from their content is one of the manifestations of backwardness, for these words become meaningless.
8- Ibrahim, peace be upon him, reached the highest rank of submission to Allah:
Dear brothers, Millat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, also means that he reached the highest rank of submission to Allah.
﴾He said: "O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah)﴿
Slaughtering one's son is a scary matter.
﴾ Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering); ﴿
As you know his son is also a Noble Prophet, peace be upon him:
﴾And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: "O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah), so look what you think!" He said: "O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha' Allah (if Allah will), you shall find me of As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.)."﴿
What does this story in the Quran mean? It means that when this great Prophet (Ibrahim, peace be upon him) dreamed:
﴾ I have seen ﴿
He had the same dream many times:
﴾ I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah),﴿
He was initiative to fulfill Allah's Order even though it went beyond man's tolerance. Hence, Ibrahim is an exalted exemplar of obeying the Almighty Allah:
﴾ Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering)* And We called out to him: "O Abraham!* You have fulfilled the dream (vision)!"* Verily! Thus do We reward the Muhsinun (good-doers - see V.2:112)* Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial* And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice﴿
The moral of the following story:
Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: Ibrahim, peace be upon him, brought his wife and her son Isma'il, peace be upon him, while she was suckling him, to a place near the Ka'bah under a tree on the spot of Zamzam, at the highest place in the Masjid. In those days, there was no human being in Makkah, nor was there any water. So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward.
Isma'il's mother followed him saying, "O Ibrahim! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her. Then she asked him, "Has Allah commanded you to do so?" He said: "Yes." She said, "Then He will not neglect us." She returned while Ibrahim proceeded onwards. Having reached the Thaniya, where they could not see him, he faced Ka'bah, raised his both hands and supplicated, "O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka'bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), so fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks."[Ibrahim, 37]
Isma'il's mother went on suckling Isma'il, peace be upon him, and drinking from the water which she had. When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at Isma'il, tossing in agony. She left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of As-Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from As-Safa, and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble till she crossed the valley and reached Al-Marwah mountain where she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between As-Safa and Al-Marwah) seven times."
Ibn 'Abbas further related: The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "This is the source of the tradition of the Sa'y - i.e., the going of people between the two mountains. When she reached Al-Marwah (for the last time), she heard a voice and she exclaimed: 'Shshs!' (Silencing herself) and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said: 'O (whoever you may be) You have made me hear your voice; have you any succour for me?' And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zamzam, digging the earth with his heel (or with his wing), till water flowed out from that place. She started to make something like of a basin around it, using her hands in this way and began to fill her water- skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out until she had scooped some of it." The Prophet, peace be upon him, further said, "May Allah bestow mercy on Isma'il's mother! Had she let the Zamzam flow without trying to control it (or had she not scooped in that water) while filling her water-skin, Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth." The Prophet, peace be upon him, further added, "Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid of being neglected, for this is the site on which the House of Allah will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah will never let His people neglected.
As for us, as Muslim, we are in dire need of these words: Allah will never forsake us even if the entire world plots against us and despite the fierce attack on Muslims all over the world, Allah will never leave us, provided we keep close to Him, follow His Orders, be upright on His Path, be sincere to Him and submit totally to Him. Allah says:
﴾ And Allah said: "I am with you if you perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat and believe in My Messengers; honour and assist them, and lend to Allah a good loan. ﴿
Dear brothers, call yourselves to account before you are called to do so and weigh your deeds before they are weighed against you, and you should know that the Angel of Death reached others and will reach us soon, so pay heed. The wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires.
The 2nd Khutbah:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar in deed He is, and praise be to Him abundantly, and glory and praise be to Allah day and night.
Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls, and the adverse consequences of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, there is none that can misguide him, and whomsoever He misguides, you will find no protector to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; He is alone, having no partners, and I admit His Lordship, compelling this truth for those who denied Him and disbelieved in Him. And I bear witness that our Master Muhammad, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, is the Messenger of Allah; the Master of the created and the human race.
The ruling of Udhiyah:
Dear brothers, Udhiyah is one of Muslims' symbols in the blessed Eidul Adha, and legislating it comes from the following Hadith: Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majah reported that Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((Such a person who had the ability and means to sacrifice an animal, but (despite this) he did not do so; should never come near our Eidgah (place where the Eid prayers are performed).))
Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on his soul, deduced from this Hadith that Udhiyah is an obligation, for the punishment stated in the Hadith is for those who abandon the obligation. Others than Ahnaaf said, "It is Sunnah Ghair Mu'akkadah (Sunnah that Prophet Muhamma peace be upon him, used to leave sometimes without any reason)", and they provided evidences of their claim. Therefore, it is an obligation on the free, adult, prudent, settled and rich Muslim, one time in the year. According to scholars, the rich man is defined in the following Hadith: From Hadith narrated by Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((The son of Adam does not do any deed on the Day of Sacrifice that is dearer to Allah than shedding blood. It will come on the Day of Resurrection with its horns and cloven hoofs and hair. Its blood is accepted by Allah before it reaches the ground. So be content when you do it.))
Also, narrated by Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:
((The Prophet, peace be upon him, slaughtered two rams, black and white in color (as sacrifices), and I saw him putting his foot on their sides and mentioning Allah's Name and Takbir (Allahu Akbar). Then he slaughtered them with his own hands.))
The wisdom behind offering the Udhiyah:
The wisdom behind offering the Udhiyah is that the rich Muslim expresses his gratitude to the Almighty Allah for His many graces, among which are the grace of guidance and the grace of staying alive for the year he offers it:
((Abdullah bin Busr Al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "The best of people is one whose life is long and his conduct is good".))
Also, it is to express the gratitude for the grace of having good health, safety and provision. Moreover, Udhiyah is atonement for the sins of the one who offers it, and it is a charity towards his family, relatives, friends, neighbors and the poor Muslims.
Prerequisites of offering Udhiyah:
The prerequisites of offering it: Being rich, and the rich person is the one who owns Nisab Az-Zakat which exceeds his need (the minimum amount of property or wealth that must be owned by a Muslim before he/she is obligated for zakat) and the minimum amount is 7000 Liras, whereas the maximum amount of wealth is 40.000 Liras.
Hence, the rich who should offer Udhiyah is the one who owns Nisab Az-Zakat which exceeds his need, or owns money he does not need during Eid or during the rest of the year. This is the definition of the rich according to all Schools of Thoughts. The sacrificed animal should be healthy and flawless, in the sense that its meat will not hurt the one who eats it, it has no defect which decreases the amount of meat.
There are four animals which should not be scarified: the one-eyed animal whose defect is obvious, the sick animal whose sickness is obvious, the lame animal whose limp is obvious and the emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones. It is also recommended that we choose the fat animal and the best one as it is reported in the following Hadith:
((Select your sacrifices from amongst the best ones because they are your mounts on Sirat Bridge.))
((The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to offer two horned amlahayn rams as a sacrifice.))
Udhiyah should be sacrificed at the specified time, which starts after the prayer and Khutbah of Eid – not from when the time for the prayer and Khutbah starts – until before sunset on the last day of tashreeq, which is the 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah. It is Makrooh Tanzihan (act which is strongly discouraged but not necessarily warrant), to do the slaughtering at night.
Udhiyah should be a camel, a cow, a sheep or a goat, provided the sheep is older than 6 months whereas the goat is older than one year. It is sufficient to sacrifice the animal for the one who offers Udhiyah in behalf of himself, his settled family and those he spends on and they will all be rewarded equally.
Mandoobat (recommended acts) with regard to Udhiyah:
It is recommended for the one who offers the Udhiyah to slaughter the animal himself (if he can) and to face Qiblah, saying before slaughtering it, "Bislmillah Wa Allahu Akbar, In the name of Allaah, Allaah is the Greates.sp O Allaah, this is from You and to You. This is on my behalf and on the behalf of my family". He can appoint someone else to do the offering instead of him.
It is also recommended to attend slaughtering the Udhiyah, for he will be forgiven for his sins at the first drop of its blood. It is recommended to divide its meat three ways, one third for him and his family, one third as a gift to his relatives, friends and neighbors, and the last third for poor Muslims.
﴾ And the Budn (cows, oxen, or camels driven to be offered as sacrifices by the pilgrims at the sanctuary of Makkah.) We have made for you as among the Symbols of Allah, therein you have much good. So mention the Name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines (for sacrifice). Then, when they are down on their sides (after slaughter), eat thereof, and feed the beggar who does not ask (men), and the beggar who asks (men). Thus have We made them subject to you that you may be grateful* It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) to the Muhsinun (doers of good)﴿
Dear brothers, Eid for Muslims are days of joy, strengthening ties, dutifulness and offering visits to family and relatives, and it is the days of remembering Allah and of Takbeer, so do that during the days of Eidul Adha, for Allah says:
﴾ We shall not suffer to be lost the reward of anyone who does his (righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner﴿
Supplication:
O Allah, we beseech You to show us the way of righteousness together with those to whom You showed it; and to give us good health together with those whom You have healed; and to be our Protector, as You are of those whom You protect; and to bless what You have bestowed on us; and to save us from the affliction that You have decreed –for You rule with justice and You are never judged.
O Allah, please make us do well in the Deen, which is our dignity, make us do well in our worldly life, in which we dwell and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our Final Destination. O Allah, please supply our life with all good things and make our death a rest from every evil, O our Master, the Lord of all Worlds.
O Allah, make us desire what You have made lawful and reject what You have made unlawful, make us by Your benevolence independent of all others and make our obedience to You turn us away from our disobedience.
O Allah, let us not be oblivious to Your planning; do not deprive us of Your shield and do not make us forget Your remembrance, O Lord of the World. O Allah, conceal our flaws, secure us against our fears, make us secure in our countries and make this country and all other Muslim countries safe and secure.
O Allah we seek refuge with you from being in need of anyone but You, from fearing anyone but You, from lowering ourselves before anyone save You. O Allah, we seek refuge from an intractable disease, from enemies who glee at our misfortune and from withholding after bestowing, O Lord of the Worlds.
O Allah, by Your Mercy and Benevolence, raise high the word of Al-Haqq and this Deen, grant triumph to Islam, dignify Muslims and lead the rulers of Muslims to what pleases You, O Lord of the Worlds, as You are the only One Who is capable over His decreed and Who responds to our supplication.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
(Wish you in every year to be in blessings and welfare)
