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cause the money value of the animal that was to have been
sacrificed at Mecca during the days of Hajj. (15)
One last remark relates to the question of sacrifice and
what it actually syrnbolizes. As already stated in the discus-
sion of the 'Ids, it is not the meat or blood that pleases God.
It is the expression of thankfulness to Him, the affirmation
of faith in Him, that historic event when prophet Abra-
ham was ordered to offer his son in sacrifice, an order which
the father and son were ready to obey unquestioningly. But
the son's life was spared and ransomed by a ram. The offer-
ing of the sacrifice has become an annual celebration to
commemorate the occasion and thank God for His Favors.
15) There is a highly learned discussion by the late great Imam
Mahmoud Shaltoot in his Al-Fatawa (Cairo: Al-Azhar University Press,
1959), pp. 152-160. We respectfully disagree with certain points in that
statement, Yet we cannot say that our view is the only true Islamic
position; such an attitude would be presumptuous and even irresponsible.
But we can say this: to the extent that the institution of Hajj bears on social
life it belongs to that braneh of Shari'ah (Islamic Law) which is called
Mu'amalat (human transactions). This braneh of law complements the
braneh of 'Ibadat (matters of "worship" and rituals), to which the Hajj
institution is commonly believed to belong. However, the two branehes-
are inseparable and it can be said that the Hajj, in a very significant sense,
is pan of the Mu'amalat. Recognizing that social dimension of Hajj and the
practical problem of wasting so much needed food, money and effort, we
should reinterpret the rules of sacrifice in such a way as to remain in
harmony with the spirit of Islam and retain a reasonable level of sanity,
rationality, and reaiism. We therefore, offer the said interpretation with a
prayer that it wili be acceptable to God and helpful to our fellow Muslims.