Rulings on the Udhiyah Sacrifice.
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The Shaykh : Among the things done in these ten days is the slaughter of the udhiyah sacrifices as a means of drawing near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and following the master of the messengers, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered the udhiyah sacrifice for ten years in Madinah, except for the tenth year, when he was in Makkah. The udhiyah sacrifice is originally a recommended practice (sunnah) for the living, to manifest the rites of worship, to display joy, and to give thanks to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So the original ruling is that it is for the living. However, there is no blame on a person if he slaughters one animal and intends it for himself and his family, both the living and the dead. As for dedicating a udhiyah sacrifice specifically to a deceased person who did not bequeath it, this has not been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). His three daughters died before him, yet he did not offer a sacrifice for them. His uncle Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib was martyned, and he did not offer a sacrifice for him. Two of his wives, Khadijah and Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, died, and he did not offer a sacrifice for them. If offering a udhiyah sacrifice on behalf of a deceased person had been prescribed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified that, either by his words or by his actions.
So the udhiyah sacrifice is prescribed for whom? For the living. A man offers a sacrifice for himself and his family with one sheep. What our common people do today, you find, for example, a family of ten people, each with a job, and each one says, "I want to offer a sacrifice for my father." How many sacrifices would that be for their father? Ten? Who said this? Where is the prescription for this in the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, or the practice of the righteous Salaf? The Companions would have a man offer one sacrifice for himself and his family. Even the most noble of creation, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), did not offer more than one sacrifice for himself and his family, despite being the most noble of creation and despite Allah bestowing upon him wealth that He did not bestow upon others, yet he did not offer more than one. We say to those who offer ten sacrifices or more for their deceased: Hold on, do not spend your money on something the Companions did not do with their Prophet. If you have surplus wealth, let the head of the household offer one sacrifice for himself and his family, and let the rest of this money be directed to our brothers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chechnya, and other Muslim lands who are in need of our money. As for a person becoming arrogant and extravagant, offering ten sacrifices for one or two people, that is a mistake and has nothing to do with the Shari'ah. I fear that the person may be sinful rather than safe, for the best of the guided is the guidance of whom? The guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). If we asked any of the most noble people, they would say: Whose guidance? The guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Did he offer more than one sacrifice for himself and his family? Absolutely not. He offered two: one for himself and his family, and one for the entire Ummah.
So let our worship be based on knowledge, insight, and guidance. The Shari'ah is not emotion; if a person loves something, he does it and draws near to Allah with it. The Shari'ah is a law from whom? From Allah. Did Allah prescribe, through His Messenger, for a man to offer more than one sacrifice? Absolutely not. So what I see is that whoever has surplus wealth should use it to help his afflicted, displaced, and trusting brothers who are in dire need of our money. This is the correct course.
So the udhiyah sacrifice is prescribed for whom? For the living. A man offers a sacrifice for himself and his family with one sheep. What our common people do today, you find, for example, a family of ten people, each with a job, and each one says, "I want to offer a sacrifice for my father." How many sacrifices would that be for their father? Ten? Who said this? Where is the prescription for this in the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, or the practice of the righteous Salaf? The Companions would have a man offer one sacrifice for himself and his family. Even the most noble of creation, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), did not offer more than one sacrifice for himself and his family, despite being the most noble of creation and despite Allah bestowing upon him wealth that He did not bestow upon others, yet he did not offer more than one. We say to those who offer ten sacrifices or more for their deceased: Hold on, do not spend your money on something the Companions did not do with their Prophet. If you have surplus wealth, let the head of the household offer one sacrifice for himself and his family, and let the rest of this money be directed to our brothers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chechnya, and other Muslim lands who are in need of our money. As for a person becoming arrogant and extravagant, offering ten sacrifices for one or two people, that is a mistake and has nothing to do with the Shari'ah. I fear that the person may be sinful rather than safe, for the best of the guided is the guidance of whom? The guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). If we asked any of the most noble people, they would say: Whose guidance? The guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Did he offer more than one sacrifice for himself and his family? Absolutely not. He offered two: one for himself and his family, and one for the entire Ummah.
So let our worship be based on knowledge, insight, and guidance. The Shari'ah is not emotion; if a person loves something, he does it and draws near to Allah with it. The Shari'ah is a law from whom? From Allah. Did Allah prescribe, through His Messenger, for a man to offer more than one sacrifice? Absolutely not. So what I see is that whoever has surplus wealth should use it to help his afflicted, displaced, and trusting brothers who are in dire need of our money. This is the correct course.