New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani, on Tuesday, urged Muslims not to sacrifice prohibited animals on Eid-ul-Azha, to be celebrated across the country on May 28.
He also is urged members of the community to avoid sharing pictures of slaughtered animals on social media.
A person on whom sacrifice is obligatory must perform this obligation, Madani said in his message to the Muslims, as reported by Deccan Herald.
In view of the current situation, it is important that Muslims take precautionary measures on their own, he said.
“Avoid advertising, especially sharing pictures of slaughtered animals on social media,” Madani said.
Muslims must also strictly follow the government guidelines while performing the sacrifice and avoid the sacrifice of prohibited animals, the JU-i-H chief said.
“If mischievous elements, at any place, prevent the sacrifice of a buffalo, some sensible and influential people should take the administration into confidence, and then sacrifice should be offered,” he said.
“If, however, there is no way to fulfil this religious obligation, then a sacrifice should be offered in a nearby place where there is no difficulty,” Madani said.
He stressed the need to maintain cleanliness during the festival, urging Muslims, Jamiat volunteers and imams to not only make announcements from mosques but also actively participate in cleanliness campaigns by forming teams of volunteers to properly dispose of waste after the sacrifice.
The religious leader said that the teams should actively take part in the campaign to keep their areas clean, he said.
“It must be ensured that no one faces any discomfort or harm by our actions,” Madani added.
On Monday, former vice-president of India Hamid Ansari appealed to Muslims not to slaughter cows during Eid-ul-Azha and urged the Centre to heed Madani’s suggestion and declare the cow as the national animal.
Madani had earlier said that the cow should be granted the status of the national animal.
Muslims would have no objection to this; rather, they would be pleased that mob lynching carried out in the name of cow protection would come to an end, he said.
What political compulsion was preventing the government from declaring the cow the national animal when a majority of people in the country regard it as sacred and accord it the status of a mother, the Muslim cleric had questioned.
