The Ruling on One Who Designates a Sacrificial Animal and Then Abandons It

Question:
The second question, Muhammad. May Allah reward you. A man designated his udhiyah (the 'Id sacrifice), and after the udhiyah was designated and the day of the festival arrived, one person said to him, “Your father is sufficient for you, so you do not need to sacrifice, because his work is outside the village where his father is.” He said, “Your father is sufficient for you,” and he left the udhiyah and slaughtered it. Now he is asking about it. What is upon him, O Shaykh?

Answer:
If he has designated a sacrificial animal, it is obligatory for him to slaughter it as an act of drawing near to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). He should have asked the people of knowledge, not any one of the common people. He should ask the people of knowledge. So, this udhiyah, once he has designated it, it becomes binding, and it is obligatory for him to slaughter it. As long as he has not slaughtered it during the days of the festival, he slaughters it as a make-up. Yes.