Every 10 Dzul Hijjah, muslims would invest on cattle and sacrifice them as a symbol of appreciation and love to Allah and Allah’s blessings. The process of sacrificing cattle is done in a way that causes the minimum amount of pain to said cattle, which the meat is then donated to the less fortunate to feed.
It is common for Indonesia, being a country with one of the highest muslim rate, to celebrate this religious event at a mass. In Indonesia, the two most common cattle of choice would be goats or cows – as they reproduce faster and more in this country. However, despite their popularity, you’d still have to break the bank a little when investing on a cattle of your own.
This financial strain just so happens to be one of the reasons why Islam, as a religion, does not condemn those who do not practice this prayer. There are other reasons behind this too that muslims should consider, such as the following:
1. Sign of Appreciation
As briefly mentioned, muslims sacrifice and donate cattle to the less fortunate as a symbol of appreciation. Readers should always remind themselves that this alone is not the one way to show your appreciation to Allah. Proper muslims could show their appreciation to Allah by praying five times a day, or donate other things to the less fortunate. Therefore, if you could not afford to invest on cattle on your own, you should remind yourselves that there are other ways to appreciate Allah instead of sacrificing your financial stability.
2. Reliving Prophet Ibrahim’s Struggle
As the muslim teaching goes, prophets sent by Allah were there to teach the human kind a profound lesson on life and spiritual greatness. Prophets are no ordinary people, and the things they do may not be comprehendible nor accepted by the ordinary mind of a normal human. Therefore, the hesitant and struggle to sacrifice your Qurban is perfectly normal behaviour.
3. Reaching Spiritual Greatness
Finding spiritual greatness is not an overnight thing. It is a life journey that has its set backs and turns – therefore it is understandable that humans do not reach this spiritual greatness so early into their lives. Due to their biological need to survive, most humans struggle to let go of their materialistic needs for something so profound. This test from Allah is meant to be hard, as it proves so much more than you’d imagine.
4. Unconditional Devotion
Within the same vein of the previous point, Qurban also practices muslims’ unconditional devotion to the love for Allah. Most people would struggle with rationalising the thought of spending a lot of money just to give it away to people who you may not even cross your paths with. However, since Islam advocates for love and fairness, this religious practice exercises said points; and in the same time, as a test for the unconditional devotion to the ideas.
As discussed, theres more to just sacrificing cattle. The religious practice of Qurban tests your devotion to the religion and your patience against materialistic happiness. However, Allah will not condemn your actions if you chose not to practice this specific type of prayer – particularly if they will cause more harm to you than good.
Nevertheless, if you could afford to invest financially and spiritually on a cattle for Qurban, be sure to read through the rest of the article to find out the several tips on how to choose the right goat for your Qurban.
Before investing on a goat for Qurban of your own, be sure that you are in contact with a trustable breeder. This is to ensure that your goat is raised ethically and healthily: following the halal rules and conditions. Also, breeded and domesticated goats are much less prone to catching harmful diseases and illnesses – which would prevent the people you donate to from catching those harmful diseases.
The halal way of choosing the right goat considers the age of said cattle. There are ethical discourses in hunting young animals, and several scientific studies that highlights the health risks of consuming senior cattle. Though the rule of thumb deems one year the ideal age for these cattle, it may differ to every individual due to their different living conditions.
Another non conventional determining factor in sacrificing a goat would be their lack of baby teeth that has been replaced with full set of adult teeth. This out-of-the-box features indicates a few things: first, the right age for the cattle to be sacrificed. Second, their nutritional and overall health to be able to grow a full set of adult teeth. Once goats have a full set of big and flat pearly whites, then they are adequate enough to consume.
To avoid catching their illnesses too, these goats should be free from any illnesses and disabilities. The Qurban goat should have an optimised overall health in order to be adequate enough to consume. Of the many common illnesses these goats could catch would be: scabies, skin infections, and worm infections.
Healthy goats are also much more brighter and active than their unwell counterparts. Goats at their prime health would a radiating face, fluffy fur, a big and sturdy posture, and an overall good social skills. They should be free of any disabilities, such as a loss of limbs and eye cataracts caused by harmful bacterias.
Another good indication of a goat’s overall health is their appetite when being raised. Before purchasing your goats, be sure to ask your breeders for transparency and know what these goats have been fed. When a goat has been fed with organic and nutrient-packed feed, then chances are that their immune systems are fed and are strong enough to combat any internal illnesses they might caught.
The cattle that you wish to sacrifice should not be purchased by someone else. This defeats the whole religious purpose, that exercises muslims’ patience and devotion to the religion. The goat you purchase should be purchased by your hard earned money and done full heartedly.
So there you have it, just several tips on how to choose the right goat for your Qurban! Note and remind yourselves that you should not sacrifice your own health and resources to invest on a qurban goat if you could not afford one of your own. However, if you do, be sure to consult the right breeders to ensure that the goat you’re going to invest on is halal certified.