A TRIP TO THE BUTCHER

By Rahmah bint Haitham

Cairo, Egypt

When I was 4 years old Abi took me and my little brother Abdul Rahman on a trip to the gazzar (butcher). He was going so he could slaughter a sheep for our new baby sister Maryam’s aqeeqah. The shop was close to our house, but Abi drove so it wouldn’t be hard to take the meat home.   . 

When we got there Abi took us to go and sit down in some chairs over by a tree. The sheep was tied up to the tree we were sitting beside. I was scared a little bit at first but after that it was fun watching everything. Abi sat with us the whole time. He let the gazzar slaughter the sheep because he wanted to sit with us so we wouldn't be scared. 

After a little while the gazzar came and cut the rope that was holding the sheep to the tree, and started trying to hang him from his leg. But the sheep got away and ran from him! Probably because he didn't want to get slaughtered! But the gazzar caught him and put him on the ground and slaughtered him. Then he left him on the ground. Mommy said he did that so all the sheep's blood can get out of his body, so when we eat the meat the meat will be clean, because we can get sick if we eat meat that's not clean. 

The next day, Abi gave some of the meat to the bawab, and with the rest of it he got a man to cook it with some rice. Tita (my grandmother) and Ammatu Reham and Ammatu Reham's husband Ammu Hussein, and Ammu Hussein's mother and sister came over to eat with us and we had a nice time. 

Mommy taught me that we do the aqeeqah for the new baby because it's from the sunnah and this is how we thank Allaah for giving us a baby. Also because the parents make their child close to Allaah when they do the aqeeqah for their baby