Some Rulings Related to the Udhiyah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
A somewhat lengthy message arrived at the program from one of the sisters. The sister (Hayat 'A) our sister, I will read her message as it was received. May Allah grant you peace:
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Some people say that slaughtering a sheep—specifically a ram—on the blessed Day of Sacrifice, on the Day of 'Arafah, is considered an obligatory act. The evidence they cite is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when the festival arrived and he did not have a sacrificial animal, intended to slaughter his son, so Allah ﷽ sent him a ram to sacrifice in his place. The question is: Is this correct? And is it obligatory that the animal be raised for a full year and fattened to be called a "mismay" or "musnay"—as they phrase it—for the festival, and that it be distributed among seven households? Is this correct? And is there any evidence for this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) or from the Companions who followed him? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
The Shaykh : As for what follows: This sacrificial animal to which the questioner referred is not correct in the sense she described. The origin of the matter is that Allah tested Ibrahim al-Khalil (peace be upon him) by commanding him to slaughter his son, his firstborn, Isma'il (peace be upon him), to purify his heart for the love of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) alone, without the love of anyone else. Ibrahim was the intimate friend of Allah (peace be upon him), the best of people in his time, and the best of creation after Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). When he intended to slaughter him and laid him down on his forehead, and all that remained was for him to strike his throat with the knife, may Allah have mercy on him and on his son, Allah lifted this command from them and ransomed him with a great sacrifice [Surat al-Saffat: 109-111]. Allah abrogated this command, and the intended purpose was achieved through the purity of the heart and the perfection of love for Allah ﷽; for his soul had been pleased to slaughter his son as an act of drawing near to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to complete his love for Him ﷽. When the intended purpose was fulfilled and the requirement was met, Allah abrogated this command and ransomed the one who was to be sacrificed with a great sacrifice, which was a great ram. Allah sent it to him, and it is said that it came from Paradise and was brought down from Paradise. Ibrahim slaughtered it and ransomed his son Isma'il with it. This remained a recommended practice (sunnah) among the Muslims from that time, which is the sacrifice on the days of the Festival of Sacrifice.
And the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to slaughter two black, horned rams on the Festival of Sacrifice. One of them: for Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, his household. And the second: for those of his ummah who affirmed the oneness of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
And the sacrifice became a recommended practice (sunnah) in the ummah from the time of Ibrahim to the time of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to this day. It is recommended for the believer to sacrifice if he has the ability on the Day of Sacrifice, one sheep for him and his household. They eat from it and give it in charity. And if he sacrifices more, there is no harm.
The Shaykh : There is no need to raise it in the house and fatten it; it is permissible to buy it from the market or have it in his farm, but it is not a recommended practice (sunnah) to raise it. When he buys it from the market, that is sufficient, and praise be to Allah. Then, it is not a recommended practice (sunnah) to divide it among seven households; no, he eats from it and feeds others, as Allah the Exalted said: [Surat al-Hajj: 28]. So he eats what is easy for him and feeds his neighbors, relatives, and the poor what is easy for him. And if he divides it into three parts, eating one third, distributing one third among his relatives and neighbors, and giving one third to the poor, all of that is good.
And the objective of this is: that he eats and gives in charity, and that he buys it from the market or raises it in the house, all of that is permissible. And it is not a condition of that to divide it among seven households. This has no basis. Rather, he gives to whom he wishes, two or three households or less or more, from the poor or from his relatives and neighbors. The matter is broad in this, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Some people say that slaughtering a sheep—specifically a ram—on the blessed Day of Sacrifice, on the Day of 'Arafah, is considered an obligatory act. The evidence they cite is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when the festival arrived and he did not have a sacrificial animal, intended to slaughter his son, so Allah ﷽ sent him a ram to sacrifice in his place. The question is: Is this correct? And is it obligatory that the animal be raised for a full year and fattened to be called a "mismay" or "musnay"—as they phrase it—for the festival, and that it be distributed among seven households? Is this correct? And is there any evidence for this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) or from the Companions who followed him? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
The Shaykh : As for what follows: This sacrificial animal to which the questioner referred is not correct in the sense she described. The origin of the matter is that Allah tested Ibrahim al-Khalil (peace be upon him) by commanding him to slaughter his son, his firstborn, Isma'il (peace be upon him), to purify his heart for the love of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) alone, without the love of anyone else. Ibrahim was the intimate friend of Allah (peace be upon him), the best of people in his time, and the best of creation after Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). When he intended to slaughter him and laid him down on his forehead, and all that remained was for him to strike his throat with the knife, may Allah have mercy on him and on his son, Allah lifted this command from them and ransomed him with a great sacrifice
And We called out to him: "O Ibrahim, you have fulfilled the vision. Indeed, thus do We reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was a clear trial."
وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَنْ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَAnd the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to slaughter two black, horned rams on the Festival of Sacrifice. One of them: for Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, his household. And the second: for those of his ummah who affirmed the oneness of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
And the sacrifice became a recommended practice (sunnah) in the ummah from the time of Ibrahim to the time of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to this day. It is recommended for the believer to sacrifice if he has the ability on the Day of Sacrifice, one sheep for him and his household. They eat from it and give it in charity. And if he sacrifices more, there is no harm.
The Shaykh : There is no need to raise it in the house and fatten it; it is permissible to buy it from the market or have it in his farm, but it is not a recommended practice (sunnah) to raise it. When he buys it from the market, that is sufficient, and praise be to Allah. Then, it is not a recommended practice (sunnah) to divide it among seven households; no, he eats from it and feeds others, as Allah the Exalted said:
So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.
فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِيرَAnd the objective of this is: that he eats and gives in charity, and that he buys it from the market or raises it in the house, all of that is permissible. And it is not a condition of that to divide it among seven households. This has no basis. Rather, he gives to whom he wishes, two or three households or less or more, from the poor or from his relatives and neighbors. The matter is broad in this, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.