The uḍḥiyah (sacrifice) in its true nature and origin is the redemption of the higher with the lower. Thus, the human being was redeemed with an animal:
"And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice." (37:107)
The fundamental requirement has always been to confront deficiency within the human self - a deficiency so deep that a person might offer their own life in devotion or be sacrificed for others. Allah says:
"So repent to your Creator, and kill yourselves..." (2:54)
and
"Indeed, I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you..." (37:102)
But with the advancement of knowledge and religious understanding, as we previously explained, the human was redeemed by the animal. Yet, the true purpose of animal sacrifice - and of all forms of devotion - is to refine the self.
This refinement begins from the outer self, then deepens and moves inward, chasing deficiency to its depths. Today, our need for peace is a matter of life or death. Peace on earth cannot be achieved unless it is first achieved within the human self.
But the self will not attain peace while it is entrenched in ego. Therefore, the uḍḥiyah now must return to its true essence: the slaying of the inner deficiency in the human being.
And just as the end mirrors the beginning - though not exactly - today’s “killing” is no longer physical but spiritual, achieved through powerful and precise thought by which we rid ourselves of inner defects.
Thus, this is the time for the greater jihad - the struggle against the self. What is required now is not drawing near to God by killing a disbeliever or slaughtering an animal, but rather killing the lower self within each of us, in obedience to the prophetic command: “Die before you die.”
We will elaborate on this further in the remainder of this chapter.

In the Age of Peace, Thought - Not Animal Sacrifice - is the True Offering and Redemption

The noble Prophet (peace be upon him) lifted the obligation of sacrifice from his nation! His Companions understood and followed this - signaling the end of the era of drawing near to God and offering redemption through animals, and the beginning of the era of drawing near and redeeming through thought!
That is: thought that is disciplined by worship, refined by the etiquette of religion, and purified of selfish desires - in other words, upright thought.
Indeed, the essence of the Prophet’s sunnah is upright thought. We could even define the sunnah as: thought.
As Ustadh Mahmoud Mohammed Taha writes in The Path of Muhammad:
“The life of the Prophet was entirely goodness, presence, and thought - in all that he did and refrained from. Just as his acts of worship were thoughtful and renewing, not habitual, so too were his customs imbued with thought, worship, and balance. He would give preference to the right over the left. He loved what was auspicious. And whenever given a choice between two options, he chose the easier of the two - so long as it was not sinful. He remained in constant remembrance and contemplation in all his movements. Even his sleep, eating, and clothing were acts of thought. His actions embodied the meanings of the Qur’an. The fruit of his prayer, reflection, and remembrance in all his states was the sweetness of his character, which endeared him to hearts and made him a model to follow.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“One hour of contemplation is better than seventy years of worship.”
Why? Because upright thought is the sum total of Islamic responsibilities. The Qur’an was revealed, the laws were legislated, and the commands were made binding - all for the purpose of producing upright thought. Allah says:
“And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may explain to people what was sent down to them - and so that they may reflect.” (16:44)
True human dignity is not attained in its fullness unless the individual corrects their condition and elevates their capacity from within - through thought, not through an external medium like an animal that is used as a means of devotion or redemption.
Thus, when a person redeems themselves through their own thought - through actions like repentance and gratitude, which are fundamentally mental and spiritual acts - they are awakening their inner perceptive faculties and training them to fully take responsibility for their own reformation and spiritual ascent.
This form of self-redemption also liberates the animal from being used as an object of sacrifice and broadens the scope of life, uplifting our relationship with all living beings and even with inanimate things.

The End of the Sacrifice in the Age of Peace

There is a connection between the slaughter of sacrificial animals and the killing of disbelievers in Islam.
War was permitted in Islam against disbelievers as a transitional measure - because their minds at that stage were not sufficiently mature to recognize the truth and commit to it. Therefore, such harsh guardianship was imposed.
Even the act of fighting disbelievers by the hands of believers was a milder stage that came after the era of divine punishments in past nations - such as floods, storms, and thunderbolts - due to their even greater brutality and dullness of heart.
Allah said regarding this war:
“Fight them - Allah will punish them by your hands, disgrace them, give you victory over them, and heal the hearts of believing people.” (9:14)
Such war verses were revealed in Medina, abrogating earlier Meccan verses of peace, which humanity at the time was not yet ready to embrace, such as:
“And say: the truth is from your Lord - so whoever wills, let him believe; and whoever wills, let him disbelieve…” (18:29)
Today, however - in this era where humanity’s need for peace is existential, and where modern philosophies have utterly failed to bring about global peace - human intellects have matured and are capable of recognizing and committing to the truth.
So, the ruling of our time demands that we revive the verses of peace and abrogate the verses of war.
And under the shade of this Age of Peace, which can only be completed through the revival of Islam, animal sacrifice also comes to an end. The animal is redeemed from being slaughtered in religious rituals.
(Was not the believer rewarded for fighting the disbeliever?)
It is enough that the disbeliever, by mere disbelief, serves as redemption for the believer:
“And it is not for a soul to believe except by the permission of Allah, and He places defilement upon those who do not use reason.” (10:100)
It is also enough that the mere existence of the animal serves as redemption for humanity - by virtue of humans rising above the level of animality and by the animal being subjugated for human benefit.
In the Age of Peace, the Prophet said:
“The Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand others are safe.”
And the term “Muslim” here expands to include all living beings and even inanimate objects - since every rational and irrational being is a Muslim before Allah.
As the Qur’an says:
“Do they seek other than the religion of Allah, while to Him have submitted all those in the heavens and the earth - willingly or unwillingly - and to Him they will be returned?” (3:83)
and
“There is not a thing except that it glorifies His praise - but you do not understand their glorification.” (17:44)
Therefore, in the Age of Peace, the Muslim refrains from killing animals for the sake of sacrifice or religious closeness, because they now possess a superior and deeper alternative: thought.