When Saleh bin Mualem was elected president of Yemen. Qurbani played a vital role as a buffer between him and the Saleh family. Saleh had many disputes with the former president of Yemen, Ali Saleh al-Houthi. During his first term as president of Yemen Saleh asked for Qurbani to be given to him as a gift. But Saleh was unable to present any gift because Saleh was busy fulfilling his duties as president of Yemen at that time. However, Saleh made a compromise and allowed Qurbani to be transferred to his son Hadi whom he later named the new president of Yemen.
Qurbani in Yemen, the role of Qurbani is very significant especially during the early stages of the uprisings and the starting of the national dialogue. As mentioned before Saleh bin Mualem sent Qurbani to mediate between him and the revolutionizing forces in Yemen.
Saleh and his trusted advisor, Foreign Minister Tariq al-Mansour, used to meet frequently through Qurbani to discuss various issues including the arrangements for it. After Saleh became the president of Yemen. He sent Qurbani to mediate between Saleh and the revolutionary forces on all issues in Yemen. This served as a significant role in Saleh bin Mualem’s efforts to mediate between the Saleh and the revolutionizing forces.
Qurbani for the People in Yemen
Throughout his role as the representative of Saleh bin Mualem, Qurbani always brought the same basic necessities for the people in Yemen. The most important thing in his delivery of the supplies to the individuals was his expertise in cooking. Preparing food by offering them fresh meat from his store. In addition to this, he also offered milk, dates, pomegranates, figs, dates, chat, and dates. Other such products are famous for their ability to increase the stamina and energy of the body and also providing a sound sleep at night.
The common people in Yemen mostly received Qurbani through word of mouth. Saleh bin Mualem would send Qurbani to different tribes, from his palace to the different places of the people’s lives. At every tribe and people, a number of fresh meats would be distributed as gifts. Those who received Qurbani in large amounts were those who suffered hardships during the times of the revolution. Such as the famine that was experienced in their homes and the lack of food supply in the cities.
In Saleh’s attempt to help his people he also sent Qurbani. Which was considered as the payment for the services rendered by him. The payment or urban in Yemen was calculated in terms of the number of goats. One could provide to people in need. The value of a goat would also be compared to the monetary payment, one could receive after a certain period. There was also the importance of considering how many goats one could give in terms of their contribution to helping the needy.
Importance of Qurbani in Yemen
In Saleh’s time, there were many countries that were trying to support each other’s war effort in Yemen. One of those being Iran, they also provided Qurbani in abundance during the time of the war. They also used it as their source of cash to pay for the services and business rendered by Saleh bin Mualem. One interesting fact about the Qurbani in Yemen is that one could sell it at a higher Islamic price. The higher the price of the urban, the more its value would increase.
If you are still not sure about the importance of Qurbani in Yemen. You may want to consider how Saleh bin Mualem used Qurbani as his source of income. While there were conflicts going on between Saleh and some tribes in Yemen. Salah collected a certain amount of money from every person that brought him their goats. Then he offered it to those in need as a form of payment. In this way, Saleh was able to feed people with his bounty. Which, in turn, helped him with his religious obligations, which allowed him to spread his message even further.
During Saleh’s time, the Qurbani was no longer made from just one goat’s milk. With the advancement of civilization, several new products were introduced to the world market. One of these being the sheepskin offers. Since Qurbani had been popular for centuries, many people began using sheepskin offerings during the times of Saleh.
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