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dul Adha, or the Islamic Day of Sacrifice, underlines the message of equality in terms of poverty reduction.

Economically speaking, the holiday encourages the real sector due to soaring demand for cattle such as cows and goats ahead of the celebration. People also prepare for special meals marking the holiday, driving demand for basic needs such as eggs, chicken, chili, coconut, sugar, butter and spices.

However, many Muslims view Idul Adha as simply slaughtering the animals without taking its social dimension into account. Honestly, the slaughtered cattle provide only instant social benefit to the needy. The story will change a lot if the money to buy thousands or even millions of animals for sacrifice is allocated for financial aid to help the poor improve their economy.

This controversial notion has actually been proposed by noted Indonesian Muslim scholar and Nahdlatul Ulama chief patron Sahal Mahfudz.

For the poor, receiving ounces of meat is only a consumer commodity that will last a few days. After that, they continue to face difficulties in meeting their needs. It is not uncommon that they have to labor to get the meat. Worse, they could have contracted a social disease '€” being beggars '€” by visiting various abattoirs for meat.

Asking or begging is not worthy of praise and is discouraged. The Prophet Muhammad said that individuals who worked for their bounty, regardless how small the reward, are far better than those who beg. Apart from its effect on one'€™s image, begging or asking without justified reasons is also deemed to be a negative trait within the community, leading toward reliance on goodwill contributions from the public or specific organizations.

There is need for contextual distribution of the meet. The act of slaughtering could be one of the alternative solutions to reduce poverty on condition that this rite is to be implemented in transcendental and humane manners. Besides drawing closer to God, Idul Adha should also serve as a means to help others who are suffering or experiencing poverty.

Reinterpretation is needed to make such an act of slaughtering truly contributes to the community, focusing more upon humanitarian than theological transcendental dimensions. Management of sacrifice must empower the poor to avoid them from just being subjects of consumption.

Seen from the current ways of handling the livestock and meat, better and professional mechanisms have been actually applied by various social institutions. Many people transfer their money to the institutions for animal sacrifices in accordance with the agreements made. The agencies then buy sacrificial animals and distribute to the needy and poor in many places.

This sort of management is definitely as a result of ijtihad (interpretation), which attempts to interpret and present contemporary social worship in harmony with the historical development. Though it is not well codified in the Koran and Hadith of the Prophet, it is no wrong such an interpretation is so much about more functional management of sacrificial animals.

Delivery of the animal can be done through certain institutions, yet the meat distribution should be given more contextual interpretation. For example, the money collected does not necessarily to buy animals but also used for productive economic activities for those in need.

The approach can guarantee their lives and welfare in the long run. Moreover, if the program succeeds economically, the poor may turn into the have, who are required to offer charity and sacrifice for others.

Like it or not, it is time for Muslims to reinterpret the true and contextual teachings of Islam, as the late Muslim scholar Kuntowijoyo once put it. Islam is basically telling us to understand the social conditions of the people instead of relying on rituals only. In other words, Islam does not tolerate any rigidity regardless of place and time.

During the era of Prophet Muhammad, there was someone who wanted to perform the pilgrimage. Amid the journey he saw a poverty-stricken Muslim.

So he was thwarted in his intention of performing the pilgrimage with a view to helping his brother in need. The prophet, however, rated his noble act the same as the hajj although he never visited Mecca and saw the Kaaba.

The writer is a freelance writer living in Padang