Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – With Eid Al Adha fast approaching, world-leading Moroccan Muslim cleric Ahmed Raissouni, former head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), has stressed the significance of sacrifice, charity (zakat), and financial jihad in the wake of the devastating war on Gaza and the West Bank.
Traditionally, Eid Al Adha is marked by the ritual sacrifice of animals, symbolizing selflessness and charity, Raissouni said. However, he noted that scholars have debated whether performing the sacrifice or donating its equivalent value to the needy is more virtuous.
He added that while some, including companions of the Prophet Muhammad, favored charity over sacrifice, the majority of scholars advocate for the primacy of the sacrificial ritual as it embodies both charity and the observance of an Islamic rite.
In light of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ bloody war on Palestinians, Raissouni emphasized the urgency of supporting them through financial means.
“This situation, which we witness and experience, embodies all meanings of necessity, in various forms and degrees. Indeed, it involves necessities that were unimaginable to many,” he said.
Read also: Ahmed Raissouni’s Mauritania Statements Spark Controversy
He also stated that it is an obligatory duty upon all Muslims to engage in financial jihad, especially for those who are unable to physically participate in armed struggle. Raissouni quoted Quranic verses and prophetic traditions to stress the significance of jihad, both in terms of physical engagement and financial support for the mujahideen
“Our brothers in the Gaza Strip are engaged in a jihad that is, by consensus of scholars, an obligatory duty upon all Muslims until Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque are liberated. However, the people of Gaza are engaged in this jihad alone, bearing its burdens and consequences almost by themselves,” he said.
In this respect, Raissouni encouraged Muslims who are unable to physically engage in jihad to contribute financially to the resistance efforts in Palestine.
He also stressed that Palestinians should be prioritized as recipients of zakat, an obligatory form of charity in Islam.
The Moroccan scholar concluded by encouraging those who are financially able and can sacrifice animals for Eid Al Adha to consider donating the equivalent value of the sacrifice to Palestinians.
