What is the ruling on branding animals with fire?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on branding animals with fire?
The Shaykh : There is no harm in branding them with fire, except that they should not be branded on the face. Rather, the brand should be on the ears, or on the neck, or on the shoulder, or on the thigh, or in another place other than the face. As for branding them on the face, that is not permissible. Branding means a mark, and therefore it should be specific to their owners so that the animals do not get mixed up with one another. Because when a person sees the brand, he says: This is so-and-so’s sheep, this is so-and-so’s camel, this is so-and-so’s donkey, this is so-and-so’s horse. So the brand must be a distinctive mark so that its benefit is not lost.
The questioner : Is not the ear tag sufficient, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : The ear tag is not sufficient because the ear tag falls off; the hair falls out and it goes away with the hair.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : There is no harm in branding them with fire, except that they should not be branded on the face. Rather, the brand should be on the ears, or on the neck, or on the shoulder, or on the thigh, or in another place other than the face. As for branding them on the face, that is not permissible. Branding means a mark, and therefore it should be specific to their owners so that the animals do not get mixed up with one another. Because when a person sees the brand, he says: This is so-and-so’s sheep, this is so-and-so’s camel, this is so-and-so’s donkey, this is so-and-so’s horse. So the brand must be a distinctive mark so that its benefit is not lost.
The questioner : Is not the ear tag sufficient, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : The ear tag is not sufficient because the ear tag falls off; the hair falls out and it goes away with the hair.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.