surplus in that particular year. By doing so he meant to reprimand those show-offs who slaughter only to impress others; his very omission of the sacrifice that year was intended as a rebuke. In short, he set aside a duty for the sake of an overriding benefit.

As the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said:

“I was on the verge of ordering that the prayer be established, then going out with some men carrying bundles of firewood to people who do not attend the prayer and burning their houses down upon them, were it not for the women and children inside.”

Thus he would deliberately forgo the obligatory Friday and congregational prayers in order to punish those who absented themselves, for this falls under the category of jihad, which at times may become narrowly time-bound