Eat ye thereof, and feed such as (beg not but) live in contentment and such as beg with due humility: Thus have we made animals subject to you that ye may be grateful. It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah; it is your act of piety that reaches Him.” Q22:36-37.

Eid el Adha, the festival of the sacrificial animal, is around the corner. It is the greatest festival celebrated across the globe. This is so because its celebration encompasses all human endeavours. The day of sacrificing of animals follows the day of Arafat when the pilgrims perfect the rites of the holy pilgrimage to the House of Allah-the Ka’abah.

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which has been made compulsory for every capable Muslim male or female. The completion of the obligations of hajj coincides with the day Prophet Ibrahim was ready to slaughter his (then) only son- Isma’el in compliance with the instruction of Allah in a revelation he received as a dream (divine inspiration). Having noticed that Prophet Ibrahim was sincerely committed to the obedience of

Allah and his son (Prophet Isma’el) was also submitted to the will of Allah, the Almighty Allah ransomed the child with a big ram from heaven as a reward for their display of righteousness.

Allah (SWT) says, “And when they (both) have submitted (to Allah) and he (Ibrahim) laid down his son for slaughtering; we called him saying ‘O Ibrahim, verily you have fulfilled your dream; thus do we reward the righteous ones; this indeed is a great trail (manifest); And we ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice”- Q37:103-104.

The demonstration of faith and piety which reflected in Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness and readiness to sacrifice his only son (Prophet Isma’el) to Allah’s whims and caprices should be the spirit behind our celebration of this forthcoming ‘eid.

The description of the momentous sacrifice is what Islamic scholars drawn out from the kind of ram that is best for the festival. In the first instance, our motive for buying a ram should be to please Allah (SWT), our creator, in conformity with the His saying, “Say: truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the cherisher of the world”.- Q6:162.

Also, slaughtering a ram or sheep should be to revive the tradition on Prophet Ibrahim and to follow the practice of our leader Muhammad (SAW).

Besides, it is an act of thankfulness to Allah (SWT) for sparing our lives since last year and keeping us in state of peace and security, more so sustaining our faith (Iman), “Thus have we made animals subjects to you that ye may be grateful”  - Q22:36.

The ‘eid (festival) is also to be celebrated to widen the household on the festival day and spreading the mercy between the poor and the wretched. The most acceptable kinds of animals are the camels, cattle, sheep and goats and their families. Domestic fowls and other birds are not sufficient. A sheep should be one year old or more to be fit for the sacrifice. The goat and its family that is best suitable as sacrificial animal should have attained a year entering the second year.

As for the cattle family, a bull (male cattle) or cow  (female cattle) most suitable should have reached two years going to three. As for camel, scholars agree that it should have attained four years going to five before been suitable as sacrificial animal.

As for its safety, a healthy animal is deserved to be slaughtered. The animal should be free of every physical defect. The Holy Prophet (SAW) said of the type of animals that are not fit for the sacrifice: the one-eyed animal, whose defect is obvious, and the sick, whose sickness is clear, and the limped, whose rib is apparent, and the broken,who has no flesh on her bones.

The four apparent defects mentioned above disqualified a ram or sheep from being slaughtered for Allah. Some scholars also detest a sheep with  slit ear and one whose horn is broken.

“The best sacrifice is that which is a white male, horned ram, which has blackness mixing around its eyes and legs.” This is the description which the mother of believers – Aisha (RA), gave concerning that which the Holy Prophet (SAW) used to offer on the day of sacrifice.