Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 34

(Ayah 34) ➊ { وَ لِكُلِّ اُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنْسَكًا : ’’ مَنْسَكًا ‘‘} can have three meanings: worship, place of worship, and sacrifice. Here, the last meaning is more appropriate, because ahead there is mention of taking Allah’s name over animals, that is, offering sacrifice as an offering for Allah has been an essential part of the system of worship in all heavenly laws. In Islam too, it has been prescribed as an act of worship, and there is no restriction of Haji or non-Haji in this. Thus, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: [ ضَحَّی النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِكَبْشَيْنِ أَمْلَحَيْنِ فَرَأَيْتُهُ وَاضِعًا قَدَمَهُ عَلٰی صِفَاحِهِمَا يُسَمِّيْ وَيُكَبِّرُ فَذَبَحَهُمَا بِيَدِهٖ] [بخاري، الأضاحی، باب من ذبح الأضاحي بیدہ : ۵۵۵۸۔ مسلم : ۱۹۶۶ ] “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sacrificed two horned, black-and-white rams. I saw that he placed his foot on their sides and, after reciting {’’ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ وَاللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ ‘‘}, slaughtered them with his own hand.” Remember, the sacrifice performed in Makkah during Hajj or Umrah is called Hady, and the sacrifice performed at other places is called Udhiyah.

➋ It is stated in Tafsir Thanai: “The claim of the Noble Qur’an (that sacrifice was prescribed for every nation) is still proven today in religious books. The Christian Bible is full of commands regarding sacrifice. The second book of the Torah, Exodus, generally contains these commands. What is surprising is that evidence of this is also found in the religious books of the Hindus. The acknowledged leader of the Hindus and Aryans, Manuji, says: ‘For Yajna (sacrifice) and for the food of servants, good deer and birds should be killed. In earlier times, the Rishis killed edible deer and birds for Yajna. Shri Brahmaji himself created animals for Yajna (sacrifice). The killing that occurs for Yajna is not called sin. Animals, birds, turtles, etc., all attain a higher caste in the next birth by being killed for Yajna.’ [ ادہیائے : ۵۔ شلوک : ۲۲، ۲۳، ۳۹، ۴۰ ] Even if today’s Hindus or Aryas interpret or deny such passages, who listens to their interpretations in the face of clear words? Here, we only wanted to show that the claim made by the Noble Qur’an, by the grace of Allah, stands proven; for further reasons and causes of sacrifice, refer to our books of debate, Haq Par Kash, Tark-e-Islam, etc.”

➌ { لِيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللّٰهِ … :} That is, We have prescribed a sacrifice for every nation, so that they may take Allah’s name over the domestic cattle He has provided them, and not, like the disbelievers, slaughter the cattle given by Us at the shrines of idols and others besides Allah, with the intention of pleasing them.

➍ { فَاِلٰهُكُمْ اِلٰهٌ وَّاحِدٌ فَلَهٗۤ اَسْلِمُوْا :} After mentioning the prescription of sacrifice for previous nations, now our nation is addressed: the God of the previous nations and your God is the same God, so you too should fully submit to Him and surrender yourselves completely to Him, and perform every act of worship, including sacrifice, solely for Him. If you do it for anyone else, you will be guilty of associating partners in His worship. But now, the state of some who call themselves Muslims is such that on Eid al-Adha, they consider the sacrifice as the “Gyarhwin” (11th) of Abdul Qadir Jilani and dedicate the reward to his name—what could be greater shirk than this?

➎ {وَ بَشِّرِ الْمُخْبِتِيْنَ:’’ الْمُخْبِتِيْنَ ‘‘} is an active participle from the form If’aal ({ إِخْبَاتٌ }). {’’خَبْتٌ‘‘} means a low place. {’’مُخْبِتٌ‘‘} means one who walks in a low place, then this word began to be used metaphorically for one who is humble and modest. Some have considered it derived from {’’خَبَتِ النَّارُ‘‘} (the fire went out), whereas its root is “kh-b-w,” while the root of {’’ الْمُخْبِتِيْنَ ‘‘} is “kh-b-t.” That is, give glad tidings to those humble ones, who before Allah possess nothing but humility and not an atom’s weight of arrogance. Here, the intended meaning is those coming for Hajj and Umrah, that their shroud-like unstitched sheets, bare heads, their appearance, their cries of “Labbayk,” their standing in Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat, their Tawaf, Sa’i, and their sacrifices—everything shows that they have completely humbled themselves before Allah Almighty.

34. 1. Mansak. "Nusk" is the verbal noun of "nasaka yansuku," meaning to offer a sacrifice for the sake of attaining closeness to Allah. The slaughtered animal (zabiha) is also called "nasikah," whose plural is "nusuk." It also means obedience and worship, because sacrificing an animal for the pleasure of Allah is worship. That is why slaughtering an animal in the name of anyone other than Allah or for their pleasure is worship of other than Allah. The places where the rites and pillars of Hajj are performed, such as Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina, and Makkah, are also called "manasik." The general rites and acts of Hajj are also referred to as "manasik." The meaning of the verse is that We have always prescribed this method of sacrifice or worship for every religious community so that through it they may attain closeness to Allah. And the wisdom in this is that they mention Our name, i.e., slaughter by saying "Bismillah Allahu Akbar" or remember Us.

34. For every community, We have appointed a rite of sacrifice [52], so that they may mention the name of Allah over the livestock He has provided them. (Despite these different rites, your religion is one and the same:) your God is only One God, so submit to Him alone. And (O Prophet), give good news to those who present themselves [53] before Allah.

[52]
Sacrifice Has Been a Part of the Shariah of All Prophets:

This means that in the shariahs of all the prophets, presenting a sacrifice before Allah has been an essential part. Although there have been differences in the details and particulars of this sacrifice. Now, if a person presents a sacrifice before or for anything other than Allah, this is shirk in worship because sacrifice and vows and offerings are all acts of financial worship. Therefore, performing these acts of worship for anyone else or associating anyone else in them is outright shirk. That is why it has also been stated that your God is only one God. Then why do you associate others in His worship?

[53]
The Literal Meaning of "Khubt":

Here, the word "mukhbiteen" has been used. And "khabat al-naar" means the flame of the fire has died down and a layer of ash has covered the coal or ember. (Mufradat al-Quran) And "mukhbit" refers to a person who has subdued his pride and desires before the commands of Allah. Also, its meanings include humility, gentleness, and modesty.