Qurban (Ritual Sacrifice): Difference between revisions

Qurban (قربان, Urdu and Persian ghorbani/qorbani قرباني) means "sacrifice" in Arabic. It's origin is actually Aramaic and ultimately Hebrew. The consonantal root ق-ر-ب is semantically associated with the idea of closeness, such as the common adjective قريب "qarib" meaning "close" (also as a noun close one/relative). Its ultimate meaning stems from the ancient sacrifices of the priests in Jerusalem, who would "come close" to the שכינה‎ "shekhina", the holy presence of God (יהוה YHVH) to offer YHVH the sacrifice. The Islamic tradition recognizes at least two close instances of human sacrifice which were averted at last second and contemporary Muslims continue to engage in yearly animal sacrifice on عيد الأضحى "Eid Al-Adha", the Eid of the Sacrifice. The word is also used in Christian Arabic to refer to the "sacrifice" of the Mass, where the priest consecrates the sacrificial "blood and body" of the Lord Jesus Christ.