Attacking Fundamentals - Sacrifices as an Example
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
Attacking Islamic Constants: Sacrifices as an Example
Recently, a trend has emerged where those who wish to attack Islamic rituals begin by saying, "Islam is innocent of such and such," to make you feel that their issue is not with Islam but with a particular ritual that they do not consider part of Islam.
Recent Examples of Attacking Rituals
Most recently, a woman on a committee, whose original purpose was political reform, said about the Eid sacrifices, "Islam is innocent of this ritual." Another member of the same committee objected to the clause that Islam is the religion of the state and complained about the torment caused by the Fajr call to prayer, stating that he had appealed to the Minister of Endowments to intervene to stop this torment.
A few days ago, a writer who never stops attacking religion, from the land of the Two Holy Mosques, criticized the existence of seasons of worship such as the Hajj season, beginning his criticism by saying, "Allah, the Most High, is closer to us than the jugular vein," to make it seem as though what follows is the speech of a believer in Allah.
Analysis of the Phenomenon and Its Implications
Many responded with condemnation, especially regarding the topic of sacrifices, and praise be to Allah, there is life in the Ummah. However, I would like to remind you, my brothers, of some important points, away from the individual woman, the other member, or that writer. And so that we do not delve into whether she retracted or did not retract, and whether her retraction was sincere or not. We are facing a recurring phenomenon, which is the phenomenon of attacking Islamic rituals after prefaces whose essence is: "We do not have a problem with Islam."
The Real Goals of the Attackers
Firstly: What do these people want exactly? They want to strike at the constants of Islam specifically and remove the sanctity from the true sanctities. For these people, merely bringing the sanctities to the table of discussion is a gain, so that the matter appears as if they have expressed their opinion with politeness and calm, while the Muslims respond with emotional outbursts. Then some heedless Muslims come to say, "Brother, why do you not discuss with these people in a civilized manner and with a calm dialogue and evidence?"
Then, after the controversy is imposed by force on those who reject it, those who reject it are considered the outcasts and criminals by law. Notice how after the statements of this woman, another official comes to call for not delving into controversial issues in society. This means that the issue of sacrifice, for which verses of the Quran have been revealed and for which there are established hadiths, and which is a ritual we take pride in and emulate Ibrahim (peace be upon him), has become a controversial issue in society. Imagine what happens when this catastrophic word passes smoothly.
And to inform you, merely dismissing such people from a committee does not mean much. Rather, they often strive to appear as victims who have suffered persecution for merely expressing their opinion, thus raising their status in the eyes of the ignorant. Otherwise, alternative positions are available, and they rotate among them, and they may shine in the West, and awards are given to them for their intellectual struggle.
This same woman is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Center for Human Rights and a former member of the National Executive Council for the Development of Curricula for our children. She herself commented on a picture titled "Supporting the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)" by saying, "Thus, second-grade students learn the extremist idea in their curricula." She means the curricula teach the act of supporting the Messenger of Allah, but even so, they want to erase the traces of Islam from the curricula completely.
The Problem of Hypocrisy and Duplicity
Secondly, esteemed ones: What is our problem with these attackers of rituals exactly? Our problem with them is that they are hypocrites who lie to people. Allah, the Most High, said about the hypocrites: {And you will surely know them by the tone of their speech.} If you deny a ritual of Islam, then Islam is innocent of you, not of this ritual. The Ummah has agreed on the innocence of Islam from those who deny what is necessarily known of the religion, to cut off the way of those like you who try to destroy Islam from within.
Imagine if these people had lived in the days of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when it was revealed to him: {And the camels We have made for you as one of the symbols of Allah for you. In them is good for you.} And they hear the Prophet (peace be upon him) desiring the sacrifice and sacrificing two rams, white with black spots, slaughtering them with his own hand, as narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Imagine if they had said at that time: "These rituals lack mercy and compassion. The slaughter of sheep and the presentation of sacrifices are not justified in Islam, and Islam will be innocent of this ritual in an era where contexts of life have evolved and changed, and concepts of environmental balance and ritual rights and the environmental covenant." Would they have dared to say that? And how would they have been classified if they had said it?
Do not pretend, O attackers of Islamic rituals, that our problem is with you being educated and expressing your opinion. If someone expresses an opinion contrary to the policies of a country among the Muslim countries, the State Security Courts await him, and criminalization and imprisonment await him. In this case, there is no freedom of expression. You want freedom open on both sides only to attack the constants of Islam.
The members of the political reform committee do not care about criticizing the suppression of political freedom of expression, but their problem is with sacrifices and the call to prayer. We have not heard your voice regarding Russia's slaughter of Muslims in Syria during Eid, but your concern is only for the sheep.
This woman does not object to the rituals of killing tens of millions of turkeys annually in America. For example, in 2018, news was published about the expectation of killing 46 million turkeys on the occasion of Thanksgiving in America, which is repeated annually, where they attack them with knives, and delight in torturing them with successive stabbings, and leave many of them to die and rot. There is no objection to all of this, but the objection is to Islamic sacrifices that Allah and His Messenger have commanded.
So this woman says about it: "The holiday is worth celebrating when we create a form of life or save it from chaos and the chaos of survival, not necessarily when we snatch a life or annihilate it and sacrifice it because of rituals that lack mercy and compassion." When the matter is like this, the issue is not a civilized dialogue but hypocrisy and duplicity and speaking on behalf of the devil.
Allah, the Most High, said: {And indeed, the devils inspire their devotees to dispute with you.} This verse was revealed concerning those who used to dispute with the Muslims regarding slaughtering, glory be to Allah. The Sharia prohibited the eating of carrion and commanded slaughtering and mentioning the name of Allah on the slaughter. The polytheists used to say, "What Allah has not slaughtered," meaning carrion, "do not eat, but what you have slaughtered with your hands is permissible." And now we witness the repetition of the inspiration of the devil regarding sacrifices again.
Once again, our problem with you is that you want to strike at the constants. This is the path whose end we witness in the world. When societies become without constants, the result is that your children are forced in school to learn indecency, perversion, and gender transformation, and voices appear demanding the legalization of practicing indecency with children, and it is imposed by force, and these become the sanctities while Allah and His Messengers are mocked, and Muslim women are prevented from wearing the hijab.
And yesterday, just hours ago, France approved a law against separatism whereby children are taken from their Muslim parents if they refuse these practices. This is the end of your path, O those who strike at the constants. So do not be hypocritical and do not hide your agendas. Say them openly to the people and do not sneak in with your poisons. We ask Allah to be gentle with the Muslims and to prepare for them righteousness in their affairs.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.