Engaging in sacrificial rituals for beings other than Allah is a form of shirk

Engaging in sacrificial rituals for beings other than Allah is a form of shirk

Sacrifice holds a special place among the acts of worship, as Allah Almighty commands in the Quran:

 فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ)  [الكوثر: 2])

[So pray and sacrifice to your Lord ˹alone˺.] 108:2

The essence of sacrifice lies in generously offering what Allah has bestowed upon somebody, symbolizing devotion by shedding the blood, drawing nearer to Allah. Allah affirms in the Quran:

لَنْ يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِنْ يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَى مِنْكُمْ)  [الحج: 37])

[Neither their meat nor blood reaches Allah. Rather, it is your piety that reaches Him.] 22:37

Allah is self-sufficient and does not require our sacrifices; rather, it is we who seek His rewards. Approaching Allah through sacrifice can be accomplished through various forms, including Udhiyah (sacrificial animal offered during Eid), Qurbani (sacrifice performed on Eid al-Adha), Aqiqah (sacrifice for a newborn), and Nadhr (vow of sacrifice).

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, recognizing the merit of sacrifice, personally offered a hundred camels during his pilgrimage, personally sacrificing sixty-three of them. Given the elevated status of sacrifice, diverting it to entities other than Allah, much like praying or supplicating to others, is a form of shirk.

Allah clearly states in His Book:

 قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ)  [الأنعام: 163])

[Say, “Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds.] 6:162

 لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ)  [الأنعام: 163])

[He has no partner.] 6:162-163

It clearly mentions that there is no partner for Allah in prayer, and the same holds for sacrifice.

The Prophet ﷺ cursed those who sacrifice for other than Allah, emphasizing that such an act exposes the individual to Allah's curse.

Examples of forbidden sacrificial acts include sacrificing for saints or dedicating sacrifices to specific names other than Allah, regardless of the saying “Bismillah”. Reciting Bismillah (In the name of Allah) does not make it permissible.

Allah says:

 إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِ)  [سورة البقرة: 173])

[He has only forbidden you ˹to eat˺ carrion, blood, swine,1 and what is slaughtered in the name of any other than Allah.] 16:115.

Other forbidden forms of sacrifice involve dedicating sacrifices to the family of the Prophet or specific individuals within the family, such as the Shiite practice of dedicating sacrifices to Abbas and Hussein. All such dedications to entities other than Allah are deemed unlawful and constitute shirk, with severe consequences.

Another form of prohibited sacrifice is the act of slaughtering at the arrival of a ruler. Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned that Sheikh Ibrahim al-Maruzy, one of our companions, asserted that what is slaughtered upon the arrival of a ruler as an act of seeking closeness has been deemed impermissible by the people of Bukhara due to its association with other than Allah.

Another example of forbidden sacrifice is the act of slaughtering at the doorstep of a new house, done as a precaution against jinn.

This is yet another form of sacrificing for someone other than Allah, wherein, when a person recovers from an illness or similar situation, an animal is slaughtered as a gesture of respect. The individual descends from the car or stands at the entrance of the house, and an animal is sacrificed. However, the one performing the sacrifice knows well that the recovered person will not consume anything from this sacrifice. Thus, the sole purpose of this sacrifice is to shed blood for the individual's sake, seeking refuge in Allah. This type of sacrifice is strictly forbidden for anyone other than Allah, as the essence of sacrifice is to shed blood for Allah, as He is self-sufficient and does not require flesh and blood, as mentioned earlier.

Sacrificing for jinn, at the behest of a sorcerer or a priest, to break a spell or seek lost objects, is another prohibited form of sacrifice, constituting an act of associating partners with Allah. We seek refuge in Allah from such practices.

One form of impermissible sacrifice is when animals are slaughtered at the places of celebration for polytheists. The reason for prohibiting this practice is to prevent the flourishing or adopting of the customs of polytheists during their festive occasions. Any animal that is slaughtered in the name of other than Allah renders its consumption impermissible.

This concludes the fifth lesson. All praise be to Allah.