Sacrifice is not Obligatory, According to the Quran
The word “qurban” means “to draw near” (Raghib al-Isfahani, Mufradat, Q-R-B article), that is, “an act that brings one closer to Allah.” This drawing closer can take any form. For example, a person may slaughter an animal and distribute it as a means of gaining Allah’s pleasure and drawing closer to Him. However, it is not in accordance with the Quran to consider animal sacrifice as the only way to get closer to Allah. There is no obligation in the Quran to offer sacrifice an masse.
Some of the verses in the Quran that are cited as evidence for sacrifice are as follows:
Surat al-Kawthar, Adam’s two sons and Abraham’s desire to sacrifice his son.
Let us first examine Surat al-Kawthar:
“ ’In-nā ’a‘ṭaynāka l-kawthar.
Faṣal-li lirab-bika wanḥar.
’in-na shāni’aka huwa l-’abtar.” (al-Kawthar [108] 1-3).
When we look at the parable of the “Two Sons of Adam” (al-Maida [5] 27), the verse does not mention the slaughter of an animal. The word “qurbanan قُرْبَانًا” is nakra (indefinite). That is, any sign of closeness to Allah means an act done with the desire to be close to Allah.
As for the claim that Prophet Ibrahim attempted to slaughter his son, there is no command from Allah Almighty in the Quran to slaughter his son (see as-Saffat [37] 102-107). His son did not say, “cut my throat,” but “Do what you are commanded to do.” Our Almighty Lord has strictly forbidden the unjust killing and taking of life (al-Baqara [2] 178; al-Anam [6] 151; al-Isra [17] 33; al-Maida [5] 32; an-Nisa [4] 92, 93). It is impossible that Prophet Abraham did not know about this very important commandment. In addition, it is inconceivable that a Prophet, who is described as a role model for the believers (al-Mumtahana [60] 4), would attempt to kill his son as a sacrifice to Allah.
Finally, let us look at whether animal sacrifice is obligatory in the Quran.
In the Quran, the term sacrifice refers only to pilgrims going to Mecca to perform the Hajj (al-Baqara [2] 196; al-Hajj [22] 28, 34, 36).
The sacrifice slaughtered by pilgrims in Mecca is the “Hady Sacrifice (Hady / gift, Udhiya)” means an animal dedicated to Allah, that is, to the public. These are set aside for Muslims to eat while performing the pilgrimage. A necklace, a sign (shaair-illah), is attached to the hady for the following purpose: This animal will go to the pilgrimage area. The pilgrims will eat it (al-Hajj [22] 36).
[When Al-Baqarah [2] 196 was revealed, the most suitable food for Hajj was live animals. Because at that time there were no deep freezers or refrigerators. Animals were taken as ready-made food for pilgrims. These were slaughtered, cooked and served to pilgrims and officials].
According to the Quran, sacrificing during Hajj is not obligatory, but optional. This is because:
As we have seen, sacrifice is not obligatory during Hajj, but is left to the choice of the believers.
Conclusion: The sacrifice (qurban) mentioned in the Quran is related to Hajj. It is not only slaughtering and distributing animals as a means of closeness to Allah.