HEAD OF
RUSSIAN
COUNCIL OF MUFTIS GREETS MUSLIMS ON KURBAN-BAYRAM
Interfax-Religiia,
30
July 2020
The
chairman of the
Council of Muftis of Russia, Ravil Gainutdin, sent greetings to
Muslims of the
country on the occasion of Kurban-Bayram [also known as Eid
al-Adha--tr.] and he wished everybody
peace and health.
"I pray
the
Almighty for removal of the distress of the coronavirus from all
of humanity,
for healing of the sick, for health and strength for medical
workers, for
wisdom for our elected rulers, and for peace and harmony in our
beloved
Fatherland, Russia, and in all the world!" Gainutdin's statement
says,
which was published on Thursday.
Kurban-Bayram
[means "celebration of sacrifice"--tr.] was
established in memory of the time when the prophet Ibrahim
(Abraham) decided to
sacrifice his son in order to demonstrate his fidelity to God,
but at the last
moment the Almighty substituted a sheep for this sacrifice.
Following
tradition, on the day of the holiday Muslims must slaughter a
sacrificial
animal for atonement of their sins.
Meanwhile
Mufti
Gainutdin in his statement quoted the Quran to the effect that
neither meat nor
the blood of animals reaches Allah but only the fear of God
reaches him.
"The better way to draw near to the Lord and to display
obedience to him
is to do good, to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, family,
and friendship.
This is how the believing Muslim should be sinc ere, bringing
peace, security,
mercy, aid, and support," the mufti notes.
He said
that today's
reality is such that ensuring safety entails restricting
face-to-face relations
and avoiding gatherings of a large number of people.
"Filled
with
feelings of gratitude and humility before Almighty Allah,
wearing holiday
clothing, and with smiles on our faces and joy in our spirit we
intend to
conduct this holiday with those who are closest, household
members . . . and
giving the joy of the holiday to everybody around," Gainutdin
concluded.
This
year
Kurban-Bayram will be celebrated on 31 July. Because of the
threat of the
coronavirus, restrictions on the number of worshipers have been
introduced in
many regions. In Moscow, Friday prayer will be held only in the
Cathedral
Mosque in the presence of clergy and employees of the muftiate.
Others will be
able to watch the holiday service by broadcast. (tr. by PDS,
posted 30 July
2020)
ORDERING
SACRIFICIAL
ANIMAL IN MOSCOW WILL COST MUSLIM 8,000 RUBLES
Interfax-Religiia, 29
July 2020
Muslims of Moscow
will be able to order for Kurban-Bayram the performance of the
ritual of animal
sacrifice in their name and the delivery of the meat of the
sacrificial animal
at their home; this will cost them the sum of around 8,000
rubles.
"The
tradition
service, which we introduced several years ago, is to order the
sacrificial
animal at our home. The average cost, if a person goes and does
the ritual of
animal sacrifice himself, is 8,000 rubles [about $110—tr.], and
with delivery
it is somewhere around 8,500," the vice-chairman of the Council
of Muftis
of Russia and mufti of Moscow oblast, Rushan Abbiasov, said at a
press
conference on Wednesday.
He said
that the
Muslim community has specially designated places for animal
sacrifice. These
are slaughter-houses, special farms, where sacrificial animals
are raised and
believers can go there and, while observing social distances in
masks, perform
the ritual of sacrifice.
The
mufti explained
that around 20 such places function in Moscow oblast and New
Moscow; their
addresses will be posted on official websites of the community.
As for
the request of
animal rights advocates to replace the sacrifices with more
humane methods,
Abbiasov responded with a refusal, noting that the ritual
slaying is conducted
in a more humane manner than in the animal industry. "They cut
the carotid
artery so that it does not suffer, so that it is all very easy,"
he
explained, pointing out that the Prophet Muhammad taught to
treat sacrificial
animals well and he ordered to sharpen the knife very sharp
before the
slaughter.
Abbiasov
also called
vegetarianism a fad and expressed support for the tradition that
has
"lasted 14 centuries now and nobody has ended it thus far." (tr.
by
PDS, posted 30 July 2020)
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