"So today no ransom will be taken from you, nor from those who disbelieved. Your abode is the Fire. It is your protector - and what a miserable destination! Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened - and many of them are defiantly disobedient?" (57:15-16)

Preface to the Third Edition

Today, we present to the public the third edition of our book:
"The Sacrifice Is Not Obligatory!! Neither on the Poor!! Nor on the Rich!!"
By the grace of Allah, the previous two editions of this book were met with great success. Our esteemed readers received it well. This is a sound indication that the book arrived precisely at its appointed time. Praise and gratitude be to Allah.
There is no argument between us and you:
This book has presented authentic evidences from the noble Sunnah and from the practices of the most eminent Companions, establishing that the sacrifice (uḍḥiyah) is not binding on the ummah. It has left no argument for anyone to use against us. There is no argument between us and you.
In this preface, we are not bringing new textual proofs, as the body of the book has sufficiently covered that. The new point here is that we are calling on the public to commit - to commit to abandoning the sacrifice this year.
From the many discussions we have had about this book, it has become clear that people do not possess a single religious proof in opposing our stance. Rather, they follow the dominance of habit, without knowledge, guidance, or an enlightening Book.
For this reason, we firmly call upon all members of the public to refrain from performing the sacrifice, just as the senior Companions, their wealthy and scholarly figures did - and just as the Republicans have been doing for quite some time.
It is now well within reach for the average person to know that sacrifice is not religiously mandatory. So let your knowledge be followed by action, for there is no benefit in knowledge that is not acted upon. Our people have become aware of this matter, so let that awareness assist us in applying our shari‘ah - and let our shari‘ah open itself to the spirit of our religion.
Do people not fear this divine warning:
"And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive?" (39:55)

Leave the Sacrifice This Year

The annual sacrifice has always constituted a heavy economic burden on families. But this year, it is even more impactful - even on families with above - average incomes. As is known, the price of an average sheep now exceeds sixty Sudanese pounds - excluding additional expenses.
This material reality is a practical example from Allah illustrating the necessity of abandoning the sacrifice - lifting hardship and averting difficulty:
"And such examples We set forth for mankind, but none will understand them except those of knowledge." (29:43)
It goes without saying that the Republicans do not subordinate legislation to economic conditions, nor do they evade religious obligations for fear of hardship. Rather, they perceive the breadth and flexibility of the texts, which can accommodate changing circumstances.
Now, the ruling of time has abrogated the sacrifice. And time is one of Allah’s signs - indeed, it is one of His greatest signs!
On the matter of the sacrifice, we are not calling for the development of Islamic legislation. We have merely presented it in its traditional form - which is sufficient to justify abandoning the sacrifice. After that, we elevated the discussion to noble meanings of redemption.
If those who claim to be jurists had proper insight into the law, they would have ruled that the sacrifice is no longer required - without much scholarly effort. It is a matter that is plainly evident.

“So Today No Ransom Will Be Taken from You”

This worldly life is the lower life. The Hereafter is the higher life. The higher life is the life of the human being:
"And this worldly life is nothing but play and amusement. But the Home of the Hereafter is indeed the true Life, if only they knew." (29:64)
The word ḥayawān (true life) is an emphatic form of "life" - a concrete realization through which our lower life ascends into the realms of the higher life.
Those who truly know (al-ʿārifūn) are already - now, not later - living the higher life. They have fulfilled and implemented the prophetic instruction:
“Die before you die.”
Whoever does not enter the higher life now will not find it later - except after enduring torment in the Fire. Read, if you wish:
"And whoever is blind in this life will be blind in the Hereafter and more astray in path." (17:72)
In the higher life, Allah does not take any ransom from us - except our very selves. And the concept of fidāʾ (ransom or redemption) in Islam is evolving, subtle, and never-ending.
The father of the prophets, Abraham, redeemed the human sacrifice with an animal. The Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, redeemed the animal with knowledge:
“So today no ransom will be taken from you.” (57:15)
The principle is that the lesser ransoms the greater: the animal ransoms the human, and the ignorant ransoms the knowledgeable:
“And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah. And He places defilement upon those who do not use reason.” (10:100)
If Allah had not placed the burden of the believer upon the disbeliever, the believer would never have believed.
And the gnostic ransoms parts of himself for other parts - his denser aspect may be afflicted as redemption for his finer aspect. The body of the knower - his outer shell - may suffer in redemption for his heart and mind, as happened to the Prophet of Allah, Job (Ayyūb).
The Arab poet captured this well when he said:
“Our bodies may be stricken, Yet our honor and minds remain unharmed.”
If all of this is so - how do we persist in slaughtering animals while neglecting our own selves, leaving them in ignorance?
“And in your own selves - do you not then see?” (51:21)
Once again, leave the sacrifice this year.
There is no strong religious basis for continuing it. We have reminded you of the verses of your Lord - so do not fall before them deaf and blind.
• The religious argument supports abandoning the sacrifice.
• The economic argument supports abandoning the sacrifice.
• The health argument supports abandoning the sacrifice.
• The social argument supports abandoning the sacrifice.
So, what remains?
Abandon the sacrifice. It is ignorance of religion and ignorance of our time. In one phrase:
"The sacrifice today is ignorance of religion."
So abandon it. And do not be like those who were given the Scripture before you - then the term was prolonged for them and their hearts hardened…
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth?” (57:16)
Yes - the time has come!