The Ruling on the Udhiyah and What Is Acceptable in It

Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. From the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, from Tafilah, a message was sent by a listener named Muhammad Ahmad al-Qar'ah. He says: Is it forbidden to leave the udhiyah when one is able to afford it? And is a sheep from which its horns have been taken acceptable as an udhiyah, or is it not?

Answer:
The udhiyah is a sunnah (recommended practice), a confirmed sunnah, and it is not obligatory. A sunnah is that for which its doer is rewarded and its leaver is not punished; this is the definition of a mustahabb (recommended act). The udhiyah falls under this category; it is a sunnah. So whoever performs it has a great reward and recompense, and whoever leaves it has done nothing wrong. It is not obligatory according to the majority of scholars, and that is the correct view. As for what is acceptable in the udhiyah, it is required that it reaches the age considered valid by the Shari'ah: for a sheep, it must be six months old; for a goat, it must be one year old; and for camels and cattle, it must be five years old.
It is also required that it be sound, free from defects. The defects that harm its meat or its body, such that there is a deficiency in its body, like the lame one whose lameness is obvious, the sick one whose sickness is obvious, the emaciated one that has no fat, and the old one that is decrepit. As for what has been taken from its horns or ears, if it is less than half, it does not affect its acceptability. What is less than half does not affect its acceptability; it remains valid and acceptable. But if it is more than half, it is not permissible to offer it as a sacrifice because it is deficient in its creation. Yes.