Hyderabad: Qurbani services for Bakrid animal sacrifice

Hyderabad: Muslims are gearing up for the upcoming Bakrid. With no running around in the market to buy animals for sacrifice and no need to scout for the butcher for slaughter, they are showing interest in the Qurbani services, which include buying, sacrifice, arranging slaughter, cutting and processing meat, and delivering it to customers at doorstep.

They are outsourcing the work to cattle traders and other groups, who not only buy sheep, goats or cattle for them, but also slaughter the animals and deliver the meat at their doorsteps or distribute it among the poor and needy, as per their wish.

This year Bakrid falls on July 10. It is observed on the tenth day of the last Islamic month 'Zilhajjah'. The faithful sacrifice animals for three days. In this month, Haj is also performed. It takes place between the eighth and 13th day of the last lunar month.

The traders and organisations are not just handling the sacrifice of cattle, but also making arrangements for slaughter of sheep or goats. The pandemic has helped such services gain popularity and acceptability since the last two years. Covid forced people to stay indoors. As a result, the e-commerce market got its mass acceptability. Instead of sacrificing the animals on their own, they are outsourcing the entire job to traders and organisations.

The arrangements for the collective sacrifice of animals on three days of Bakrid have been made by a few organisations, particularly at the Deeni Madarsa.

According to them, now it is difficult for people to follow the old practice, moving around in crowded markets for purchasing sheep, goat or buffaloes, feeding them for two or three days, conforming to legal and social restrictions in sacrificing the animals at their door and searching for a butcher for slaughtering and cutting the meat. Many people are switching to Qurbani services offered by many organisations, traders and Islamic institutions," said a member of Idara Madarsa, located in Old City.

One of the observers said people residing in flats, in residential complexes and gated communities, particularly in mixed-religion areas, find this practice of surrogate or remote sacrifice as the best option. It allows smooth performance of a religious ritual without hurting anyone. Some residents of tradition-bound Old City are also opting for this facility," felt Mohammed Akhlaq.

Shaik Omer of Tolichowki said the Qurbani services method is already popular in several Muslim countries. Though there is satisfaction of purchasing an animal of our choice and keeping it in houses for two-three days and slaughtering it in our presence, this alternative method is safe and risk-free. This trend is getting popular in our city as well," said Omer.