With Eid-al-Azha approaching fast, every Pakistani is locked in a dilemma of what to buy for the traditional sacrifice this Eid. Would it be a bull or a cow? A sheep or a goat? And the only answer to this question rests in the maveshi mandi.
By tradition, sacrifice on Eid-al-Azha came upon Muslims when Hazrat Ibrahim AS was ordered by Allah Almighty to sacrifice his son, Hazrat Ismail AS. Such was the love and devotion of Hazrat Ibrahim AS, towards Allah, he didn’t think twice and almost sacrificed his son at the altar, before Allah replaced Hazrat Ismail AS with a sheep.
Source: pinterest.com
Ever since then, the tradition has followed. On the 10th day of Hajj, the Youm-e-Nehr, Muslims all over the world sacrifice in the name of Allah and give to the poor. However, these animals that are sacrificed are usually brought in from villages to cities. These animals are then sold in the open market.
In Pakistan, different maveshi mandis are held across the country, with the largest one being in Karachi, near Sohrab Goth. Hundreds of thousands of animals are sold in the mandi every year and everyone in the city goes to the outskirts to find the best animals. Some get what they want, while others blatantly become victims of fraud.
A video recently went viral on social media, which shows many men gathered around one guy who has been caught committing a fraud. The guy was selling a cow with fake teeth, ruining the whole concept of sacrifice. The man, when confronted, tried to come up with illogical explanations which came of no use.
Source: facebook.com
Not only this, people try to deceive others by fixing broken horns and hooves of animals with glue just so they can be sold. They even sell animals on the brink of death and by the time the animal reaches its owners’ home, it usually dies. When people come back with complaints, these sellers then turn away and say that the incident must have happened after the sale and it is not their fault. If confronted, they usually form their own mafia.
Pakistanis need to take this issue seriously and make sure they take along an expert when buying an animal for Eid, so they aren’t deceived easily. Also, authorities that provide allocated space to these people need to keep a check on the sort of bovine they bring into the city from villages, that upon defect they are asked to empty the space.
Here’s to hoping that the fraudulent mindset in Pakistanis someday fades away and such a sacred and religious event does not become a target of cheap and uncalled tampering.
