> "Our Lord, make us submissive to You and from our descendants a community submissive to You. And show us our rites of worship, and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful." (Al-Baqarah 2:128)
Foundational Principles
According to the Islam of the Quran, for a practice to be accepted as an act of worship:
- Its definition must be established by a muhkam (firm, clear, stable) verse in the Quran.
- How that worship is to be performed must also be described in the Quran through clear and unambiguous verses.
Religious practices accepted as worship by traditionalists, based solely on hadiths, carry no weight from the Quranic perspective — because the Prophet Muhammad had no authority to legislate in religious matters, as stated in the Quran itself:
> "Say: I ask of you no payment for it, and I am not one to impose." (Sad 38:86)
The Messenger of Allah was responsible for living by the Quranic commandments just like all other people:
> "And follow what is revealed to you from your Lord." (Al-Ahzab 33:2)
> "I only follow what is revealed to me." (Al-An'am 6:50)
Neither Eid al-Adha nor Eid al-Fitr appears in the Quran. If Eid al-Adha does not exist in the Quran, how can animal sacrifice be obligatory during a festival that itself has no Quranic basis?
The Meaning of "Qurban" (Sacrifice)
The word qurban derives from the Arabic root ق-ر-ب (q-r-b), meaning "to draw near, to be close." It refers to anything that serves as a means of drawing closer to Allah — encompassing all deeds performed with the intention of earning Allah's pleasure and nearness to Him. Traditionalists, under the influence of hadith literature, have reduced this word to the obligation of "slaughtering an animal." Yet qurban covers the entirety of acts of worship performed to draw closer to Allah.
Since Quranic translations have also been written by traditionalists under the influence of fabricated hadiths, over time the practice of "animal sacrifice" — absent from the Quran — emerged as a supposed act of worship, much like Kandil nights, Tarawih prayers, and various other invented traditions.
Surah Al-Kawthar: A Detailed Analysis
Traditionalists cite Surah Al-Kawthar as their evidence for obligatory sacrifice. However, when we analyze each word according to linguistic and semantic principles and interpret the Surah within the totality of the Quran, the traditionalist claims are invalidated.
The revelation order of Surah Al-Kawthar is 15 — meaning it is among the very first revealed surahs. The early surahs contain no jurisprudence (fiqh). They address the existence and oneness of Allah, the difficulties faced by the Prophet in conveying revelation to a polytheistic society, and Allah's reassurances to His Messenger. Legal commandments were not revealed before the foundation of monotheistic faith (tawhid) was established.
The Traditional (Incorrect) Translation:
"Indeed, We have granted you Al-Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice. Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off."
The Three Key Words - Al-Kawthar (الْكَوْثَر)
Al-Kawthar is derived from kathura ("much/abundant") and is built on the faw'al pattern, which denotes extreme abundance — meaning "exceedingly plentiful." Traditionalists interpret this as a river in Paradise, but this is incorrect. The Quran must be interpreted by the Quran itself.
Looking at Surahs Al-Duha and Al-Inshirah, revealed just before Al-Kawthar:
> "Your Lord has not abandoned you, nor has He become displeased. And the next life is better for you than this first life. And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied. Did He not find you an orphan and give shelter? And He found you lost and guided you. And He found you in need and made you free from need. Did We not expand your breast? And We removed from you your burden, which had weighed upon your back. And We raised high your repute." (Al-Duha / Al-Inshirah)
What is the "abundance" (Kawthar)? Receiving revelation, being appointed as Allah's Messenger, being guided to the right path, being destined for Paradise, being freed from poverty, having one's burden lifted, having one's name exalted — this is the Kawthar. Not a river in Paradise. - Fesalli (فَصَلِّ) — Salat
Arabic dictionaries record 18 different meanings for the word salat. Traditionalists translate it exclusively as "prayer (namaz)." However, namaz is a Persian word meaning "to bow reverently before fire" — and there are no Persian words in the Quran.
Salat also means: to support, to pray/supplicate, to speak/address, to help, to exalt.
Evidence from the Quran itself:
> "Indeed, Allah and His angels send salat upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send salat upon him and salute him." (Al-Ahzab 33:56)
Does Allah perform namaz (ritual prayer)? Does Allah bow down to Himself? Of course not. This verse means: Allah and the angels support and help the Prophet; you too should support him. Traditionalists do not translate salat as "prayer" in this verse — revealing their own inconsistency.
In Surah Al-Kawthar, Allah commands His Messenger to: pray, support Islam, proclaim and defend the faith, exalt Allah — not merely to perform ritual prayer. - Venhar (وَانْحَرْ) — The Disputed Word
The widely assumed meaning among traditionalists is "to slaughter a sacrificial animal." However, the various recorded meanings of nahara in different dictionaries include: to stand upright facing the qibla, to stand straight, to place the right hand over the left, to slaughter an animal, to place the hand over the chest, to face the qibla directly without turning right or left, to rise and face the qibla, to face the qibla with the chest, to place the hand over the chest during prayer, to face difficulties head-on, to stand firm against hardships, to resist the desires of the ego, to not submit to passion.
Context of Revelation: This is during the very first years of the Islamic mission. The Companions were enduring severe material and spiritual hardships. At such a time, commanding the slaughter of a sacrificial animal makes no sense — the foundations of Islamic creed (aqidah) had barely been laid, and among those embracing Islam were many who were poor and struggling with hunger. Imposing a financially burdensome legal ruling under such circumstances cannot be extracted from the surah's overall meaning.
Furthermore, the juristic schools disagree:
- Shafi'i school: Sacrifice is not obligatory (fard); they interpret venhar as raising the hands to the chest in prayer.
- Hanafi school: Sacrifice is wajib (necessary).
- Maliki and Hanbali schools: Sacrifice is a sunnah.
The schools unanimously agree that sacrifice is not fard — because they cannot find clear evidence in the Quran. The Quran contains only obligations (fard). The concept of sunnah appears dozens of times in the Quran but is never attributed to the Prophet — it refers to Allah's way/practice.
The Correct Translation of Surah Al-Kawthar:
"Indeed, We have given you abundant blessings. So perform salat (support Islam, proclaim it, supplicate) for your Lord, and stand firm against the hardships you will face! Indeed, the one who despises you — he is the one cut off."
The surah is a consolation to the Prophet: polytheists were taunting him about having no male heirs, declaring his lineage "cut off." Allah reassures him: those who despise you are themselves the ones cut off. The command venhar is an exhortation to remain steadfast, face difficulties with courage — not an instruction to slaughter animals.
How Traditionalists Distort Quranic Verses
The word "qurban" (sacrifice) does not appear in the following verses, yet it has been inserted into their translations:
Al-Baqarah 2:196
Original Arabic contains: hady (هَدْي) — meaning "to guide, to send, a gift/offering"
Traditional translation: "…send whatever sacrificial offering is easy for you."
Correct translation: "…send whatever gift/offering is easy for you."
The verse speaks of sending a gift — not of slaughtering an animal.
Al-Ma'idah 5:95
Original Arabic contains: hady — again, a gift/offering
Traditional translation: "…a sacrificial animal to reach the Ka'bah…"
Correct translation: "…a gift that will reach the Ka'bah…"
Allah gives the gift as an example; He does not restrict it to animals.
Al-Ma'idah 5:97
Original Arabic contains: al-hadya (الْهَدْيَ)
Traditional translation: "…and the sacrificial animals and the garlands…"
Correct translation: "Allah has made the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, a place of assembly for the people, as well as the sacred month, the offering/gift, and its markers."
Al-Hajj 22:28
Original Arabic contains: bahimati l-an'am — cattle/livestock (plural of cattle, sheep, camels, etc.)
Traditional translation (with added parentheses): "…over what He has provided for them of (sacrificial) animals…"
Correct understanding: Allah says pilgrims may slaughter cattle to feed the poor and needy whose numbers increase when pilgrims gather. The leap from providing food during Hajj to declaring animal sacrifice obligatory is entirely unjustified.
The Eight Words Mistranslated as "Sacrifice":
Traditionalists translate eight distinct Arabic words as "sacrifice/qurban": - Nüsük (نُسُك)
- Mensek (مَنسَك)
- Hedy (هَدْي)
- Zibh (ذِبْح)
- Nahr (نَحْر)
- Udhiyya (أُضْحِيَة)
- Qurban (قُرْبَان)
- Bahimati l-an'am (بَهِيمَةُ الأَنْعَام)
It is a fundamental rule of linguistics and semantics that different words signal different meanings. The fact that these eight distinct words are all collapsed into a single concept — "slaughtering a sacrificial animal" — reveals that traditionalist interpretation is driven not by Quranic linguistics but by the hadith tradition already embedded in their minds.
Even the traditionally-oriented jurist Fakhr al-Din al-Razi acknowledged that mansak (Al-Hajj 22:67) refers to "ritual and religious law" (ibadat usulu ve şeriat) in a broad sense, and cautioned that restricting it exclusively to sacrifice has no justification.
Did the Prophet Celebrate Eid al-Adha?
> "Say: I am not an innovated messenger, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow what is revealed to me, and I am only a clear warner." (Al-Ahqaf 46:9)
A Response to the Traditionalist Defense
Traditionalist claim: "Sacrifice is beneficial — the poor get to eat meat. Why are you against it?"
Response: Does concern for the poor only arise once a year? If the commandments of the Quran were implemented and Quranic order governed social life, the poor would eat meat 365 days a year. Moreover, in Anatolia, many people — unaware of Quranic prohibitions — take out interest-bearing bank loans to purchase sacrificial animals. Intending to do good, they unknowingly commit what the Quran prohibits (haram).
Traditionalist claim: "Festivals and religious commemorations unite the Muslim community; estranged people reconcile."
Response: For 250 years, Muslims have been celebrating these festivals and commemorations while the Zionist-imperialist alliance dismantled the Ottoman Empire and established over 60 states across its former territories, colonizing and exploiting them. Nine million Israel is carrying out genocide in Palestine. The entire Muslim world of 1.5 billion is entrapped in the interest-based financial system. Which unity have these festivals produced? Which problem of the Ummah have they solved? The solution lies in holding fast to the Quran and establishing Islamic unity.
> "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided." (Al-Imran 3:103)
Conclusion
Qurban (sacrifice) means all acts of worship performed to draw closer to Allah. There are hundreds of millions of poor people in the Muslim world. Instead of slaughtering animals, the money spent on sacrificial animals should be given directly to those oppressed and destitute people, and their needs should be met. You cannot attain Allah's pleasure by performing an act that is neither *fard* (obligatory) nor sunnah (as defined by the Quran).
The Quran alone is sufficient for living Islam, and the Quran is the sole source of Islam:
> "Is it not sufficient for them that We revealed to you the Book which is recited to them? Indeed in that is a mercy and reminder for a people who believe." (Al-'Ankabut 29:51)
> "We have not neglected in the Register a thing." (Al-An'am 6:38)
> "And do not say about what your tongues assert of untruth, 'This is lawful and this is unlawful,' to invent falsehood about Allah. Indeed, those who invent falsehood about Allah will not succeed." (Al-Nahl 16:116)
