Honorable Muslims!
In the verse I have recited, the Almighty Allah (swt) states: “Indeed, We have granted you, o Prophet, abundant goodness. So, pray and sacrifice to your Lord alone!”1
In the hadith I have read, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) states, “The son of Adam does not do any deed on the Day of Sacrifice that is dearer to Allah (swt)than sacrificing an animal for Him…”2
Dear Muslims!
Qurban means sacrificing an animal of certain qualifications in accordance with certain procedures for worship purposes. As in all worships, the primary purpose of qurban is to get closer to Allah (swt). That is to say, it is the effort to attain the approval of Allah (swt). It is the desire to attain piety (taqwa). Qurban is a demonstration of respect and sincerity by obedient servants for al-Rahman. This is referred to in the words of the Almighty Allah (swt) as follows, “Neither their meat nor blood reaches Allah. Rather, it is your piety that reaches Him.”3
Dear Believers!
Qurban for Allah (swt) has been a form of worship made obligatory for all nations since the Prophet Adam (as). This is referred to in the Holy Qur’an as follows, “For every community We appointed a rite of sacrifice so that they may pronounce the Name of Allah over the sacrificial animals He has provided for them…”4
Qurban is a supreme responsibility in both material and spiritual terms. It means doing good and spending in the cause of Allah (swt) and staying conscious of the need to share His blessings with other people. It means making happy the people primarily in our close circles, the people in need, the aggrieved, the miserable, and the lonely. It means delivering compassion and joy to the homes of people in need without any discrimination of color, language, or geography. It means stretching out a hand of benevolence to countries, of whose names we may not have heard before, and people whom we may have not met before. It means grasping the meaning of being brothers and sisters, being united, and being the ummah.
Honorable Believers!
The Presidency of Religious Affairs continues to carry out its organization of qurban by proxy this year, too, just as it has been for the past years. Great was your participation for the last year’s organization. We will meticulously deliver your shares entrusted to us to those people truly in need. This way, we will function as a bridge of love between the hearts of Muslims, thereby strengthening the consciousness of being ummah. We will be serving for upholding and spreading the awareness of Islamic infaq, morality, assistance, and solidarity before all humanity.
We would like to invite you, our honorable community, to this charitable activity. Let us not forget that a single share of qurban will turn back to us as thousands of prayers uttered for us.
I would like to take this opportunity to pray to Allah (swt) that He may allow us to reach the Eid al-Adha as healthy, tranquility, and happy. May Allah the Almighty (swt) appreciate our worship of qurban and other worships.
[1] Kawthar, 108/1-2
[2] Tirmidhi, Adahi, 1.
[3] Hajj, 22/37.
[4] Hajj, 22/34.
Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Make sacrifice for your Lord” (PDF)