Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il: In Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashshir Ahmad Rabbānī
Some people claim that the sacrifice (Qurbānī) offered during Hajj is not the Sunnah of Ibrāhīm, but merely a sacrificial offering (hady) as a form of thanksgiving (dam shukr)—an obligation only upon those performing Hajj al-Tamattuʿ. They argue that the true Sunnah Ibrāhīmī is the Eid sacrifice done in one’s own country. Please clarify this matter.
The sacrifice offered during Hajj is indeed part of the Sunnah of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, and this is firmly established in authentic narrations.
Abū al-Ṭufayl once asked him:
“Your people say that the Prophet ﷺ performed saʿī between Ṣafā and Marwah and that it is a Sunnah.”
Ibn ʿAbbās replied:
“They have spoken the truth.”
He then narrated the full story:
“When Ibrāhīm عليه السلام was commanded to perform the rites of Hajj, the Shayṭān appeared to him at the place of Saʿī and tried to outpace him. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام outran him. Then Jibrīl عليه السلام brought him to Jamrat al-ʿAqabah, where Shayṭān appeared again, and Ibrāhīm عليه السلام pelted him with seven stones until he fled. He then appeared again near Jamrat al-Wusṭā and was again pelted with seven stones.”
“Then Ibrāhīm عليه السلام laid Ismāʿīl عليه السلام down on his forehead. Ismāʿīl was wearing a white shirt and said: ‘O my father, I have no other cloth to be shrouded in after death. Please remove this shirt and shroud me in it.’ So Ibrāhīm عليه السلام began to remove it. At that moment, a voice called from behind:
﴿يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ * قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا﴾
“O Ibrāhīm! You have fulfilled the vision.”
He turned around and found a white, horned ram standing nearby.”
Musnad Aḥmad: 1/297, ḥadīth: 2707
al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr of al-Ṭabarānī: 10/268
Musnad al-Ṭayālisī: ḥadīth: 2697
Majmaʿ al-Zawā’id: 5/220, Bāb 15
Shuʿab al-Īmān: ḥadīth: 4077
Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr: 5/353
Tahdhīb al-Āthār
Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 10/516
✔ This authentic narration shows that:
✔ Therefore, the sacrifice made during Hajj is directly connected to the sacrifice of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, and it is without doubt a part of Sunnah Ibrāhīmiyyah.
✔ It commemorates the same act of submission, and it forms part of the rituals of Hajj as revived and perfected by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The claim that this is merely a "dam shukr" (thanksgiving sacrifice) or not part of the Sunnah of Ibrāhīm is baseless.
✖ It stems from the faulty reasoning of modernist thinkers (mutajaddidīn),
✖ Who seek to water down Islamic teachings and sever the deep symbolic and spiritual connection between Hajj and the legacy of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام.
✔ The sacrifice performed during Hajj is Sunnah Ibrāhīmiyyah, and this is supported by authentic hadiths, classical tafsīr, and the consensus of the scholars.
✔ There is no legitimate scholarly disagreement on this matter.
✔ It is a living tradition that will continue until the Day of Judgment, by Allah’s permission.
❖ Question:
Some people claim that the sacrifice (Qurbānī) offered during Hajj is not the Sunnah of Ibrāhīm, but merely a sacrificial offering (hady) as a form of thanksgiving (dam shukr)—an obligation only upon those performing Hajj al-Tamattuʿ. They argue that the true Sunnah Ibrāhīmī is the Eid sacrifice done in one’s own country. Please clarify this matter.
✿ Answer:
The sacrifice offered during Hajj is indeed part of the Sunnah of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, and this is firmly established in authentic narrations.
◈ Narration from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما
Abū al-Ṭufayl once asked him:
“Your people say that the Prophet ﷺ performed saʿī between Ṣafā and Marwah and that it is a Sunnah.”
Ibn ʿAbbās replied:
“They have spoken the truth.”
He then narrated the full story:
“When Ibrāhīm عليه السلام was commanded to perform the rites of Hajj, the Shayṭān appeared to him at the place of Saʿī and tried to outpace him. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام outran him. Then Jibrīl عليه السلام brought him to Jamrat al-ʿAqabah, where Shayṭān appeared again, and Ibrāhīm عليه السلام pelted him with seven stones until he fled. He then appeared again near Jamrat al-Wusṭā and was again pelted with seven stones.”
“Then Ibrāhīm عليه السلام laid Ismāʿīl عليه السلام down on his forehead. Ismāʿīl was wearing a white shirt and said: ‘O my father, I have no other cloth to be shrouded in after death. Please remove this shirt and shroud me in it.’ So Ibrāhīm عليه السلام began to remove it. At that moment, a voice called from behind:
﴿يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ * قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا﴾
“O Ibrāhīm! You have fulfilled the vision.”
He turned around and found a white, horned ram standing nearby.”
Musnad Aḥmad: 1/297, ḥadīth: 2707 al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr of al-Ṭabarānī: 10/268 Musnad al-Ṭayālisī: ḥadīth: 2697 Majmaʿ al-Zawā’id: 5/220, Bāb 15 Shuʿab al-Īmān: ḥadīth: 4077 Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr: 5/353 Tahdhīb al-Āthār Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 10/516◈ What This Hadith Proves
✔ This authentic narration shows that:
- The command of Hajj was first revealed to Ibrāhīm عليه السلام.
- The stoning of Shayṭān at the Jamarāt was part of his actions.
- He was about to sacrifice Ismāʿīl عليه السلام, and Allah replaced him with a white, horned ram.
- This substitution of the ram is the origin of the Sunnah of sacrifice during Hajj.
◈ The Link to Hajj Sacrifice Today
✔ Therefore, the sacrifice made during Hajj is directly connected to the sacrifice of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, and it is without doubt a part of Sunnah Ibrāhīmiyyah.
✔ It commemorates the same act of submission, and it forms part of the rituals of Hajj as revived and perfected by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Refuting the Modern Misconception
The claim that this is merely a "dam shukr" (thanksgiving sacrifice) or not part of the Sunnah of Ibrāhīm is baseless.
✖ It stems from the faulty reasoning of modernist thinkers (mutajaddidīn),
✖ Who seek to water down Islamic teachings and sever the deep symbolic and spiritual connection between Hajj and the legacy of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام.
Conclusion
✔ The sacrifice performed during Hajj is Sunnah Ibrāhīmiyyah, and this is supported by authentic hadiths, classical tafsīr, and the consensus of the scholars.
✔ There is no legitimate scholarly disagreement on this matter.
✔ It is a living tradition that will continue until the Day of Judgment, by Allah’s permission.
