This excerpt is taken from Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah's book Al-Jawab al-Bahir fi Zuwar al-Maqabir, translated by Sheikh Ataullah Saqib.
Whereas the straight path is
The polytheists pray by calling upon created beings and perform pilgrimage to their graves. In contrast, Allah has guided towards the right path and said:
قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿١٦١﴾ قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٦٢﴾ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ۖ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿١٦٣﴾
"O Prophet! Say, 'Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path - a correct religion - the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he was not among the polytheists. Say, 'Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.'"
Reference: (6-Al-An'am:161-163)
وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ
"And do not invoke with Allah another deity."
Commenting on the word ”نسكي“, the commentators have written that its meaning includes sacrificing for Allah, performing pilgrimage to the House of Allah. The word ”نسك“ encompasses all kinds of acts of worship.
In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty has also described the slaughtering of animals and pilgrimage to the House of Allah by the word __ARABIC_4. The Divine command is:
ARABIC_5__
"For every nation We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals."
Reference: (22-Al-Hajj:34)
❀ The noble saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is:
من ذبح بعد الصلوة فقد أصاب النسك ومن ذبح قبل الصلوة فإنما هو شاء لحم عجلها لاهله ليس من النسك فى شيء
"Whoever slaughtered an animal after the Eid prayer has offered a correct sacrifice, and whoever slaughtered before the Eid prayer, then it is only meat that he has hastily prepared for his family. It has no relation to sacrifice."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Sacrifices: Chapter on the Sunnah of Sacrifice (Hadith: 5545, 5546); Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices: Chapter on its time (Hadith: 1960, 1961)
Reciting the prayer of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail, peace be upon them, Allah Almighty says that they prayed thus:
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
"Our Lord! Accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our Lord! Make us Muslims [in submission] to You and [raise] from our descendants a Muslim [in submission] nation to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful."
Allah Almighty accepted their prayer and indicated those places and acts related to the rituals of Hajj such as circumambulation of the House of Allah, the Sa’i between Safa and Marwah, standing at Arafat, stoning the Jamaraat, etc.
