Muslims prepare for Eid-ul-Adha

The South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF) is preparing for Eid-ul-Adha, the Islamic festival of sacrifice, this week.

Muslims around the world will commemorate the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his only son, Ismail, as an act of devotion to Allah.

Every Muslim who has the financial means should perform the sacrifice or qurbani and distribute the meat to family and the poor, keeping a third for personal use. The method of performing qurbani is that the slaughtering happens as quickly and as painlessly as possible for the animal.

"Eid-ul-Adha serves as a gratitude to God almighty, and this execution of charity is classified as a human right. The prophet Muhammad emphasised the compassionate treatment of animals and prescribed humane slaughter of permissible animals. All sacrifices should be free from defects and treated with dignity and respect," said GH Suleman, provincial co-ordinator for SANZAF in KwaZulu-Natal.

Some four million destitute Muslims in Mozambique and half a million in Malawi will benefit from the meat distribution by SANZAF.