KUALA LUMPUR: Pricier cattle this year has not prevented Muslims in the country from taking part in "korban" (sacrificial rites), in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidiladha or Hari Raya Haji which falls on July 10 (Sunday).
Checks at several mosques and surau in the Klang Valley saw good response as available korban slots were taken up by the second day after registrations were opened.
At Surau An-Nuur in Section 20, Shah Alam, a total of 20 cattle will be sacrificed this year.
Its chairman Mohd Khusairi Ramli said in the previous years, the surau had slaughtered between 12 and 15 cattle during Hari Raya Aidiladha.
"This year we will have 20 cattle. Although there was a slight increase in the price per share to RM800 from RM750 last year and RM700 the year before, the response from the congregation members as well as several non-governmental organisations (NGO) who will also take part, has been good," he said, in referring to a cattle priced at about RM5,500 per head.
"There weren't any complaints from them regarding the price per share. This, as they understand that performing the 'korban' ritual is highly encouraged in Islam, for those who can afford it.
"On our part, we have explained the current prices of cattle and the surau will only take RM100 per cattle for management expenses; namely the slaughtering process, to purchase plastic bags to pack the meat and cleaning works, among others," he said.
In the annual sacrifice or "korban" ritual, a Muslim can either contribute one whole cattle or contribute a portion of the price of a cattle.
There are seven shares for each cattle, with a person allowed to contribute one portion or more.
At the Amaniah Mosque in Kepong, a total of seven cattle, including one donated by a company, will be slaughtered this year.
The mosque's imam, Adam Abd Rashid said one share of the cattle is set at RM790.
"We have no problems filling up the seven shares per cattle and there were calls asking us to add more cattle.
"However, the management of the mosque had limited it to only six, due to lack of manpower."
He said the increase in the prices of cattle should not stop a Muslim from taking part in the sacrificial ritual as there were mosques offering it at a slightly lower price, according to the weight of the cattle.
He added that the difference in prices for each mosque or surau depends on the supplier, management cost, as well as transportation and slaughtering costs.
Head imam at Surau Al-Ulum in Kota Damansara, Muhammad Yunus Rosni said all 56 slots, equivalent to eight cattle, were all taken up by the second day after registration was opened to interested members of the congregation.
He said the management received many requests to add more cattle to allow more people to take part.
"However, due to a lack of manpower, we will stick to eight cattle," he said, adding that one share was set at RM700.
At the Raja Haji Fi-Sabilillah Mosque in Cyberjaya, a total of 11 cattle, priced at RM860 per share, will be slaughtered this year.
"Alhamdulillah, so far we received no complaints from congregation members. In fact, we have received requests to add more cattle.
"According to them, performing 'korban' is one of the voluntary rituals that Allah SWT loves very much."
Earlier in May, Malaysian Ruminant Transformation Generation Club (GTR) chairman Nordin Mat said the price of cattle for the "korban" ritual was expected to increase significantly above RM5,000 this year, compared to about RM4,200 previously.
He said the price hike was due to various factors such as the increase in costs to raise cattle, including slaughter charges, along with the pricing trend which had been going up the last 10 years, and the prices of livestock had increased by about 10 per cent each year.