Ruling of the Udhiyah [Eid Sacrifice]
book by Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid
Udhiyah is one of the great rituals of Islam, in which we remember the Unity of Allaah, His blessings upon us and the obedience of our father Ibraaheem to his Lord, and in this act of udhiyah there is much goodness and blessing. So the Muslim must pay attention to its great importance. The following is a brief look at this important ritual. Udhiyah refers to the animal (camel, cattle or sheep) that is sacrificed as an act of worship to Allaah, in the country in which the person offering the sacrifice lives, during the period from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Nahr (Eid al-Adhaa) until the last of the Days of Tashreeq (the 13th day of Dhu'l-Hijjah), with the intention of offering sacrifice. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only)."
[al-Kawthar 108:2]
"Say (O Muhammad): `Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my
dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the `Aalameen (mankind, jinns and
all that exists)."[al-Anaam 6:162]
"And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that
they may mention the Name of Allaah over the beast of cattle that He
has given them for food. And your God is One God, so you must submit
to Him Alone (in Islam)"[al-Hajj 22:34]
Udhiyyah is a confirmed Sunnah according to the majority of scholars (some scholars say that it is waajib or obligatory; this will be discussed in more detail below).
The basic principle is that it is required at the appointed time from one who is alive on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and he may include in the reward for it whoever he wishes, living or dead.
With regard to udhiyah on behalf of one who is dead, if the deceased bequeathed up to one third of his wealth for that purpose, or included it in his waqf (endowment), then these wishes must be carried out, otherwise, if a person wishes to offer a sacrifice on behalf of someone who has died, this is a good deed and is considered to be giving charity on behalf of the dead. But the Sunnah is for a man to include the members of his household, living and deed, in his udhiyah, and when he slaughters it, he should say,
"Allaahumma haadha anni wa an aali bayti (O Allaah, this is on behalf of myself and the members of my household"
He does not have to make a separate sacrifice on behalf of every deceased person.
The scholars agreed that sacrificing the animal and giving its meat in charity is better than giving its value in charity, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to make the sacrifice, and he did not do anything but that which is best and most befitting.This is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafai and Ahmad.
The virtues of udhiyah and the best of udhiyah
A sheep is good enough as a sacrifice for one man and the members of his household and his children, because of the hadeeth of Abu Ayyoob:
"At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man would sacrifice a sheep on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and they would eat from it and give some to others."
(Reported by Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi,who classed it as saheeh)
The kinds of animals prescribed for sacrifice are camels, cattle and sheep. Some of the scholars said that the best sacrifice is camels, then cattle, then sheep, then a share in a she-camel or cow, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning Friday prayers:
"Whoever goes to [Friday prayers] early, it is equivalent to him sacrificing a camel."
This is the opinion of the three imaams Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafai and Ahmad. On this basis, a sheep is better than one-seventh of a camel or cow. Maalik said that the best is a young sheep, then a cow then a camel, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sacrificed two rams, and he never did anything but that which was the best. The response to that is that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always chose what was more appropriate out of kindness towards his ummah, because they would follow his example, and he did not want to make things difficult for them. (Fataawa al-Shaykh Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz).
A camel or cow is enough for seven people, because of the report narrated by Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: "We sacrificed at al-Hudaybiyah with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a camel for seven and a cow for seven."
According to one version: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to share camels and cattle, each seven men sharing one animal."
According to another version: "So a cow would be sacrificed on behalf of seven men and we would share it." (Reported by Muslim)
Ruling of Udhiyah
Udhiyah is one of the rituals of Islam. It is mentioned in Jawaahir al-Ikleel Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel that if the people of a city or country neglect udhiyah, they should be fought, because it is one of the rituals of Islam. (Rasaa'il Fiqhiyyah by Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen, p. 46). There are two scholarly opinions on udhiyah:
A) that it is waajib (obligatory). This is the opinion of al-Oozaai, al-Layth and Abu Haneefah, and it is one of the two opinions narrated from Imaam Ahmad. It was also the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and is one of the two opinions in the madhhab of Maalik, or is what seems to be the madhhab of Maalik. Those who favour this opinion take the following as evidence:
The aayah: "Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only)."
[al-Kawthar 108:2].
This is a command, and a command implies that something is obligatory.
The hadeeth of Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him), reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:Whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before he prays,let him slaughter another one in its place, and whoever did not slaughter a sacrifice, let him do so in the name of Allaah.'" (Reported by Muslim, 3621)
The hadeeth: "Whoever can afford to offer a sacrifice but does not do so, let him not approach our place or prayer." (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). It says in Fath al-Baari that its men are thiqaat).
(B) that it is a confirmed Sunnah, sunnah muakkadah. This is the opinion of the majority, and it is the madhhab of al-Shaafa'i and the better-known opinion of Maalik and Ahmad. But most of those who favour this opinion stated that it is makrooh (disliked) for the one who is able to offer a sacrifice to neglect to do so. They base their opinion on the following:
The hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) in Sunan Abi Dawood, where he said: "I prayed on Eid al-Adhaa with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and when he finished (the prayer), he was brought two rams, and he sacrificed them. He said, `In the Name of Allaah, Allaah is Most Great. This is on behalf of myself and any member of my ummah who did not offer a sacrifice." (Sunan Abi Dawood bi Sharh Muhammad Shams al-Haq Abaadi, 7/486)
The hadeeth reported by all the famous muhadditheen apart from -Bukhaari:
"Whoever among you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not take anything from his hair or nails."
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, said, following his discussion of those who say it is obligatory and those who say it is Sunnah, "Each point of view has its evidence, but to be on the safe side, the one who is able to offer a sacrifice should not neglect to do so, because of what is involved in this act of reverence towards Allaah, remembering Him, and making sure that one has nothing to be blamed for.
Conditions of udhiyah
1. The animal should have reached the required age, which is six months for a lamb, one year for a goat, two years for a cow and five years for a camel.
2. It should be free of any faults, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are four that will not do for sacrifice: a one-eyed animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose limp is obvious and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones ." (Saheeh, Saheeh al-Jaami', no. 886).
There are milder defects that do not disqualify an animal, but it is makrooh to sacrifice such animals, such as an animal with a horn or ear missing, or an animal with slits in its ears, etc. Udhiyah is an act of worship to Allaah, and Allaah is Good and accepts only that which is good. Whoever honours the rites of Allaah, this has to do with the piety (taqwa) of the heart.
3. It is forbidden to sell it. If an animal has been selected for sacrifice, it is not permissible to sell it or give it away, except in exchange for one that is better.
If an animal gives birth, its offspring should be sacrificed along with it.
It is also permissible to ride it if necessary. The evidence for this is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man leading his camel and told him, "Ride it." He said, "It is for sacrifice." He said, "Ride it" a second or third time.
4. It should be sacrificed at the specified time, which is from after the prayer and khutbah of Eid - not from when the time for the prayer and khutbah starts - until before sunset on the last of the days of Tashreeq, which is the 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah.
The Prophet peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever sacrifices before the prayer, let him repeat it." (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The days of Nahr (Sacrifice) are the day of al-Adhaa and the three days following it." This is also the opinion of al-Hasan al-Basri, Ata ibn Abi Rabaah, al-Oozaai, al-Shaafai and Ibn al-Mundhir, may Allaah have mercy on them all.
What should be done with the sacrifice ?
1. It is mustahabb (liked, preferable) for the one who has made a sacrifice to not eat anything on that day before he eats from it, if this is possible, because of the hadeeth, "Let every man eat from his sacrifice." (Classed as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami', 5349).
This eating should be after the Eid prayer and khutbah. This is the opinion of the scholars, including Ali, Ibn Abbaas, Maalik,al- Shaafai and others. The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Buraydah (may Allaah be pleased with him):
"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not go out on the day of Fitr until he had eaten, and he would not eat on the day of Adhaa until he had slaughtered (his sacrifice)." (Al-Albaani said its isnaad is saheeh. Al-Mishkaat, 1/452).
2. It is better for a person to slaughter the sacrifice himself, but if he does not, it is mustahabb for him to be present when it is slaughtered.
3. It is mustahaab to divide the meat into three: one third to his family, one third to be given as gifts and one third to be given in charity. This was the opinion of Ibn Masood and Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them). The scholars agreed that it is not permissible to sell anything from its meat, fat or skin. In a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever sells the skin of his udhiyah, there is no udhiyah for him (i.e., it is not counted as udhiyah)." (Classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6118).
The butcher should not be given anything of it by way of reward or payment, because Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded me to take care of the sacrifice and to give its meat, skin and raiment ( covering used for protection) in charity, and not to give anything of it to the butcher as a compen- sation . He said, `We will give him something from what we have.'" (Agreed upon).
It is permissible to give the butcher something as a gift, and that it is permissible to give some of it to a non-Muslim if he is poor or a relative or a neighbour, or in order to open his heart to Islam
Few Rulings of Udhiyah (Sacrifice)
Is it permissible to offer a sacrifice for the dead ?
The Muslims are agreed that it is prescribed to offer a sacrifice (udhiyah), and it is permissible to offer a sacrifice on behalf of one who has died, because of the general meaning of the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "When the son of Adam dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous son who will pray for him."
Narrated by Muslim. Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaai, and by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad from Abu Hurayrah.
Slaughtering a sacrifice on his behalf is a kind of ongoing charity, because it benefits the person offering the sacrifice, the deceased person, and others.
Slaughtering the Sacrifice is Better than Giving its Price in Charity
Slaughtering the sacrifice is better than giving its price in charity, because that was what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Muslims with him did. And because the sacrifice is one of the ritual of Islam; if the people turn away from it and give charity instead, that symbol will die out.
If giving the price of the sacrifice in charity was better than slaughtering the sacrifice, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have explained that to his ummah in word and deed, because he did not omit to explain anything that was good for the ummah. Indeed, if giving charity was equal to offering the sacrifice he would have explained that too, because it is easier than going to the trouble of offering the sacrifice. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never failed to point out the easier option to his ummah when it was equal to the more difficult option. There was a famine during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said, "Whoever among you offers a sacrifice should not keep any of it in his house for more than three days."
The following year, they said, "O Messenger of Allaah, should we do what we did last year?" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Eat and feed the poor and store some, for last year the people were having a hard time and I wanted you to help them." Agreed upon.
The sacrifice was injured before it was slaughtered
A few days before Eid, I bought a lamb which was sound and healthy, to offer it as a sacrifice on Eid. When it was being brought down the stairs on the way to be sacrificed, it suffered an injury to its leg (one hour before being sacrificed)… is this considered to be a flaw in the sacrifice?
The author of Zaad al-Mustaqni said: "If it (the sacrifice) gets injured (develops a flaw), it may still be slaughtered and this will do…"
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said: an example of that is when a man buys a sheep to sacrifice it, then it breaks its leg and is unable to walk and keep up with the rest of the flock, after he has selected it for sacrifice. In this case it may be slaughtered and this will do, because when it was selected it became a trust, like something that was entrusted to him. Because it is something entrusted and the injury was not the result of his action or his negligence, so he is not obliged to offer any guarantee, and it will do.
See al-Sharh al-Mumti, part 7, p. 515
Speaking the intention out loud when slaughtering the sacrifice
Is it permissible to speak the intention out loud for example when I want to slaughter a sacrifice on behalf of my deceased father and I say, "O Allaah, it is the udhiyah for my father So and so," or is it sufficient simply to do the deed without saying anything out loud?.
The seat of the intention is the heart, and whatever a person intends in his heart is sufficient. He should not speak the intention out loud, rather he should say Bismillaah and Allaahu akbar when slaughtering it, because it was proven in al-Saheehayn that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) slaughtered two rams with his own hand, and he said Bismillaah and Allaahu akbar." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7/130, no. 5554; Muslim, 3/1556, no. 1966; Ahmad, 3/115.
There is nothing wrong with you saying, "O Allaah, this is a sacrifice on behalf of my father." This does not mean that you are speaking the intention out loud.
Sharing in a sacrifice
It is permissible to share in a sacrifice if it is a camel or a cow, but it is not permissible to share in a sheep. It is permissible for seven people to share one camel or cow.
It is narrated that the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) shared sacrifices: seven people would share a camel or a cow in Hajj and Umrah.
Muslim (1318) narrated that Jaabir ibn Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "On the day of al-Hudaybiyah we offered the sacrifice with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a camel on behalf of seven and a cow on behalf of seven.
According to another report, it was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We performed Hajj with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we sacrificed a camel on behalf of seven and a cow on behalf of seven.
Abu Dawood (2808) narrated from Jaabir ibn Abd-Allaah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "A cow on behalf of seven and a camel on behalf of seven." Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim:
These ahaadeeth indicate that it is permissible to share in the sacrifice, but they are unanimously agreed that it not permissible to share in a sheep. These ahaadeeth indicate that a camel is sufficient on behalf of seven people, and a cow is sufficient on behalf of seven people, and each of them takes the place of seven sheep. So if a muhrim is required to offer seven sacrifices –except in the case of the penalty for hunting – and he slaughters a camel or a cow, that is equivalent to them all.
The time for udhiyah (sacrifice)
The time for offering the sacrifice begins after the Eid prayer on Eid al-Adha and ends when the sun sets on the thirteenth of Dhul-Hijjah. So there are four days of sacrifice: the day of Eid al-Adha and the three days after it.
It is better to hasten to offer the sacrifice after the Eid prayer, as the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do, then the first thing he would eat on the day of Eid would be meat from his sacrifice.
Ahmad (22475) narrated that Buraydah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not go out on the day of (Eid) al-Fitr until he had eaten, and he did not eat on the day of (Eid) al-Adha until he came back, then he would eat from his sacrifice.
Al-Zaylai narrated in Nasb al-Raayah (2/221) that Ibn al-Qattaan classed it as saheeh.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Zaad al-Ma'aad (2/319):
The three days are specified because they are the days of Mina, the days of stoning (the Jamaraat) and the day of al-Tashreeq. It is forbidden to fast on these days. It was narrated via two isnaads, one of which supports the other, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "All of Mina is the place of sacrifice, and all the days of al-tashreeq are days of sacrifice." End quote.
The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2476
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said in Ahkaam al-Udhiyah, concerning the time for offering the sacrifice:
It is from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Sacrifice until the sun sets on the last of the days of al-tashreeq, which is the thirteenth of Dhul-Hijjah. So there are four days of sacrifice: the day of Eid after the prayer, and three days after that.
Whoever slaughters his sacrifice before the Eid prayer is over, or after the sun sets on the thirteenth, his sacrifice is not valid … but if he has an excuse for delaying it until after the days of al-tashreeq, such as if the animal ran away with no negligence on his part, and he did not find it until after the time was over, or if he delegated someone to do it on his behalf and his deputy forgot until the time was over, then there is nothing wrong with offering the sacrifice after the time has ended, because there is an excuse, by analogy with the fact that one who sleeps and misses a prayer or forgets it should offer the prayer as soon as he wakes up or remembers it.
It is permissible to offer the sacrifice during that time by night or by day, but it is better during the day, and the day of Eid after the two khutbahs is the best time. Each day is better than the following day, because that is hastening to do good. End quote.
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (11/406):
The days of sacrifice for pilgrims performing qiraan or tamattu, and for offering the sacrifice (udhiyah) are four: the day of Eid and the three days after that. The time for sacrifice ends when the sun sets on the fourth day, according to the soundest scholarly opinion. End quote.
Authored By: Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid
The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said,
"When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of the Deen." [Bukhari]
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