Arguments for the Obligation of Qurbani and Their Review
The arguments for the obligation of Qurbani are as follows:
① The command of Allah Almighty is:
﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾
“Pray to your Lord and sacrifice.”
Benefits:
① Ali bin Abi Talha, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, stated that ﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾ means that on the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr), a sacrifice should be slaughtered.
② Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, explains the interpretation of ﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾ that the prayer refers to the obligatory prayer and the sacrifice on the day of Eid al-Adha.
This narration is continuous but from weak narrators:
① Muhammad bin Saad bin Muhammad bin Hasan bin Atiyah. Weak
② Saad bin Muhammad bin Hasan bin Atiyah. Lenient
③ Husayn bin Hasan bin Atiyah. Agreed weak
④ Hasan bin Atiyah Awfi. Weak
⑤ Atiyah bin Saad bin Janadah. Weak and a mudallis (concealer)
There is no clear text from this verse that establishes the obligation of sacrifice. However, deriving the meaning that this verse commands that the sacrifice should be slaughtered purely for the pleasure of Allah Almighty seems better and more appropriate.
① Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, says: Those who assert obligation use this verse to argue for the obligation of sacrifice, claiming that the command implies obligation. The answer given is that (this command does not mean the obligation of sacrifice but) it intends to specify that the sacrifice is exclusively for the Lord Almighty, not for idols. So, the command points to this important issue, and there is no doubt about the obligation of dedicating prayer and sacrifice to Allah Almighty.
② Muhammad bin Ka’b al-Quradhi, may Allah have mercy on him, explains this verse ﴿إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ﴾: “People (polytheists) used to pray for other than Allah and slaughter animals for other than Allah, so O Muhammad! When We have given you al-Kawthar, your prayer and sacrifice should be only for Me (i.e., the Lord Almighty).”
Abu Sakhr Humayd bin Ziyad al-Kharrat is a truthful narrator, and all other narrators are trustworthy.
③ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
In this verse, the ruling is like ﴿قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ that you, O Prophet, perform your prayer and sacrifice purely for Allah Almighty. Since the polytheists worshipped other than Allah and slaughtered animals in the name of other than Allah, Allah Almighty in these verses commanded you, O Prophet, to oppose the polytheists and deviate from their false ways and emphasized sincerity and devotion to Allah in worship and sacrifice.
④ Hafiz Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, after narrating all the interpretive opinions, states:
Among these interpretive opinions, the strongest view is that this verse commands you, O Prophet, that Allah Almighty, who has bestowed upon you a precious gift and abundant good, commands you to thank Him by performing prayers and sacrifices solely for the true Lord, excluding false gods and idols.
② It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
من كان له سعة ولم يضح، فلا يقربن مصلانا
“Whoever has the means to offer a sacrifice and does not do so, let him not come near our Eid ground.”
The same narration is reported in Sunan Dar Qutni with a different chain that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
من وجد سعة فلم يضح فلا يقربن مصلانا
“Whoever has the ability and does not sacrifice, let him not come near our Eid ground.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, states: There is disagreement about whether this hadith is mursal or marfu’. Tahawi and others say the mursal narration is stronger. Even if it is accepted as sahih, it is not a clear proof of the obligation of sacrifice (rather, it indicates emphasis on sacrifice).
③ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mukhnif bin Sulaym, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
يا أيها الناس : على كل أهل بيت فى كل عام أضحية وعتيرة
“O people! Every year, sacrifice and ‘Atirah (slaughtering animals in the month of Rajab) is obligatory on every household.”
④ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن العتيرة، وكانت ذبيحة يذبحونها فى رجب، فنهاهم عنها، وأمرهم بالأضحية
“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade ‘Atirah. ‘Atirah was a sacrifice that people used to slaughter in Rajab. He forbade it and commanded them to perform sacrifice.”
⑤ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mukhnif bin Sulaym, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
على أهل كل بيت أن يذبحوا شاة فى كل رجب، و فى كل أضحى شاة
“It is obligatory on every household to slaughter one goat every Rajab and one goat every Eid al-Adha.”
Abdul Karim bin Abi al-Mukhariq is abandoned and Habib bin Mukhafaf is an unknown narrator.
