Please spare the poor animals this Eid!

Re: Wasiq

I suggest you write in your reply `I`, `me` rather using `We`, `us` (unless you respresen a group of person of your thought). There is dying (or died) just inside you and nothing in Islam. Islam is intact since its birth 1400 years ago and flourishing day by day. To justify your shortcomings, malpractices and ignominious ruses you present just western quotes. I think you may want to look my posting of Feb 2, 1998 in the article `The Good, the bad and the Anxiety` written by a bad girl.

Nevertheless, I suggest you one thing just for an experiment. Any day after `Maghrib` or `Isha` (preferably) go to an isolated room and take Quran (Urdu Translation and NOT english one) and read first chapter, just urdu and after that if you feel any change then you still have heat of Islam and if you remained intact then wait to `combat` with Allah. Allah bless all muslims.

REVITALIZING ISLAMIC THOUGHT

We live in a century of discordant Islamic thought. The ideological and cultural threads that formed the warp and woof of the Islamic
Ummah are on the verge of being completely broken. Faith first receded from a collective level to
an individual level. Now it is on the retreat even on the individual level. What we are witnessing is more than mere decay of Islamic thought, we are witnessing its death. The cacophony of ideas that we hear from across the Muslim world are the last convulsions of an organism that has been diseased for a long time.

Let us ask ourselves the question, what exactly it is that is dying? What is dying is the Islamic thought itself, because it cannot manifest itself in us. Civilizations crystallize around ideals
that enable individuals to transcend themselves and identify themselves with a collective. Ideals empower individuals first, and then their societies to act as a coherent whole. The history of great civilizations is a history of individuals who have been unified by common ideals, purpose and action. When the foundations of ideals
are removed, all that is built on top is bound to
collapse. Societies are transformed into chaotic collections of people whose actions and purposes never resonate.

This is precisely what we see today amongst the Muslims, a deep-rooted psychological disjuncture. With their ideological and collective bonds
broken, they are following the same path that others have followed in history when their civilizations have collapsed. The response of
Muslims to this crisis is usually one of the following three.

First, there are the practicing Muslims, who follow Islam down to each and every ritual, but Islamic thought does not bind them into coherent
beings. Instead, their ideals and actions are contradictory. Their ideology never endows them with a moral conviction that encapsulates
each and every moment of their lives. They fill their moral vacuum by stressing on secondaries while forgetting the primaries. One will
therefore run into phenomena like the Taliban or Sipah-e-Sahaba, who will pursue outright barbarity to achieve their ends, in complete contradiction to what they profess in. If someone questions the
traditional interpretations of Islam, or criticizes some aspect of the faith, their reaction is usually extreme. This I believe is a
defensive reflex that stems from an insecurity about the potency of the faith.

Second, there are those who have completely given up in despair, and have silently or openly embraced alternative methods to forge an individual identity. They are usually secular, but stick to secularist ideals with as much blind faith and acceptance that they accuse the
practicing Muslims of. Bereft of their own heritage, and permanently disconnected from their newly adopted alien heritage, they are trapped
in a vicious cycle of first emulating others and then searching for their own roots. This by itself is not surprising, it is to be expected on the outset of any social transition. One would expect that within a proper secular social matrix, over long term, their identities would find a stable point.

Finally, there are those who are completely indifferent. Paralyzed by uncertainty and fear, they hedge their bets and do not decide one way
or another between acceptance or rejection of Islam. The most likely fate of this category is a life of indifference, that slowly rolls
over into a life of ambiguous acceptance as they grow old. For them, old age requires security of a faith, whose foundations have not been
sunk over the years.

What is common to all of three categories is that there is no unifying thread in life. A lack of coherence shows itself in each and every
sphere of their lives i.e. a person would pray five times a day and perform Hajj multiple times, yet accept bribery and forgery to be perfectly acceptable ways of sustaining his livelihood. Similarly, one meets liberal Muslims who will drink alcohol in abundance, yet abstain
completely from eating pork. This glaring contradiction in the life of a Muslim, is indicative of the advanced stage of decay in which we find the body of Islamic thought. On this critical juncture, therefore, we need to ask ourselves what are the reasons for this crisis and what ways are there to correct it?

What are the reasons for the crisis?

What really informs us of the crisis in Islamic thought is the fact that the Islamic world lags behind the West politically, economically
and ideologically. We have seen the West bloom in the past few hundred years, rising from virtual anonymity on the world stage to become the foremost power in the globe. Western colonialism in its heyday controlled most of the land mass of the planet. The Industrial and the Scientific
Revolution occurred in the West, and has endowed it with a definite technical, economic and political superiority over the rest of the
world. In contrast, the Muslims world is mostly poor with backward economies. The richest countries in the Muslim World are controlled by
claustrophobic monarchies or dictatorships. The average Muslim is uneducated and unskilled by modern standards. All this poverty, backwardness and incapacitance are the icons of Islam in the modern world.

Upon a cursory comparison of the icons of traditional Islam and the modern West, one can reach the conclusion that the reason for the
backwardness of Islamic World is Islamic thought itself. I think that is the primary reason why Islam does not manifest itself in the lives
of modern Muslims. Due to the failure of Islamic societies across the globe, Muslims are attracted towards the ideologies that are successful. The traditional minded tend to revert back to pristine
Islam. Others simply abandon it altogether.

However, this conclusion by itself is again
simplistic. Let us for a minute assume that Islamic scholars could agree on a core set of beliefs that would constitute Islamic thought. That would not necessarily imply that Islamic ideals would be implemented faithfully. For example, die-hard Marxists would not agree
with the Leninist interpretations of Communism. Ideals are open to interpretations, and many factors (personal, cultural, political etc.)
determine how people interpret the same thing.

All of this is further complicated by the fact that over the centuries, the number of different interpretations of Islamic ideals has grown. Islamic scholars find themselves debating over arcane issues which have lead to the separation of different sects and movements in Islam. In addition, over the centuries, one sees a
decline in the quality of scholarship of Islam. Whereas in the past, the best and the brightest students were attracted to Islamic scholarship, today, the worst of the lot end up in this crucial
position. Islamic scholarship is not considered an attractive career for a Muslim today. This drastic change of perception stems not only from a declining confidence in Islam as a guiding philosophy of life, but also from the decay and destruction of the traditional Islamic
centers of learning.

All of the above mentioned factors are fundamental to the decay of Islamic thought today. A young Muslim today sees a prevalent Islam which is clearly ineffectual in establishing a position for itself in the modern world. As a reaction if one decides to revert to the ``original`` Islam, one is confronted by a massive amount of ambiguous
and not entirely consistent set of traditional interpretations of Islam. To de-convolute the effects of fourteen centuries is virtually
impossible. In addition, one comes across many traditional interpretations of Islam that are not in accordance with what we see around us. Before I mention a few problems with the traditional
Islamic interpretations, let me define what criteria must be used to question Islamic thought..... (more later hopefully!)

One of my questions: What do you think is the reason for this crisis??

Things should be taken in the proper context. The break of the Vazoo concept was implemented as a polite way of asking the namazi to move out of the congregation, in consideration of others.

The Vazoo does not have anything to do with becoming clean after gas.

Those were not the times when they had Mylox for upset stomach.

Finally, he who forsakes Islam, unfortunately does not understand (and has not taken the trouble of understanding) Islam. So let us not be ignorant, and because of some misguided people forsake the religion. All religions, without exception, have got persons practising it, that is contradictory to its tenets. This does not mean, a person should try to maintain his track on the right path.

Re: Debate

I very much enjoyed during the debate and `discovered` some new people with their modern ideology about Islam. It seems to me all the participants in the debate claim muslims but surprisingly deny to accept the `roots` of their faith stating platitudes. Since they dont believe on Islamic `anectodes` I hope they no longer believe on the last Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his teachings, Sunnah. Then I perplex how come these people like to be called as muslims and why dont they find their own identity or label (like Qadiani, Bahai etc.). Muslims are considered very narrow minded, uncouthy, chauvinistic, pugnacious etc. so these people I think dont fulfil the definition of muslim. They are well cultured, highly qualified, reverent and staid they must be new specie other than muslim. If still they insist they are muslims then I like to ask some questions with myself.

What kind of muslims they are who take pride to quote non-muslims writers, scholars and `liberals` so-called `muslims` and never remember to write single line of the last Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) [because `his quotes are too old and not compatible with this 21st century`]. What kind of muslims they are who argue/interfere on artific of Allah using their decimal rationality even they dont know what longitude/latitude Eureka is. What kind of muslims they are jape on their islamic duties and deride it demanding to alter with their preposterous notions. What kind of muslims they are who verge to non-muslims cringe them to get a foot space among them and for this share pea of Satan (wine, vodka, champagne etc.).

Conspicuously they pretend muslims but if their hearts are opened would be found balck with stench wihthout any spot of white Islamic beam.

Finally only one comment on the lady her name is very nice but she said vice versa. I suggest her to start strolling on rope with some acrobators and they would help you in crossing the Saraat ;)

Re: MaTha

You have raised a very important point: Should faith and reason be compatible. I think they should be absolutely! My simplistic reason for that would be this: All people, to various degrees, possess the ability to reason and to compare what they believe in with what they observe around them. Consider an extreme example: If a simple belief stated that the earth is made of an edible pastry, people will only believe in it for so long, before they will decide that it does not make any sense. I would think that people`s beliefs and faiths change over time for that reason. During the Medieval times, Galileo had to face persecution because he went againt the geocentric dogma of the Church, but eventually Vatican had to apologize for its treatment of him (though much much later).

At a special ceremony in the Vatican on 9 May 1983, the Pope declared: ``The Church`s experience, during the Galileo affair and after it, has led to a more mature attitude ... The Church herself learns by experience and reflection and she now understands better the meaning that must be given to freedom of research... one of the noblest attributes of man... It is through research that man attains to Truth... This is why the Church is convinced that there can be no real contradiction between science and faith ... (However) it is only through humble and assiduous study that (the Church) learns to dissociate the essential of the faith from the scientific systems of a given age, specially when a culturally influenced reading of the Bible seemed to be linked to an obligatory cosmogony.``


Re: SR

Thanks for your kind words. Your comments are, as usual, incisive and illuminating. Yes, it seems that the voo-zu is being broken far too frequently, and gallons of water are flowing. Won`t it help to change the diet? :)

I thought that the story was brilliant --perhaps just goes to show that the whole edifice is actually upside down! Would have been much better if the two characters had been inter-changed!

Re: Momin

Thank you for your comments. You`re absolutely right, essentials over non-essentials. There are a lot more important things that usually get lost in the mindless repetition of rituals. A blind following of rituals at the expense of the underlying spiritual mooring, is probably an indicator of the fact that the faith does not manifest itself in us. Therefore we have to clutch at mere rituals in order to feel connected. It has to be the other way around ...

Re: Emaan

Hear, hear. Well said.

Re: Asem A

Well, I think, that is immaterial to the issue at hand :)

Re: Amin Saleh

You have mentioned a very valuable point, namely in the past, people`s wealth was measured in terms of their possessions in an agricultural society. The amount of wealth of a person was quantified in terms of the animals etc. that he/she possessed. We do not count our wealth in terms of animals anymore, at least not in modern urban societies. The symbolism of the sacrifice itself, i.e Prophet Abraham sacrificing his most dear possession, and conversely the unquestioning acceptance of Prophet Ismail to the faith, is an extremely powerful example of a sacrifice of one`s wealth (and life). If we consider that, then a broader interpretation of Qurbani, which is not limited to the slaughter of animals brings it easier to get back to the intended spirit of this ritual.

Re: M. Aliani

Your remarks are very perceptive. Maybe at one point we will be able to evolve to a point where life by itself is valued, and not the particular form that it is in. How long do you think that will take?

Re: Saad Shafqat

I do not think that Qurbani will be discontinued, there is an immense cultural and traditional inertia that will keep it going forward. However, do you think that we Muslims should re-consider how we view Qurbani? If we do then there might be some big changes in the way the tradition is being followed. I think all of those changes will be for the better.

Re: Ibne SIna

I think that you have raised some important points, which at the very least should be pondered by all Muslims. What do we see is the future of Islam? I find your comment ``clock is ticking...`` to be very pertinent, and the question is how will the coming generations view the coming decades?

Re: Umer

The only statistic that I have been able to find out is that 2 million animals will be sacrificed this year, and only 500,000 will be frozen and distributed. Would it be possible to find out what happens to the rest?

Re: Wasiq

First of all, the slogan ``halaNkeh iss say farq to
paRta naheeN`` is not a slogan, or was not meant to be. It`s more of an adage, and whether it`s popular with phenomenologists and epistemologists,
I don`t know, but I`ll take your word for it!

It seems to me that I am mistaken about both
your intended reason for writing this article
and your intended audience.

What I disagree with, and disagree whole-heartedly, is your implication that faith and reason are compatible, that people ought
to recalibrate their faith with the passage of time
with appeals to common sense. The legitimacy of
the unification of faith and reason cannot be
resolved by the norms of argumentation (in the QED sense), and the same applies to the existence of God. If you did imply that such a compatibility exists then we shouldn`t
argue about it, as we will be talking past each other, which is a lot of fun but not consequential
(and therefore, the adage would fit in again). If you didn`t,
then I`ve misunderstood you and you must educate me.

It makes no sense to me to accept a certain ideology and then twist and turn it to suit
one`s mindset, just to be able to call it your own. If your Creator knows what`s best for you then how come your common sense over-rules the
Creator`s infinite wisdom? I could quote the Book again but then it`s a really old text and in the
wrong language too! English seems to be the
language of choice for the future.

Vote YES on gurday-kapooray!

Re: Rehan Rizvi

Since gambling (astaGhfirullah!) is the activity of choice, let me add to your statistical distribution (maybe no more than 1%) the possibility that everything goes as dictated,
except that on roz-e-mehShar Allah has noorani PMS
(destined to produce mood swings) and decides
(of course, He already knew that, as He knows
everything) to NOT be just (He is all-powerful, it would be very inconvenient to be stuck being just all the time)! A lot of wagers would pay-off well then! This is, obviously, a very unlikely possibility. I just wanted to promote educated
waging!

Islam as I see it is a religion of the times. And as such we have to intepret religion with the times.

I remember my mother telling me of a story of a person that was about to go for Hajj. The night before he was about to leave, he got a dream that despite him being a Hajji (after having performed Hajj), he was refused enterance to Heaven. When he enquired about the reason, he was told that his neighbour was going hungry for the last 7 days and that instead of helping him, this person was about to spend his wealth on Hajj. This was a major shock to this person and the next morning he went over to his neighbour to ensure that his needs were being met.

When I mentioned that interpret religion with time, I would like to go back 1400 years to see what the persons in those periods considered most valuable. They did not have cars or buy houses all over the world, etc. They basically valued their wealth in terms of their agricultual possessions. And what better means of professing their love for religion then sacrificing something that they love the most (remember the story of Ibrahim, where he starts off by sacrificing all his wealth culminating with his dearest of possession his son) - their animals. The sacrifices are body, mind, and wealth (both money and children). Now when I say sacrifice children, I do not mean, put them to the sword, but enable the children to work for the good. How many of our children may have gone in the six months (after matric and intermediate) of vacation to the rural places in Pakistan to teach (academic education and health education).

The other point, I would like to make, is that in times of Holy Prophet, they did not have standing armies. They had to depend on regular citizens to defend the cities. And mind you those persons where no different from us, becoming nauseous at the sight of blood. How would they be able to fight if they could not stand the sight of blood. Institute a process by which they are able to undertake action in the name of religion. This does not mean that religion is cruel but it is practical. Remember, Islam does not, like Christianity, preach turning the cheek. It talks about protecting rights of communities.

All in all I do not have any disagreements with the author on the various means a sacrifice may take.

Wasiq:

You have done a great job. The debate this piece has generated is broader based (in diversity of participants and view points). Congratulations. I just wanted to put in a word of support at your honest and sensible stance and am thrilled to see that some more open-minded free thinks are coming out with their views. Aldoux Huxley once said something to the effect that: in primitive societies one must not phuck with the native’s religion or they will cook you in boiling oil.

The Internet may yet be the saving grace of the Muslim world where free discussion of ideas is possible without the immediate threat of physical violence. And perhaps the new generation will bring about Reformation and be free of this universal sickness of the mind that befalls the “ummah”. Here in cyberspace the primitive minded, unthinking dinosaurs can only express impotent rage and call you names when you step on their putrefied, gangrenous tails. Hang in there brother and keep it up, you do have friends and well-wishers.

How can we expect to get anywhere when ritual has become the central focus of religion. Someone here gave an excellent analogy of a terminally ill cancer patient who is on his last stretch. The primitive minded traditionalists have made Islam exactly that. (Run around the black rock in seven circles, hit the forehead to the ground 5 times a day, speak certain mantras over and over, etc. etc.) These people consider the ‘voo-zu’ broken if one passes gas. They want to do the voo-zu again before prayer. I find it curious that they want to wash hands, feet, elbows, rinse the mouth and clean behind the ears, and all that while that is not where the gas came out of. They don’t consider it necessary to wash (or even wipe) the part of their anatomy which served as the exhaust outlet. Now that is real bright, isn’t it?

BTW, one quick anecdote about the “bridge of Saraat”. One of your detractors brought it up as if that was a silencing argument. (We’ll not get into the invalidity of that nonsensical concept for now.)

A ‘maraasi’ (minstrel) was once forced to attend a jumma nimaz where a maulana was telling his prayer gathering about the bridge Saraat.

The maulana described the ‘deep pit of fire’ that the bridge spans and that the faithful will ride sacrificed animals to cross over to Paradise. The maulana went on to say that the bridge Saraat was sharper than the blade of a sword and narrower than the width of a hair.

The maraasi said: “pull Saraat tay du foot choraH vi bun sakda see, ey tay naH langHan da bahana vay” (The bridge Saraat could have easily been constructed two feet broad, these are mere excuses to not let us through).

[:-)))

...SR

Re: Rehan

Thanks for your comments.
You`re basically asking me to take Pascal`s Wager: that I should bet on the existence of God because doing so would ensure me success in the afterlife if indeed He does exist. No offense, but that seems like a rather selfish and petty reason to have faith and devote onself to serving God.

Personally, I don`t care whether or not I continue on after this physical life or not or whether I get sent to a heaven or hell. Respecting myself and doing good for others are virtues in themselves that don`t need to be adulterated by promises of future rewards. Didn`t the ancient mystic Rabia al-Adawiyyah say that she would set fire to the heavens and extinguish the flames of hell and only worship for the love of God? Wouldn`t it be noble for a man to live a selfless life knowing that his love for God, his fellow humans, and for his earth was his one and true reward?

As for eternity, it is now, not in the future, not in the past. It is not a function of time but a state of being. Experiences of eternity happen in this very life, those moments of great joy or great anguish when you feel yourself acutely connected or disconnected to the rest of creation.

Re: Wasiq

(``..Should people not be volunteering their time and resources to help other muslims in trouble around the world?..``)

Your point is valid and I agree with it a tangent of your article though.

(``..It is easier to buy animals and to sacrifice it than it is to volunteer one`s time fulfilling a social obligation..``)

I think this has been the main reason of losing the spirit of Qurbani. People feel ease buying animals mostly on `Chaan Raat` to show of `Tagra Bakra` specially to neighbours and here we find more ritual less religious duty. Allah wants to see our devotion and sincerity to our faith. There is an artifice in each act of Allah and we cant understand with our limited rationality. Materialism is so elusive that to get it we forget our social obligations. But religious duties shouldnt be appended with the social responsibilities. Allah set all the priorities (religious, social etc.) and one should follow accordingly.

(``..Sacrifice could on, but instead of every person performing it individual, entire communities did it together to fulfil the tradition..``)

This is very interesting point and let me clarify this is not a tradition but religious duty. If performing Qurbani collectively would be better for an entire community then how many people would ride on an animal (say Cow, Camel or Bakra) on the day of Qiamat to cross `Bridge of Saraat`. If Imam-e-Kaaba performs this duty on behalf of all muslims then where you think you would find a place on the animal to cross the Saraat. I think you ignored this aspect. This is why Islam suggested share of at most seven people in Cow/Camel to avoid strife.

I dont know how `open-minded` you are but I can see a glimpse thru your article. Despite entering in my first year of Ph.D. I couldnt `open` my brain to accept these things.

Dear friends, Eid Mubarak!!

Re: MaTha

The slogan ``halakay iss say farq to parta nahi`` is probably very interesting to some phenomenologists and epistemologists who are trying to inter-link our experiences and our expression of them. I do not doubt that there is a link of some sort between that ``deep`` and ``involved`` level of comprehension (or at least an attempt to do so) and the more mundane level most people experience but I think that it does make a difference. Perhaps on a cosmological time scale, it does not matter what people (or the entire human race for that matter) do, experience or even care about, but during the lifetimes of humans and their societies, all of this matters. Social norms matter because they impact the lives of each and every member of the society. They impact not only the way we live, act or think, but also how we idealize each and every day of our lives.

Whether one wishes to trace out the entire history of certain traditions (and deconvolute the effects of different causes) or merely takes what is available at hand and tries to correct it according to the information available, is however entirely a personal choice.

Re: MAK

I want to make a remark on the issue of ``modifying`` certain articles of faith because they no longer fulfill their spirit to the letter. I think that is an academic question, we do it all the time, except somehow it becomes blasphemous if someone verbalizes it. For instance, consider the Islamic obligations that Muslims around the world conveniently choose to ignore. e.g. Should people not be volunteering their time and resources to help other muslims in trouble around the world? That is not done, because it is physically, mentally and materially demanding. However, people will get annoyed with a suggestion that something be re-considered because it usually translates into a sacrifice on part of the people. It is easier to buy animals and to sacrifice it than it is to volunteer one`s time fulfilling a social obligation.

And there are definite ways in which this waste can be avoided without losing the symbolism of the ritual also. For example, what if one were to say that yes, sacrifice could go on, but instead of every person performing it individually, entire communities did it together to fulfill the tradition. Like only one animal could be sacrificed by the Imam of a masjid to represent all the people who attend that masjid. Or maybe the Imam of Kaaba could sacrifice one animal for the entire Muslim community?

Re: Rehan Rizvi

I agree with your realism. However, may I humbly (and optimistically) suggest that societies are after all only collections of individuals, and over time a slow change in the attitudes of individuals inevitably leads to a change in the attitudes of a society. Some things have to percolate through the system.

ALL MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS (if any ;) EID MUBARAK

Re: Wasiq

(``..I think it is not very productive to start referring to the West everytime we start discussing some traditions in Muslim World..``)

I would say one should have a frame of reference while comparing values, cultures, traditions, religion etc and since left my frame (i.e. Paksitan) I become very concious of my values, culture and religion. Now I can analyze and compare my religion with different ones and get composure in all aspects what I have in Islam.

(``..At the very least you will agree that sacrifice is more ritual than an institution of charity it is supposed to be..``)

Yes at the very least I agree that Qurbani is more ritual, but.. but losing spirit of any islamic duty does not grant you a right to alter that and discover new avenues to meet with modern epoch. If we suppose to do that then why Allah descended Quran and why these books of Hadith among us and what is Sunnah then? What you saying is ``Alter Islamic duties if they lose their real spirits and adopt new ways with present situation of the World ``. In another words you saying Quran now is over 1400 years `old` and it was only for thousand years ago when there were real muslims and spirits at full peaks. Isn`t that your hidden thought?

(``..I would ask you, how would you change the present situation of Qurbani? How can you benefit the millions of needy Muslims across the world with the incredible spirit of faith during the time of Hajj..?``)

Thats I described in the last para in my last posting as what would be your next thought. The idea you presented `really missed` by Allah otherwise He would`ve included in Quran that if muslims are found needy, helpless and deprived then forget Qurbani and send them money and in the meantime to fulfil the spirit of Qurbani just go altar touch animals with spirit of Qurbani and let them go this way save your time, money and get reward having compassion on animals.

`Karo Meherbani Tum Aihlay Zameen per
Khuda MeherbaN Hoga Arsh-e Bareen per`

Did this verse fascinate or motivate you to come up with this idea?

Wasiq:

Reading your article brought back painful memories for me of having to sacrifice animals on this bloody holiday when I was a child. Fortunately, I gave up on Islam several years ago once I realized that I couldn`t blindly follow archaic traditions like this. I, too, went through several years of trying to convince my mind that saying namaaz in a language I didn`t understand of killing poor defenseless animals in a grisly, twisted historic recreation somehow all made sense on some grand cosmic level I didn`t understand. But my heart never agreed, and in the end I had to follow it.

Although I admire your efforts to bring about change (ar atleast invite others to think about change), I feel sorry for you at the same time because I know you will fail. Very few will agree with you, and even fewer will act upon it. Islam is an old cancer-stricken man lying gasping on his death-bed. He had his prime a long time ago, but it`s now time ot let him rest in peace and remember him in the glory of his youth. Don`t prolong his agony by your futile atttempts at resuscitation. There are new children being born that need your attention and energy.

As for me, I feel liberated for once in my life having abandoned the chains of an intellectually and spiritiually suffocating religion. I can now make decisions about how to live my life based on my conscience and my heart, not on out-dated rules. I`ve given up eating meat for both health and environmental reasons, and feel much more vital for it. I regularly donate my time and money to charitable causes where I`m sure my resources are being utilized well. I glean spiritual truths and direction form many sources: religious, philosophical, literary, scientific, physical. My life is so much better now that I live out of love and trust myself. I no longer have to fear a God who might send me to hell for not obeying his commands. Being untrue to myself would be the greatest hell...

I wish you an Eid Mubarak and hope you can still find meaning and purpose in its celebration.

The second sentence in my last note should read:
``Let`s not forget the raison d`etre ....``

mni

Re: BG

Actually, I don`t know what Wasiq`s intended purpose is. Making remarks to suggest that we`ve
lost the spirit of Islam in our acts assumes its
presence at a certain past moment and our ability
to recognize its absence. If we feel compelled
to rekindle this ``Islamic`` spirit, how come we
can fuel it with ideas which might well have been
borne by Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Humanitarian, etc. etc. philosophies and traditions? Are we enslaved by the event of our
birth? We would be re-engineering Judaism, Christianity, etc. if those were the original
faiths drummed into us! Maybe, it is just what happens when you mix a deep, aged inertia
with a strong desire to change. The realization
that Qurbani nowadays is devoid of its real
meaning is closely followed with similar discoveries about namaaz, roza, hajj, zakaat
and other ritualistic good deeds. Once we
have given ``meaning`` to all these ``pillars``
we might find it useful to baptize our new
religion, after all there is no quota on
naming religions, is there?


The arbitrary nature of it all truly gives profundity to an
otherwise facetious remark:
halaNkeh is say farQ to paRta naheeN!

Re: All

Thanks for your responses and criticisms ... here are some individual replies

Re: HK

``Why not re-evaluate it and do it right?`` Yes, why not? And can you guarantee that after a re-evaluation things will be done in exactly the same way?

Re MAK:

As I mentioned in a small note that I posted in the reply section, I do not condone the Western slaughter-houses in any way either. (I think it is not very productive to start referring to the West everytime we start discussing some traditions in the Muslim World.) My point is that faith teaches us not blind emulation but deliberated decision. The facts are in front of us: Do we fulfill the purpose of the institution of sacrifice? At the very least you will agree that sacrifice is more of a ritual than an institution of charity it is supposed to be. There is no compulsion in religion, therefore, I am in no position to lead anyone astray. I am just asking some questions that all Muslims should be asking. I would ask you, how would you change the present situation of Qurbani? How can you benefit the millions of needy Muslims across the world with the incredible spirit of faith during the time of Hajj? Would it not be better if instead of wasting the dead bodies of all those hundred of thousands of animals, we could use those human and material resources more constructively? Please read the short note that I have written in the replies section.

Re: Rehan Rizvi

No, I am not a brown sahib, and was not raised one either. I come from a hard working and honest middle class family, and worked my butt off to get what I have in life. I hope you will understand that I am not casting any aspersions on the faith -- I am voicing some questions that many others have asked before, and we should all be asking, since God has given us the faculty to do so. I understand where the spirit of the sacrifice comes from. We now have to ask ourselves the question if the present situation is in accordance with that spirit.


Re: Kashif

I stand corrected, my figure was a big underestimate. Yes, this year two million animals will be sacrificed. And 500,000 cadavers will be frozen and distributed across the world. I think someone has to find out what happens to the other 1.5 million.

Re: Umer Farouq

Please refer to the little note I posted in the reply section. Yes, people will kill animals for food, but if we cannot fulfill the spiritual basis of the sacrifice, why add another day of mass slaughter of animals, especially if many of those animals will die in vain? We could for example, hold off on sacrificing so many animals during Hajj until there are enough means to freeze all the meat.

Re: amber

Your point is well taken, that some people do get something out of Qurbani. Even if the system is not very efficient, some people do get to see meat once in a year. But don`t you think that in a Muslim society, with charitable Muslims, that should always be the case and should not only be limited to Eid-ul-Adha?

Re: obaid

I agree with your first point (by definition). But let me expound a little on my liberal humbug.

The purpose of fasting and sacrifice is fundamentally different. Though both are spiritually rooted, fasting is primarily directed towards inner purification and self-discipline. Qurbani on the other hand is primarily for social benefit, it provides a festive environment in which people are supposed to share their resources with the less fortunate members of the society. I do not think that one can equate fasting with mere hunger. Therefore talking about the short-comings of an aspect of Islam with overt social implications is not the same as talking about another aspect which is primarily individual.
By taking a new look at how we deal with Qurbani, we are perhaps moving ourselves closer to the spirit of this enterprise. By losing our energy by doing something instead of fasting, we are moving away from the spirit of Ramadan. So I think that the comparison is not proper.

Re: Jawad

I would readily concede that I am not a scholar of Islam, but I would cautiously add that my knowledge is at the very least not a lot less than many others who frequent this forum. So, yes, I am aware of the basic facts. Let`s go from there.

Re: Kishwar

Thanks for sharing your views on this. Definitely, if the primary purpose is not being fulfilled, why kill an animal. I think the opinion of the Islamic scholar in your local masjid regarding this issue makes a lot of sense.

Re: Beatnik

Thanks for clarifying that I am not ridiculing a religion. Yes, we have the faculty to ponder, so why don`t we do so? And I think that the custom of your family probably comes a lot closer to what Qurbani initially intended to achieve anyway.

Re: BG

Thanks for your elucidation. Yes, you are absolutely right BG, we can and should think about this. There are a lot of issues here that we can discuss, and I hope that we do not remain confined to just a few cursory issues. Beyond the issues of logistics and mis-management, are the issues of the spirit of the sacrifice itself. What is the symbolism in the story of Prophets Abraham and Ismail in the first place? Where in all of this lies the balance between death and the sustenance of life?

Re: Waheed Malik

Yes, we should re-examine a lot in a modern context. Why not? What is important is the spirit itself, and not the particulars of how things have been done traditionally over the last few centuries. The situation today is not sacrosanct: it is an accumulation of traditions. So, yes the faith should be open to discussion and to dialogue, and the popular practice of faith should be open to criticism, as is natural in a society of thinking human beings.

Re: Azam Khan

Thanks. You have made a very valuable point. There is a lot that we can learn from the experiences of others.

Re: Anita Zaidi

Yes, you are absolutely right, there is a lot of emphasis on meat in our diet. And culturally the presence of large quantities of meat is considered to be a sign of a good diet. Can you inform us about the medical problems with eating a lot of meat?

Re: MaTha

Thanks for posting the translation of Surah Al-Hajj. There is a lot more to Qurbani than just sacrificing an animal.