My father sacrifices an animal every year on behalf of his parents, and my mother does the same. I have advised them that one is sufficient, but to no avail.
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The questioner : The honorable Shaykh says: My father sacrifices an animal every year on behalf of his parents, and my mother does the same. I have advised them that one is sufficient, but to no avail. Would you please advise them so that perhaps they will listen? May Allah guide you?
The Shaykh : Yes. I offer advice to them and to others, and I say: Who is the most noble of creation? Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Yet he did not sacrifice more than one animal on behalf of himself and his household. He sacrificed one on behalf of himself and his household, and another on behalf of his Ummah. And he is the most noble of creation. Also, if a person sacrifices two animals in one house, it leads to boasting and bragging. The houses become such that one person says, "I sacrificed three," and another says, "I sacrificed four." The second says, "And what do you have? I sacrificed ten." And so people boast. Thus, the worship, which is humility and submission to Allah, turns into what? It turns into bragging and boasting. So what we advise our brothers is to say: Let the household restrict themselves to one. And if Allah accepts it, how great it is! A man gives in charity what is equivalent to a date from good wealth, and Allah the Exalted multiplies it until it becomes like a mountain. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. I offer advice to them and to others, and I say: Who is the most noble of creation? Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Yet he did not sacrifice more than one animal on behalf of himself and his household. He sacrificed one on behalf of himself and his household, and another on behalf of his Ummah. And he is the most noble of creation. Also, if a person sacrifices two animals in one house, it leads to boasting and bragging. The houses become such that one person says, "I sacrificed three," and another says, "I sacrificed four." The second says, "And what do you have? I sacrificed ten." And so people boast. Thus, the worship, which is humility and submission to Allah, turns into what? It turns into bragging and boasting. So what we advise our brothers is to say: Let the household restrict themselves to one. And if Allah accepts it, how great it is! A man gives in charity what is equivalent to a date from good wealth, and Allah the Exalted multiplies it until it becomes like a mountain. Yes.