NEW YORK – `Eid Al-Adha is a four-day holiday when Muslims across the world reflect on their relationship with their creator, the importance of charity, and the significance of sacrifice through the commemoration of the story of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) in the Qur’anic tradition when God commanded the prophet to sacrifice his son.

Annually, Muslims sacrifice animals (i.e. goat, lamb, cow, etc.), referred to as udhiyah or qurbani, and divide the meat into three equal parts. They then distribute one-third of the meat to their family, neighbors and the poor respectively. The meat serves as an important food source for lower income Muslims.

In the United States, there are a variety of options that American Muslims have when sacrificing for `Eid Al-Adha.

Many Muslims decide to place an order to have an animal sacrificed at their local meat market and receive the meat for distribution. There are also organizations like ICNA Relief that will make the sacrifice and distribute the meat to the economically disadvantaged.

However, there are numerous Muslims across the country who prefer to make their sacrifices by their hands. AboutIslam.net spoke to Muslims in New York, Florida, and California, who shared their reasons.

In California, Shadi Muhammad’s family occasionally chooses one of the goats they raise for udhiyah. However, this year they decided to visit a local farm for the udhiyah.

“They are going to buy something from the farmer,” Muhammad told AboutIslam.net, “then they do the slaughter and take it to the butcher.”

When asked why he and his family chose to take part in the actual slaughtering, Muhammad explained, “(We are) performing what Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) performed. This is in his Sunnah. We chose to do it to follow in the footsteps of our Prophet.”

Abattoirs

Inshirah Abdel-Jaleel typically slaughters his udhiyah himself, but the Florida resident told AboutIslam.net that his large Tampa community has so many Muslims sacrificing that it is often difficult to do it himself.

“There are just too many people, so the slaughter house does it,” he said.

“It’s an assembly line, and you have to stay with your animal. You have to find a farm where a small group of people is doing it if you want to do the slaughter yourself.”

Abdel-Jaleel also cited the commemoration of the Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice as his primary reason for wanting to sacrifice himself.

“The preference is that you slaughter the animal yourself; you reflect on Ibrahim, alayhisalam.”

Muhammad Khan arranges for Muslims in New York to slaughter at a local farm. Khan assists in the hand slaughtering for the animals. Khan had not planned on arranging for udhiyah this year, but he received so many requests that he changed his mind.

At the farm, the animals are in a pen, and a large tarp hangs between them and the place of slaughter. Khan explained that is important that the animals don’t see the sacrifices.

Khan helped restrain the animals. He also slaughtered for individuals that decided that could not do it.

“It is not easy or pretty,” Khan told AboutIslam.net, “You have to be doing it for Allah, or what is the reason? Just go to the store.”

The US Humane Slaughter Act protects Muslim udhiyah as a ritual slaughter. However, each state has sspecific regulations.

Distributing to the Poor

Area mosques frequently accept the charitable one-third of sacrificed meat for the poor. Shadi Muhammed and Inshirah Abdel-Jaleel both indicated that their local mosque would most likely accept their family’s charitable portions.

“We have a lot of needy people,” Abdel-Jaleel told AboutIslam.net.

“[We have] a lot of single sisters and widows. A lot of refugees are here, so the distribution of the meat is not really that hard.”

In addition to area mosques, there are local grassroots organizations like Sahaba Initiative in San Bernardino, CA.

Co-Founder, Arbazz Mohammed explained to AboutIslam.net the importance of receiving the meat for their local families.

“We do receive meat from different organizations. Local organizations like Islamic Relief and a few others give it to us, and we distribute it to the local families. Because we already service the families, we always have a clientele that is coming to our center on and off,” Muhammad said.

The organization contacts area families to inform them about the availability of the meat. Mohammed noted that the udhiyah is a significant addition to the Sahaba Initiative’s established food pantry and the people who benefit from it.

“There are a lot of other things that they are coming to get from us, and the meat is a plus for their families because it is something more extravagant than what they are used to. A lot of the families we service are very low income. San Bernardino County is the second largest poorest county in America. The Muslims here are very neglected.”

Mohammed suggested additional things Muslims can do for the less advantaged during `Eid Al-Adha.

“Gifts are really important and doing more outreach. Whenever Muslims are doing events to keep in mind that there are people that can’t afford it. Sometimes large amusement events that Muslims put on are about $30-$40 a ticket. If you have a family of 5, it adds up. There should be some sort of aid or something that can be given to those families that are in need.”

Muslims across the nation afford themselves the opportunity for spiritual and communal fulfillment through the sacrifice of `Eid Al-Adha.