Sufism Guru Bawa Ji's Teaching On Slaughtering Animals

[namjiwankaur]

My sheikh, the venerable Qutb of his time, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, said this on slaughtering animals. Its not word for word, I'll summarize. After I do my chores and feed my pups, I'll see if I can find it in his words.

Guru/Sheikh Bawa ji says:

Muhammad, pbuh, was so upset as he watched the Muslims. They would slaughter animals with no concern for the life they were ending. They wouldn't even use up all the animal as food. They thought nothing of wasting the gift of food from an animal sacrificed.

Allah, swt, told Muhammad to tell the Muslims this: Instead of killing two chickens, kill one lamb so only one animal must die. Instead of two lambs, only one sheep so only one animal must die; instead of two sheep one cow so only one animal must die.

Then to kill the animal, the Bismillah (In the Name of God, She Who Is the Most Compassionate of the Compassionate, the Infinitely Merciful) must be said while looking in the animals eyes as it faces Mecca. The animal must be thanked for giving its life so others may eat. Then the animal must be slaughtered while looking in its eye so the one slaughtering knows the tears coming out of the animals eyes as it knows its life is about to end.

Bawa says that God told Muhammad, if all these factors are in place when an animal is slaughtered it should make the heart too compassionate for the animal to be able to follow through on slaughtering it.

I know Naben ji will find this all very haram so I place it in my own thread. This way, I feel my sheikh and Allah are both honored from within my heart, by sharing such a life-giving and compassion-increasing story.

Many Muslims in these times somehow forget that our Beloved is the She who is the Most Compassionate of the Compassionate, the Most Merciful: meaning it is also our duty to say thank You to the One with our acts of compassion and mercy.

Ya Allah! O Compassionate One! May my heart be softened by Your Compassion. Estaghirullah! Forgive me for all the compassionate opportunities you gave me and I failed to respond to with that compassion I could have responded with.

Nam Jiwan

 

[Ambarsaria]

Thank you Namji{censored}aur ji for sharing the above. I do have a question on one line which to me requires little elaboration so I may understand with my limited knowledge as the rest I can comprehend.

............. Bawa says that God told Muhammad, if all these factors are in place when an animal is slaughtered it should make the heart too compassionate for the animal to be able to follow through on slaughtering it ...................

I much agree with the above statement and the force of compassionate logic behind it. We know that slaughtering still happens and is carried out almost joyously. So does the above statement imply that the people so practicing have not risen to the level of compassion that "God told Muhammad"? So are they in violation of Muhammad's teachings?

Also, in this context is all slaughtering to be looked down upon by those practicing Islam?

Just as a note I do believe (stand corrected as generalizations are not good) that Muslims are the biggest consumers of meat from what I can tell and it is not restricted to just beef (including camels) either and goes up and down from fish, chicken and beef with everything in between.

Regards.

 

[namjiwankaur]

Sat Nam _/|\_

@ambarsaria ji

Good questions and concerns.

I can't answer for God or Muhammad, pbuh. I do know Muhammad was known for being very gentle and loving with animals. Sort of like Saint Francis ... he spoke to them, interacted lovingly with them. Even with dogs who some say are "haram" in Islam. On the way to a battle he came across a mother dog and her pups and didn't want them to be scared or hurt by the battle...so he ordered them to be moved to a safer place.

I have asked some of Bawa's devotees about how Bawa felt about the sacrificing of animals in Islam, but no one responds. I think it is probably one of those things they don't freely share. Obviously and understandably, to have the qutb condemn killing animals is not going to make a very good impression on the Islamic community.

I have a really hard time during Eid sacrifice which just took place so this is still a tense topic for me. But I would like to say there was even a Huffington Post article on the topic of ending the sacrifice in Islam.

I believe Jesus had a deep and profound message for humanity. He didn't say "he died for our sins" as in now we're all scot-free. My understanding of it is different. He died so that the peoples of the world (back then, but obviously it would be relevant for all time) would stop sacrificing blood and sacrifice ego and submit to the One Creator instead.

Keep asking the questions. I will respond as able. I'm going through some things emotionally right now and I need to make that my priority and not be triggered by things, but it often helps to discuss this, too. Its something I've never felt comfortable discussing online before, but one effect of taking the spirtual name "Nam Jiwan" is a deeper commitment to the well-being of others, even if it means putting myself at risk for criticism and condemnation.

Ugh. I am blabbering away. I apologize.

Nam Jiwan

 

[Kanwaljit.Singh]

It's a nice thread. But in today's world there is no place for compassion. It is seen as a mark of weakness. And we don't want animals to take over the world now that we have bred them so much in our farmlands!

 

[Brother Onam]

There was a wise holy man named Tirthaswami Krishnapada, who taught: any religion that calls for the spilling of blood is a fallen religion. Not to say the religion has no merit, only that it is fallen from the holiness of its source.

 

[harcharanjitsinghdhillon]

tigers, lions and all meat eating animals, has a short intestines.. meat must be digested fast and expel fast.. so shorter types intestines are required for digesting meat.. so all meat eating animals has a shorter intestines.. but a human beings intestines are longer, so meat is not suitable for longer types intestines... vegetarian diet is suitable for longer types intestines,, because no harm will come when digesting vegetables are moving in a longer intestines.. meat is not suitable to be kept in a longer intestines for longer time, slowly in a long run it can harm the general health.. this is only my oppinion it can be right or wrong.. thanks

 

[Brother Onam]

All praise be to Him Above,
I appreciate your contribution suggesting humans are anatomically designed to be vegetarians. For such a wayward species it is always wise to consider how we were indeed intended to live, by His design.
Have you ever seen a cat stalking a bird? It will creep low in the grass, its lips twitching, tail flickering, intense state of excitement, saliva flowing. This is the response carnivorous animals feel when they see movement; the sign prey is near. The movement of living prey triggers this excitement and bloodthirst.
I don't think I've met (I hope I haven't met!) any person who responds this way when a goat or chicken comes into view. Indeed, flesh has to be cooked and seasoned to become appealing at all. No, humans are actually turned on by the sight of a ripe mango, a freshly cut pineapple, freshly squeezed orange juice. This is the response of a natural vegetarian creature.
Chewing and digesting animal flesh is already low, but to couch it in "holiness" and pseudo-science about "painlessness", "prayers" and theories about anguish and death-throes being the physical response of blood leaving the muscle of the calm, happy animal being bled out; it's just obscene.
Sorry for the harsh imagery, but it is the requirement of a Sikh to defend Truth in all things. May the peace and guidance of Har Har Rae be upon you always.

 

[namjiwankaur]

SatNam _/|\_

@Onam ji ::: I am 99% in agreement here. I consider myself one who strives to be non-violent, but I know I often fall short in thoughts, words and deeds. I lose my temper, I harden my heart toward certain types of ppl, etc.. May the Beloved lead me to a place where I am truly and completely non-violent.

That being said, I contemplated on a verse from Quran and realized there are a couple events that I would use force if I had to. " And persecution is more deplorable than killing." (Quran 2:217)

I used to disagree wholeheartedly with this statement. But I also spent a lot of time contemplating and came to realize a few things about myself.

I think violence against Hitler and the Nazis was necessary so that all those imprisoned in concentration camps could be set free. If anything, we waited too long before we helped out. I know Jesus pbuh is a perfect example of ahimsa in action, but I would have trouble reacting like him in certain situations. When I see the people of countries oppressed by tyrannical rulers, I also feel it might be appropriate to risk bloodshed in order to set the ppl free. That being said, I think violence must always be the last resort and all efforts must be made to bring about the necessary result via non-violent methods.

Would you agree or disagree with me there? I would like to know how you view what I've written.

@harcharanjit ji
That is very interesting. I didn't know that. Biology is, for me, a way to prove God's existence. The way life forms are put together in such interesting ways never ceases to amaze me!

 

[namjiwankaur]

Sat Nam _/|\_

Onam ji

I love what you have shared here. It is a perspective I was unaware of, but it is so true.

I do want to say something light hearted here about icecream kaur icecreamkaur My mind goes into prey mode when I want to attack an icecream cone. lol lol lol

Nam Jiwan

All praise be to Him Above,
I appreciate your contribution suggesting humans are anatomically designed to be vegetarians. For such a wayward species it is always wise to consider how we were indeed intended to live, by His design.
Have you ever seen a cat stalking a bird? It will creep low in the grass, its lips twitching, tail flickering, intense state of excitement, saliva flowing. This is the response carnivorous animals feel when they see movement; the sign prey is near. The movement of living prey triggers this excitement and bloodthirst.
I don't think I've met (I hope I haven't met!) any person who responds this way when a goat or chicken comes into view. Indeed, flesh has to be cooked and seasoned to become appealing at all. No, humans are actually turned on by the sight of a ripe mango, a freshly cut pineapple, freshly squeezed orange juice. This is the response of a natural vegetarian creature.
Chewing and digesting animal flesh is already low, but to couch it in "holiness" and pseudo-science about "painlessness", "prayers" and theories about anguish and death-throes being the physical response of blood leaving the muscle of the calm, happy animal being bled out; it's just obscene.
Sorry for the harsh imagery, but it is the requirement of a Sikh to defend Truth in all things. May the peace and guidance of Har Har Rae be upon you always.