The article you have sent me is excerpts from a book entitled "Qur’anic and non-Qur’anic Islam" by a retired army officer, Nazir Ahmad.

May I say that anyone may write a book, and if he finds a publisher or if he is willing to take the risk of publishing it himself, his ideas and thought may find their way to thousand of readers. However when we write about Islam we should be careful not to overstep the limits of what we may or may not question.

The book seems to question many practices, but the excerpts published by the Nation on 17 April 1997 concentrate mainly on the sacrifice by pilgrims and non-pilgrims.

There are some sound ideas in what the author says, but others betray confusion between what is done as a practice or on basis of tradition and what Islam requires. Before one discusses all the ideas, one should refer to the whole book, which is not available to me. However, since these excerpts have appeared as single article, we need to clarify certain issues.

The author is correct when he says that there is no indication in the Qur’an of a requirement to sacrifice for non-pilgrims. The sacrifice on the Eid day is a Sunnah, not obligation, for those who are not on pilgrimage. For pilgrims, it is a duty if they opt for the Tamattu’ or Qiran method. If they choose the Ifraad method, then it is recommended. He derides the importance attached to the sacrifice by non-pilgrims, but if what he says about people’s attitude is true, then that is a tradition, not Islamic ideas. He should have made sure of his grounds first.

He also speaks of the practice of slaughtering the sacrifice in Makkah and Mina, questions its wisdom and suggests that it would be better to have it done in other parts of the world. In this he is in direct conflict with the proper practice outlined by the Prophet, peace be upon him, who taught us how to do the pilgrimage. No one has the authority to alter or amend what the Prophet, peace be upon him, has ordered. He casts doubt on the capacity of the slaughter houses in Mina and Makkah to cope with the large number of sacrifices that need to be slaughtered, but he makes the error of suggesting that all the sacrifice must be done within three days, which is not true.

The problem with such writing is that a person may read the Qur’an and find that it does not speak about a certain issue. He concludes that it is not an Islamic practice and attacks it, calling for its amendment or abolition.

He forgets that the Prophet, peace be upon him, has taught us how to do about fulfilling the requirements of the Qur’an. For example, the Qur’an does not speak about the number of prayers we must offer every day, or how to offer them. It is the Prophet, peace be upon him, who has told us all that and said: "Pray like you have seen me offering my prayers."

We cannot choose any other form of prayer, or any number other than outlined by the Prophet, peace be upon him. If we do then we are not Muslims. Similarly, in pilgrimage, the Prophet, peace be upon him, told his companions, and all generations of his followers: "Learn from me your rituals." When we hear this, then we cannot take anything from Mr. Ahmad or anyone else, which is not in line with what the Prophet, peace be upon hi, did or told us to do.

2. May I say first of all that I am unhappy when any one gives an opinion and says that it is the opinion of Islam. He or she thus imposes his or her own understanding on the Islamic faith as a whole. The writer of this letter to the Times of India has decided that the true message of the Eid of sacrifice and Islam is to spend the day in prayer and meditation. What is the basis of his view? Where does he find in the Qur’an and the Sunnah that this is the message of the Eid day? In fact the opposite is true. The Eid is a festive occasion, which is meant to enhance social ties among the Muslim community. If everyone is spending the day in prayer and meditation, when can they meet each other in an atmosphere of social festivity?

There are several inaccuracies in his short letter. The first is his description of the sacrifice as "mandatory task" which suggests that it is obligatory. It is not. It is recommended, or a Sunnah. In other words, if a head of a family decides to offer the sacrifice once only in his lifetime, he has discharged the Sunnah once. He will not be asked by God on the day of judgment why he did not do it every year, because God does not question us about things He has not made binding on us. Secondly the purpose of the sacrifice is not to kill an animal, but to bring a smile to the faces of family and friends as well as poor people. The recommendations is to retain one part, about a third, of the meat for one’s family, to send one third to the poor. This is a beneficial act of charity, which does not omit one’s family and relatives. It is a gesture of participation in the community and looking after it.

There is the point of killing an animal, which some people find difficult to understand. We must remember that it is God who has created the universe and all creatures. It is He who has made different species dependent on others for food in what is termed by scientists "the food chain". He is not saddened when a shark eats a fish, or when a large fish eats a smaller ones, or when a lion eats a deer. Had He wished this not to happen, He would have created different species, which depend for their food on something different.

The Qur’anic verse which is quoted in the letter is also inaccurate. The verse may be translated as:

"Their flesh will never reach God, nor will their blood. What reaches Him is your God-consciousness."

The Arabic term "sadaqah" is one of a few to which Islam gives a very broad meaning. It is often used interchangeably with zakah. Indeed, it is the term used to refer to zakah in the Qur'anic verse which enumerates the classes of beneficiaries of zakah. But it is more general than zakah, because zakah denotes only that part of charitable donations which a Muslim must pay as a duty. If he refrains from paying it, he incurs a grave sin. Indeed, Abu Bakr, the first ruler of the Islamic state after the Prophet and the closest to the Prophet of all his companions, went to war against Arab Bedouin tribes who declared that they would no longer pay zakah. He considered that a rebellion against Islam and the Muslim state. He stated unequivocally: "By Allah, I am going to fight those who differentiate between prayer and zakah."

Sadaqah, on the other hand, refers to all charitable donations, whether obligatory or not. It is, however, more frequently used to refer to charitable donations which are given voluntarily. The meaning which immediately springs to mind when the term "sadaqah" is used is financial help given to a poor person, without any obligation on the part of the payer or any condition imposed on the receiver.

In an authentic Hadith, Abu Hurairah quotes the Prophet as saying: "A charity is due for every joint in each person on every day the sun comes up; to act justly between two people is a charity to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it is a charity; a good word is a charity; every step you take to prayers is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity." In another version, the Prophet is quoted to have mentioned another different example of actions which count as charity: "To smile to your brother is a charity."

I know that the practice of slaughtering a sheep when one starts to erect a building is common in many Muslim countries, and in other countries as well. This, however, has crept into Muslim societies from other traditions. In Islam, we entertain no superstitious beliefs of the type which require a sacrifice to drive away evil spirits. Such a practice is based on superstition.

Having said that, I feel that I should explain that the Prophet has said: "Sadaqah, i.e. a charitable donation, repels misfortune." What he means is that when a person is charitable and he helps the poor and the needy, Allah may reward him by protecting him from a misfortune which might have befallen him. This is a reward by Allah which is given in advance of the reward he gives on the day of judgment to people who do good deeds.