Passing the hand over the back of the sacrificial animal before slaughtering it
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The first question of Fatwa number ( 20747 )
Q1: I am one of the sons of the Banu Malik tribe in the south of al-Ta'if . I have noticed that when a man among us seeks to draw near to Allah with a sacrificial animal, he passes his hand over the back of the animal intended for slaughter before slaughtering it, saying: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, make this a charity from me that wards off calamity from me and my sons," or some words that do not usually go beyond this meaning. My question is: What is the ruling on this rubbing of the hand over the back of the sacrificial animal intended to draw near to Allah the Mighty and Sublime in the manner I described? Then, what is the ruling on uttering such a supplication, and is it considered part of the verbalization of the intention, which must be in the heart?
A1: Passing the hand over the back of the sacrificial animal before slaughtering it and saying: "O Allah, make this a charity from me that wards off calamity from me and my sons" — all of this is a religious innovation (bid'ah) with no basis in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is obligatory to abandon this and restrict oneself to what has been transmitted. The recommended practice (sunnah) is that if the sacrificial animal is an 'udhiyah (Id sacrifice) or hady (pilgrimage sacrifice), one should say when moving his hand to slaughter: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, this is from You and for You." There is no harm in saying: "O Allah, accept from so-and-so," or "accept it from me" if the one performing the slaughter is the one making the sacrifice. If the sacrificial animal is general, meaning it is not an 'udhiyah, hady, or 'aqiqah (sacrifice for a newborn), one should restrict oneself to saying: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest." This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:118] And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q1: I am one of the sons of the Banu Malik tribe in the south of al-Ta'if . I have noticed that when a man among us seeks to draw near to Allah with a sacrificial animal, he passes his hand over the back of the animal intended for slaughter before slaughtering it, saying: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, make this a charity from me that wards off calamity from me and my sons," or some words that do not usually go beyond this meaning. My question is: What is the ruling on this rubbing of the hand over the back of the sacrificial animal intended to draw near to Allah the Mighty and Sublime in the manner I described? Then, what is the ruling on uttering such a supplication, and is it considered part of the verbalization of the intention, which must be in the heart?
A1: Passing the hand over the back of the sacrificial animal before slaughtering it and saying: "O Allah, make this a charity from me that wards off calamity from me and my sons" — all of this is a religious innovation (bid'ah) with no basis in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is obligatory to abandon this and restrict oneself to what has been transmitted. The recommended practice (sunnah) is that if the sacrificial animal is an 'udhiyah (Id sacrifice) or hady (pilgrimage sacrifice), one should say when moving his hand to slaughter: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, this is from You and for You." There is no harm in saying: "O Allah, accept from so-and-so," or "accept it from me" if the one performing the slaughter is the one making the sacrifice. If the sacrificial animal is general, meaning it is not an 'udhiyah, hady, or 'aqiqah (sacrifice for a newborn), one should restrict oneself to saying: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest." This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned, if you are believers in His verses.
فَكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ بِآيَاتِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.