No substitute to sacrificing animals on Eid-ul-Azha: Grand Mufti

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam on Tuesday said that there is no substitute to sacrificing animals (Qurbani) on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha and people intending to sacrifice animals must follow proper guidelines and take extreme precautions while distributing the sacrificial meat among neighbours and relations.

He, however, said that due to the prevailing pandemic, the sacrificial meat should be distributed within the vicinity only while maintaining the highest level of hygiene.

Mufti Nasir said that sacrificing animals, goat, sheep, cow, buffalo, and camels, on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, is mandatory as per Islamic jurisprudence.

“So COVID-19 shouldn’t be made an excuse for not offering Qurbani on Eid-ul-Azha eve. My appeal to the people who can afford Qurbani is that they should take all the precautions and maintain hygiene of all levels while performing Qurbani and also while distributing the meat from the sacrificial animals,” he said, adding, “Not all family members should touch the Qurbani meat and only one member from each family should wrap mutton pieces in polythene before distribution.”

Asked if a COVID-positive person intended to perform Qurbani, Mufti Nasir said that he should allow other family members to sacrifice the animal on his behalf. “There is no harm in doing that,” he said.

Interestingly, Srinagar is witnessing a fresh lockdown in the wake of spurt in COVID-19 positive cases and rise in the deaths due to the pandemic.