REMINISCING LIVE KORBAN 2021 – SAWDUST IN MY EYES

After live korban 2021, Zakaria from Aaliyah’s Pte Ltd shared this little missive with the sohibul korban via individual WhatsApp messages. 

This is just a little missive from Aaliyah’s Pte Ltd.

We would like to extend our greatest gratitude to Allah SWT.  With His Blessings and Grace we have successfully completed the only LIVE korban in Singapore this year.

We also thank our great group of volunteers who have made this event possible.  Those who were at the event on Eidul Adha would have noticed an “angmo” pushing a wheel barrow to throw rubbish, amongst his many duties.   And more importantly, we want to thank you – our sohibul – for entrusting us to carry out this heavy amanah. 

I’d like to think that besides being our customers, we have also become friends.  Many of you visited the farm every weekend to feed your goats, in line with the sunnah of the Prophet (saw).  Other than feeding the goats, you also brought chicken rice, fried rice, drinks, pisang goreng, green-coloured nasi lemak, chicken rice, epok2, durian goreng, chicken rice, donuts, etc, to the haggard people from Aaliyah’s.  As you can see, chicken rice is a favourite dish of Singaporeans. 

Even on korban days, many were generous.  One gentleman, having witnessed his slaughter had to leave the farm to run some errands.  He returned to the farm with ketupat, rendang, sambal goreng, etc.  Fortunately, by then most of my colleagues had already eaten, so I enjoyed the spread with another who had not eaten.  Lucky us.  Then in the evening, a lady spoke to me, and asked how many staff were still working.  I said 30.  Then she turned to her daughter and commanded her to order 50 packets of chicken rice (did I say that chicken rice is a quintessential Singaporean dish?).  Another kind couple donated 30 packets of briyani which had been cooked with the korban meat.

You know who you are.  Thank you very much.

جزاكم الله خيرا كثيرا

When we started this project, we wanted to uphold the “syiar” of Islam in Singapore.  As one gentleman told us on the day he purchased his goat – do NOT let others tell you how to live your religion.  We took our obligations seriously.  We encouraged sohibul to visit the farm regularly.  And little by little, you could see the attachments these sohibul have for their goats.  Some have even been given names.  To protect the guilty I shall not name them.  And on korban days, we could see some were very teary-eyed (though they may blame the sawdust at the slaughter area).  This was the effect that we wanted the sohibul to feel, if only to share a miniscule amount of feeling that Prophet Ibrahim (as) must have felt when commanded by Allah to sacrifice his son.

Although many of the volunteers have experienced carrying out korban activities in mosques, many were not prepared for the big and heavy goats that they had to handle.  This is one reason many of you waited for a long time to witness the slaughter, and thereafter to collect the meat.  For that, we sincerely apologise and seek your forgiveness.

After the last goat was slaughtered, Rafee Eunos called me to one side. He cried, gave me a (side) hug and said – “Abang, we did it”.  Yes, big and brash Rafee has a soft disposition too.  And I must also thank my lucky stars that he didn’t bear hug me.  And it’s not because I was afraid of being squeezed; it was the kambing smell on him.

And if you’re wondering whether I cried, it was the sawdust.

Zakaria

23 July 2021