What is the ruling on slaughtering an animal for a deceased person on the occasion of a commemoration in Ramadan?
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The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah bless you. We are in Kuwait, and there are some families who have the custom in Ramadan of slaughtering an animal. They say: "This is a commemoration for the deceased," but they do not mention the deceased's good qualities or anything else?
The Shaykh : And what else?
The questioner : It is called a commemoration for the deceased.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And they do not mention the deceased in it.
The Shaykh : And they do not mention him in it.
The questioner : And they do not mention him in it; it is just a name, and some of them designate a specific day in Ramadan, and so on, every year?
The Shaykh : This is an innovation, one of the innovations that were not the custom of the Salaf. The deceased is remembered by making du'a for him, not by slaughtering an animal for him. It is incumbent upon students of knowledge to alert people to this and say: "This is not the way of the Salaf." Also, even if one assumes he wants a commemoration, Ramadan is not the place for slaughtering. When does slaughtering take place? On 'Id al-Adha, yes.
The questioner : I mean, Shaykh, if you asked about this act, they would tell you: "The reward is for the deceased."
The Shaykh : It does not contradict that the reward is for the deceased; give charity in dirhams. But to slaughter an animal and try to transfer the 'Id sacrifices to Ramadan, that is not correct.
The questioner : He does not intend the udhiyah; he performs the udhiyah on 'Id al-Adha.
The Shaykh : This means he performs the udhiyah twice: once in Ramadan and once in Dhu al-Hijjah.
You do not do this at all?
The Shaykh : And what else?
The questioner : It is called a commemoration for the deceased.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And they do not mention the deceased in it.
The Shaykh : And they do not mention him in it.
The questioner : And they do not mention him in it; it is just a name, and some of them designate a specific day in Ramadan, and so on, every year?
The Shaykh : This is an innovation, one of the innovations that were not the custom of the Salaf. The deceased is remembered by making du'a for him, not by slaughtering an animal for him. It is incumbent upon students of knowledge to alert people to this and say: "This is not the way of the Salaf." Also, even if one assumes he wants a commemoration, Ramadan is not the place for slaughtering. When does slaughtering take place? On 'Id al-Adha, yes.
The questioner : I mean, Shaykh, if you asked about this act, they would tell you: "The reward is for the deceased."
The Shaykh : It does not contradict that the reward is for the deceased; give charity in dirhams. But to slaughter an animal and try to transfer the 'Id sacrifices to Ramadan, that is not correct.
The questioner : He does not intend the udhiyah; he performs the udhiyah on 'Id al-Adha.
The Shaykh : This means he performs the udhiyah twice: once in Ramadan and once in Dhu al-Hijjah.
You do not do this at all?