Some of the etiquettes related to the 'Id sacrifice and zakat al-fitr.
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The Shaykh : Before the prayer, he had a sheep, a meat sheep, meaning it was not a sacrificial animal. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) distinguished between the meat sheep and the sacrificial sheep. For this reason, conditions were set for the 'Id sacrifice; if it were merely for eating, these conditions would have no benefit. It is required that it reach the specified age, that it be free from defects, and that it be slaughtered at the time of slaughter. This indicates that it is a worship intended for its own sake, not for the sake of feeding the poor or reflecting on the food. I say this as advice to you and to clear my conscience: Beware of giving money to someone to perform the sacrifice on your behalf in a country other than yours. You should slaughter it yourselves. Is there not in your Messenger a good example? Answer: Yes. Did he not (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) slaughter his sheep with his own hand?
I say that if you are unable to slaughter it with your own hands, let it be slaughtered in your homes and be present for it. Beware of appeals based on emotion without looking at the texts of the Shari'ah. Your needy brothers: give them what you can, but how? By charity. Give them charity in money, bedding, food, or clothing. But to transfer a ritual from the rituals of Islam to another place is a mistake, an error.
Then, who can guarantee that this 'Id sacrifice will be slaughtered at its proper time? Have you seen, for example, if tens of thousands of sacrifices came to them, when would they slaughter them? It requires many workers. Then, who slaughters them? Are they skilled in slaughter or not? And are the conditions of the sacrificial animal met, such as the slaughterer being a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian? All these issues: people rush in without thinking, but it is emotion, "give, give." So I say, beware of giving your sacrifices to someone to sacrifice them in another country. Slaughter them yourselves if you are able, or otherwise appoint someone and witness it. I even say that it is not befitting for a person in the 'Id sacrifice to give it to the owners of slaughterhouses to slaughter it in the slaughterhouse, because the display is lost. And know the difference now between bringing your sacrificial animal in front of your family and in front of the children, where you find the child saying, "What is this? This is the 'Id sacrifice," and he rejoices and is pleased and knows that in the Islamic Shari'ah there is a worship called the 'Id sacrifice. Then, if you give it to those who slaughter it there, you miss something that Allah commanded you to do before giving charity. What did Allah the Exalted say? He said:[Al-Hajj 22:28] So He began with eating before feeding. For this reason, some scholars, including the Zahiriyyah, and their view is not far from the truth in this matter, went to the obligation of eating from the 'Id sacrifice, because Allah said [Al-Hajj 22:28] So He began with eating. And if feeding the poor from the 'Id sacrifice is obligatory, then eating from it is obligatory, and their view is not far from the truth.
First: Because of the command of Allah the Mighty and Majestic to do so.
And second: Because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) during his Hajj offered one hundred camels as gifts. How could he eat from all of them? Listen, he ordered that a piece be taken from each camel. How many pieces would that be? One hundred. Then they were placed in a pot, one hundred pieces, even if small. Then they were cooked, and he ate from their meat and drank from their broth, in realization of the saying of Allah the Exalted: And we are negligent in this great ritual, and we say, "So-and-so, take two hundred riyals, three hundred riyals, four hundred riyals, buy sacrifices with them in other countries and sacrifice them." This is a mistake. Therefore, I warn you of this. And if the call to do so is strong, praise be to Allah, if you are wealthy, take out money from your wealth and say, "Take this and buy food or meat or bedding or clothes with it, and benefit the poor with it." That is the command.
Second: The fitrah. There are also people who now take one hundred riyals from a person and say, "That's enough, give me one hundred riyals and we will buy a fitrah for you and distribute it." This also requires consideration, but it is less severe than the 'Id sacrifice. Nevertheless, we advise the Muslim brothers to perform their fitrah, meaning zakat al-fitr, themselves and in their own country, so that people feel that there is something called, what? Zakat al-fitr. And so that the boy, the children, and the family feel it, and the ritual is displayed. Even if a person takes one hundred riyals from his pocket and says, "Take this, so-and-so, and buy a fitrah with it," people do not know this ritual, and it remains hidden from the household, even though this fitrah is paid on behalf of the household members. So you pay it on their behalf for something they do not know about and are not aware of. Therefore, pay the fitrah in your homes, meaning that a person brings the fitrah to his home, measures it out, and the children and wives witness it. Then he says to one of his children or others, "This is my fitrah, this is the fitrah for my son, this is the fitrah for my wife, give it to so-and-so." And this, my brothers, the rituals are intended to be more noble and greater than just benefiting the poor. Yes.
I say that if you are unable to slaughter it with your own hands, let it be slaughtered in your homes and be present for it. Beware of appeals based on emotion without looking at the texts of the Shari'ah. Your needy brothers: give them what you can, but how? By charity. Give them charity in money, bedding, food, or clothing. But to transfer a ritual from the rituals of Islam to another place is a mistake, an error.
Then, who can guarantee that this 'Id sacrifice will be slaughtered at its proper time? Have you seen, for example, if tens of thousands of sacrifices came to them, when would they slaughter them? It requires many workers. Then, who slaughters them? Are they skilled in slaughter or not? And are the conditions of the sacrificial animal met, such as the slaughterer being a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian? All these issues: people rush in without thinking, but it is emotion, "give, give." So I say, beware of giving your sacrifices to someone to sacrifice them in another country. Slaughter them yourselves if you are able, or otherwise appoint someone and witness it. I even say that it is not befitting for a person in the 'Id sacrifice to give it to the owners of slaughterhouses to slaughter it in the slaughterhouse, because the display is lost. And know the difference now between bringing your sacrificial animal in front of your family and in front of the children, where you find the child saying, "What is this? This is the 'Id sacrifice," and he rejoices and is pleased and knows that in the Islamic Shari'ah there is a worship called the 'Id sacrifice. Then, if you give it to those who slaughter it there, you miss something that Allah commanded you to do before giving charity. What did Allah the Exalted say? He said:
So eat of them and feed
كلوا منها وأطعمواSo eat of them and feed
كلوا منها وأطعمواFirst: Because of the command of Allah the Mighty and Majestic to do so.
And second: Because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) during his Hajj offered one hundred camels as gifts. How could he eat from all of them? Listen, he ordered that a piece be taken from each camel. How many pieces would that be? One hundred. Then they were placed in a pot, one hundred pieces, even if small. Then they were cooked, and he ate from their meat and drank from their broth, in realization of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Eat from it
كلوا منهاSecond: The fitrah. There are also people who now take one hundred riyals from a person and say, "That's enough, give me one hundred riyals and we will buy a fitrah for you and distribute it." This also requires consideration, but it is less severe than the 'Id sacrifice. Nevertheless, we advise the Muslim brothers to perform their fitrah, meaning zakat al-fitr, themselves and in their own country, so that people feel that there is something called, what? Zakat al-fitr. And so that the boy, the children, and the family feel it, and the ritual is displayed. Even if a person takes one hundred riyals from his pocket and says, "Take this, so-and-so, and buy a fitrah with it," people do not know this ritual, and it remains hidden from the household, even though this fitrah is paid on behalf of the household members. So you pay it on their behalf for something they do not know about and are not aware of. Therefore, pay the fitrah in your homes, meaning that a person brings the fitrah to his home, measures it out, and the children and wives witness it. Then he says to one of his children or others, "This is my fitrah, this is the fitrah for my son, this is the fitrah for my wife, give it to so-and-so." And this, my brothers, the rituals are intended to be more noble and greater than just benefiting the poor. Yes.