Discussion of the 'Id sacrifice.

The Shaykh : And among the matters related to this 'Id sacrifice is the sacrifice prescribed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through his saying and his doing. He commanded it and performed it himself (peace and blessings be upon him). Part of his care for it was that he would take his sacrificial animal to the prayer ground for the festival to publicize it and announce it, where he would slaughter it, take what he wished to eat, and give the rest in charity. Thus, the 'Id sacrifice is one of the distinctive rites of Islam. The intention behind it is not merely for a person to give its meat in charity to the poor, though that is part of what is intended by it. The greatest purpose of the 'Id sacrifice is drawing near to Allah the Exalted through the act of slaughter. By this, we understand that what some people do in calling for the collection of money to be used for sacrifices in distant lands stems from ignorance, because they assume that the purpose of the 'Id sacrifice is the meat that is eaten. But Allah says in the Qur'an: . Therefore, I say to my brothers: If you wish to implement the Sunnah regarding the 'Id sacrifice, you must sacrifice in your own country. Do not take it to other countries, in order to display the rite and make it clear among family and children. And you should slaughter it yourselves in your homes if possible, so that you remember the name of Allah over it and eat from it, thereby conforming to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah the Exalted said: . He began with eating, and this indicates that the purpose is not charity with it, but rather worshipping Allah the Exalted by slaughtering it in reverence of Him (Exalted and Majestic is He). This purpose is certainly lost if you give money to be used for sacrifices in distant lands. Furthermore, if you give this money, you do not know whether a valid sacrifice will be made or an invalid one. You also do not know whether the one who slaughters it is trustworthy in his knowledge of slaughter and in his religion. Nor do we know if it can be slaughtered during the days of sacrifice, because the sacrifices offered may be very numerous, and people may not be able to accommodate them in three or four days. Perhaps the news will not arrive until later. The point is: Giving money to be used for sacrifices in other lands, even if they are the poorest lands, does not achieve the intended legal purpose of the 'Id sacrifice. As for our brothers in other lands who are poor, the door is wide open, praise be to Allah. Money can be sent to them, food can be sent to them, clothing can be sent to them, bedding can be sent to them, and other types of benefits. But as for the 'Id sacrifice, a rite, a small sacrifice that Allah the Exalted paired with prayer, saying: , and saying: , and commanding us to eat from it and to remember the name of Allah over it, it should never be slaughtered outside the town. What I encourage is that it be slaughtered in the house itself if possible. If it is not feasible to slaughter it in the prayer ground, the festival prayer ground, beware, O brothers, that emotion does not overwhelm you until you neglect the objectives of the Shari'ah.