Starting with paying off a debt or with the 'Id sacrifice, and the ruling on borrowing for it
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
May Allah guide you. A question regarding the udhiyah (the 'Id sacrifice), may Allah protect you. He says: A man has a debt, and his salary is not sufficient to buy an udhiyah and repay his debt, as well as provide for his family. So with which does he begin, repaying the debt or the udhiyah?
The Shaykh:
The udhiyah is recommended (mustahabb). Repaying the debt is more important. And Allah, sometimes you are not burdened with it. If ease is available, that is fine; otherwise, it is not obligatory. Praise be to Allah. Yes. I do not know of anything [to the contrary]. Yes.
The questioner:
Who among the scholars of knowledge said that one should borrow in order to buy the udhiyah?
The Shaykh:
It is narrated from Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: If he borrows, I hope that Allah will grant him success in repaying it. If he borrows, that is good and fine. And regarding the 'aqiqah (the sacrifice for a newborn), the practice has come down, so the 'aqiqah is like it. The udhiyah is the same. If he borrows, there is no harm, provided he hopes for and has means to repay the loan. Otherwise, both the 'aqiqah and the udhiyah are merely recommended (mustahabb). Yes.
May Allah guide you. A question regarding the udhiyah (the 'Id sacrifice), may Allah protect you. He says: A man has a debt, and his salary is not sufficient to buy an udhiyah and repay his debt, as well as provide for his family. So with which does he begin, repaying the debt or the udhiyah?
The Shaykh:
The udhiyah is recommended (mustahabb). Repaying the debt is more important. And Allah, sometimes you are not burdened with it. If ease is available, that is fine; otherwise, it is not obligatory. Praise be to Allah. Yes. I do not know of anything [to the contrary]. Yes.
The questioner:
Who among the scholars of knowledge said that one should borrow in order to buy the udhiyah?
The Shaykh:
It is narrated from Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: If he borrows, I hope that Allah will grant him success in repaying it. If he borrows, that is good and fine. And regarding the 'aqiqah (the sacrifice for a newborn), the practice has come down, so the 'aqiqah is like it. The udhiyah is the same. If he borrows, there is no harm, provided he hopes for and has means to repay the loan. Otherwise, both the 'aqiqah and the udhiyah are merely recommended (mustahabb). Yes.
Source
التعليق على بعض أحاديث سنن النسائي، تابع شرح كتاب الزينة، من باب: وذِكْرِ مَا يُسْتَحَبُّ مِنْ لُبْسِ الثِّيَابِ وَمَا يُكْرَهُ مِنْهَا، إلى باب: ذِكْرِ نَسْخِ ذَلِكَ — islamhouse.com (21:56)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.