KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — A gigantic 1.2-tonne bull, affectionately known as ‘Gemuk’, was chosen for the sacrificial rites because it was the best, said Ikhlas Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, Ikhlas Kamarudin.
He said that Gemuk, of the Charolais breed, was estimated to have a market value of more than RM30,000 and was raised by Muhammad Bakri Bukhari, a farmer from Bera, Pahang, who was a customer of the Umrah package offered by Ikhlas Sdn Bhd.
"When Gemuk was brought home by Muhammad Bakri, he weighed only 600 kilogrammes, but four years later he weighed a whopping 1.2 tonnes.
"The reason why we chose Gemuk for the sacrificial rites this year is that he is the best bull. The act of sacrifice is not just about the act of giving, it is also about giving our best,” he said after the sacrificial rites at the Ikhlasiah Mosque, Pantai Dalam, near here, today.
Gemuk, named the King of Sado 2022 in the East Coast Sado Cattle Gathering 2022, held earlier this month, was donated by an individual through Ikhlas Sdn Bhd, a digital Islamic lifestyle platform, to Ikhlasiah Mosque to benefit 1,000 asnaf (those eligible to receive zakat or tithe) in the parish here.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) personnel, in collaboration with the management of the Khalid bin Al-Walid Mosque, Ministry of Defence, here, held sacrificial rites and an aqiqah programme at the mosque compound in conjunction with the Aidiladha celebration.
MAF Religious Corps (KAGAT) deputy director (Management), Brig-Gen Mohd Hamzah Adam, said that 26 cattle and four goats were sacrificed in a programme implemented through gotong royong, involving 150 military personnel.
"Previously, during the Movement Control Order (MCO) last year, the sacrificial rites were only performed at abattoirs involving 18 cattle,” he said.
He said this to reporters after the symbolic opening ceremony by the Chief of Staff of the MAF headquarters, Datuk Mohd Zakaria Yadi, who handed over a slaughtering knife to Mohd Hamzah.
Earlier, MAF personnel performed the Aidiladha prayers at the mosque before conducting sacrificial rites and aqiqah. — Bernama
