And He, glorified be He, has forbidden what is slaughtered on altars—that is, what is slaughtered for other than Allah—as well as anything over which a name other than Allah’s is pronounced, even if it is intended for meat rather than as a sacrificial offering. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, cursed whoever slaughtered for other than Allah and forbade slaughtering animals for the jinn; people used to slaughter animals for them. Indeed, Allah has forbidden, without qualification, anything over which His name has not been mentioned, as the Quran and Sunnah indicate in numerous places.

Allah Most High said:

“So pray to your Lord and sacrifice.”

That is, sacrifice to your Lord, as Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend, said:

“Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of all worlds.”

He and Ishmael also said, as they raised the foundations of the House:

“Our Lord, accept this from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”

“Our Lord, make us both submissive to You, and from our descendants a community submissive to You, and show us our rites.”

The rites here encompass all the rites of pilgrimage. Allah Most High said:

“For every community We have appointed rites which they perform.”

Allah Most High also said:

“And for every community We have appointed sacrificial rites, so that they may mention Allah’s name over the livestock He has provided for them.”

And He said:

“Neither their meat nor their blood reaches Allah, but your piety reaches Him.”

Likewise, Allah Most High said:

“And whoever honors the sacred rites of Allah—this stems from the piety of hearts.”

The purpose, then, is for hearts to be pious towards Allah: to worship Him alone, to the exclusion of all else, in utter servitude to Him. Such servitude entails the utmost love, humility and sincerity. This is the religion of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend. All of this makes clear that the worship of the heart is the foundation, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Indeed, there is a piece of flesh in the body: if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.”