Is it obligatory for every Muslim to offer a sacrifice, and is it permissible for five individuals to share in a single sacrifice? We ask for your guidance, may you be rewarded.
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The questioner : From the province of Nineveh, he asks: Is it obligatory for every Muslim to offer a sacrifice, and is it permissible for five individuals to share in a single sacrifice? We ask for your guidance, may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The udhiyah is the sacrificial animal by which a person draws near to Allah on the Day of Sacrifice and the three days following it. It is among the best of acts of worship because Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, paired it with prayer in His Book. He said, Exalted and Majestic is He:[Al-Kawthar 108:1-2] And He said, Exalted is He: [Al-An'am 6:162-163] The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered two sacrifices: one on his own behalf and on behalf of his household, and the second on behalf of those of his Ummah who believed in him. He encouraged people to do so, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, and he made it attractive to them. The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, differed on whether the udhiyah is obligatory or not, with two opinions. Some said it is obligatory for every able person due to the command to do so in the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in His saying: [Al-Kawthar 108:2] And because it was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whoever slaughters before the prayer should slaughter after the prayer, and in what was narrated from him: Therefore, a person should not leave off the udhiyah as long as he is able to do so; rather, he should offer one sacrifice on his own behalf and on behalf of his household. It is not permissible for two or more people to share ownership in a single sacrifice from sheep, whether they are sheep or goats. However, sharing in a cow or a camel is permissible, and seven people may share in one. This is with regard to sharing ownership. As for sharing in the reward, there is no harm in a person offering a sheep on his own behalf and on behalf of his household, even if they are many. In fact, he may offer a sacrifice on his own behalf and on behalf of the scholars of the Islamic Ummah, and the like of that, a large number that only Allah can count.
Here I point out a matter that some of the common people do, believing that the udhiyah is only for the deceased. So much so that in the past, if one of them was asked, “Have you offered a sacrifice for yourself?” he would say, “I will offer a sacrifice while I am still alive.”
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He disapproves of this matter, but it should be known that the udhiyah was prescribed for the living; it is among the recommended practices specific to the living. For this reason, it was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he offered a sacrifice on behalf of any of his deceased relatives or wives individually. He did not offer a sacrifice for Khadijah, who was his wife and his first wife (may Allah be pleased with her), nor for his wife Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, who died a short time after he married her. He did not offer a sacrifice for his uncle Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, who was martyred at Uhud. Rather, he used to offer a sacrifice on his own behalf and on behalf of his household, which includes the living and the dead. There is a difference between doing it independently and doing it as an addition. One offers a sacrifice for the dead as an addition by offering a sacrifice on his own behalf and on behalf of his household, intending thereby the living and the dead. As for offering a sacrifice specifically for a particular deceased person, this has no basis in the Sunnah, as far as I know. Yes, if the deceased person left a bequest to offer a sacrifice, then a sacrifice is offered on his behalf in accordance with his bequest. I hope this matter is now clear: the udhiyah is originally prescribed for the living, not for the dead. The udhiyah for the dead is done as an addition or through a bequest. As for doing it voluntarily by someone, while it is permissible, the better course is otherwise. Yes.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The udhiyah is the sacrificial animal by which a person draws near to Allah on the Day of Sacrifice and the three days following it. It is among the best of acts of worship because Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, paired it with prayer in His Book. He said, Exalted and Majestic is He:
(1) Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar. (2) So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone].
إنا أعطيناك الكوثر فصلّ لربك وانحر(162) Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. (163) No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims."
قل إن صلاتي ونسكي ومحياي ومماتي لله رب العالمين لا شريك له وبذلك أمرت وأنا أول المسلمينSo pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone].
فصلّ لربك وانحرWhoever has the means but does not offer a sacrifice, let him not come near our place of prayer.
من وجد سعة فلم يضحي فلا يقربن مصلاناHere I point out a matter that some of the common people do, believing that the udhiyah is only for the deceased. So much so that in the past, if one of them was asked, “Have you offered a sacrifice for yourself?” he would say, “I will offer a sacrifice while I am still alive.”
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He disapproves of this matter, but it should be known that the udhiyah was prescribed for the living; it is among the recommended practices specific to the living. For this reason, it was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he offered a sacrifice on behalf of any of his deceased relatives or wives individually. He did not offer a sacrifice for Khadijah, who was his wife and his first wife (may Allah be pleased with her), nor for his wife Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, who died a short time after he married her. He did not offer a sacrifice for his uncle Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, who was martyred at Uhud. Rather, he used to offer a sacrifice on his own behalf and on behalf of his household, which includes the living and the dead. There is a difference between doing it independently and doing it as an addition. One offers a sacrifice for the dead as an addition by offering a sacrifice on his own behalf and on behalf of his household, intending thereby the living and the dead. As for offering a sacrifice specifically for a particular deceased person, this has no basis in the Sunnah, as far as I know. Yes, if the deceased person left a bequest to offer a sacrifice, then a sacrifice is offered on his behalf in accordance with his bequest. I hope this matter is now clear: the udhiyah is originally prescribed for the living, not for the dead. The udhiyah for the dead is done as an addition or through a bequest. As for doing it voluntarily by someone, while it is permissible, the better course is otherwise. Yes.