Local ranch owner makes arrangements for udhiya this Eid-al-Adha

For quite some time now, Br. Abdul Fatah has made arrangements at his ranch in Somerville, Texas (25 miles from B/CS) for Muslims to offer their udhiya (qurbani/sacrifice). This year was no exception. Br. Abdul Fatah had bought fifty or so goats from a local cattle raiser and kept them at his ranch before the Eid day.

In addition to people from Bryan/College Station, a good number of Muslims came from Houston and other neighboring cities. If you’ve been in College Station long enough, you’ll probably get to see some of the old timers there.

The goats are weighed and tagged before people start coming in. You get to pick your goat and the price is determined based on its weight. Brothers will tie up the goat for you and after that you are pretty much on your own. All the required equipment such as knives, hooks, electric saw, etc. are provided, but you have to slaughter, skin and process the goat. Even though that's the general rule, Br. Abdul Fatah, his son and some other brothers at the ranch are extremely helpful. For a newbie, they pretty much do everything and guide through the whole process. The experts on the other hand seem to need no help. In the morning, there were about five to seven goats being processed simultaneously.

As part of his hospitality, Br. Abdul Fatah provided a generous supply of breakfast. After some of the goats were slaughtered, there was cooked goat meat and bread available. Overall the environment was very hospitable and welcoming.

Since the number of goats is limited, people usually reserve a spot with Br. Abdul Fatah several weeks in advance of the Eid.

If you are not the type that seeks perfection in the way the meat is cut, and can help yourself with some of cutting and cleaning, Br. Abdul Fatah's ranch is definitely the place for you to perform your next udhiya.