Conditions Of Udhiyah - Specific Characteristics, Timing
And Rulings On The Days Of Al-Tashreeq
Islamic Rulings - Living Shariah
VerdictsIslamic Questions & Answers
I intend to offer a sacrifice on behalf of myself and
my children. Are there any specific characteristics
that the animal should have, or is it correct to
sacrifice any sheep?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There are six conditions for the
udhiyah:
-1-
It should be one of the an'aam class of animals, which
are: camels, cattle, sheep and goats, because Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And for every nation We have appointed religious
ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allaah
over the beast of cattle that He has given them for
food"
[al-Hajj 22:34]
Baheemat al-an'aam (translated here as "beast of
cattle") includes camels, cattle and sheep. This is
what is well known among the Arabs, and this was the
view of al-Hasan, Qataadah and others.
-2-
It should have reached the age stipulated in sharee'ah,
which is six months for a sheep and the age at which
the animal is considered to be an adult for any other
animal, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not sacrifice anything
but an adult animal, unless it is difficult for you,
in which case you may slaughter a six-month old lamb (jadh'ah)."
Narrated by Muslim.
A mature animal means one that is considered to be an
adult.
In the case of camels it means one that is five years
old.
For cattle, it means one that is two years old.
For sheep it means one that is a year old.
The jadh'ah is that which is half a year old. So it is
not correct to sacrifice a camel, cow or goat that has
not yet reached maturity, or a sheep that is less than
six months old.
-3-
It should be free of any faults that would render it
unsuitable for sacrifice, of which there are four:
1 – An obvious defect in one eye, such as when the eye
is sunken in its socket, or when it sticks out like a
button, or is white and obviously defective.
2 – Obvious sickness, whose symptoms are clearly
apparent in the animal, such as fever that prevents it
from grazing and causes loss of appetite; mange that
obviously affects its flesh or its health; deep wounds
that affect its health, and so on.
3 – Obvious lameness, which prevents the animal from
walking normally.
4 – Emaciation that leaves no marrow in the bones,
when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was asked about what should be avoided in
udhiyah, he gestured with his hand and said: "Four: a
lame animal which is obviously lame, a one-eyed animal
whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness
is obvious, and an emaciated animal that no one would
choose." Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta' from the
hadeeth of al-Bara' ibn ‘Aazib. According to a hadeeth
narrated from him in al-Sunan, he said: "The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
stood up among us and said: ‘There are four which are
not permissible for sacrifice,'" and he mentioned
something similar. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Irwa' al-Ghaleel, 1148.
These four faults render an animal unsuitable for
sacrifice, and they include similar faults or more
severe faults. So the following animals are also
unsuitable for sacrifice:
1- One that is blind in both eyes.
2- One that has eaten more than it can stand, until
the danger has passed.
3- One that has encountered difficulty in giving
birth, until all danger has passed.
4- One that has suffered something that could kill it,
such as strangulation or a fall from a high place,
until the danger has passed.
5- One that is unable to walk because of a defect.
6- One that has had one of its forelegs or hind legs
cut off.
If these are added to the four defects mentioned in
the text, the number of those that cannot be offered
as sacrifices reaches ten – these six and the four
mentioned above.
-4-
The animal should belong to the person who is offering
the sacrifice, or he should have permission for that
either on the grounds of sharee'ah or from the owner.
The sacrifice is not valid if the animal slaughtered
does not belong to the person who is sacrificing it,
such as one that has been taken by force, stolen, or
taken on the basis of a false claim, etc, because it
is not permissible to draw closer to Allaah by means
of sin. A sacrifice offered by the guardian of an
orphan from the orphan's property is valid if that is
customary and if he feels sad about not offering a
sacrifice.
A sacrifice offered by a guardian from the property of
the person under his care is valid, if done with
permission.
-5-
No one else should have any rights to the sacrificial
animal; the sacrifice of an animal that is held in
pledge is not valid.
-6-
It should be slaughtered at the time specified in
sharee'ah, which is from after the Eid prayer on the
Day of Sacrifice until sunset on the last of the days
of al-Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhu'l-Hijjah. So
the days when the sacrificed may be offered are four:
the day of Eid after the prayer, and the three days
after that. Whoever slaughters it before the Eid
prayer is over, or after sun sets on the 13th of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, his sacrifice is not valid, because of
the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari from al-Bara' ibn
‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to
which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Whoever slaughters (his sacrifice)
before the prayer, it is meat that he has brought to
his family, but that is not the sacrifice." And he
narrated that Jundub ibn Sufyaan al-Bajali (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: "I heard the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
saying, ‘Whoever slaughters the sacrifice before he
prays, let him replace it with another.'" And it was
narrated that Nubayshah al-Hadhali (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The
days of al-Tashreeq are the days of eating, drinking
and remembering Allaah.'" Narrated by Muslim.
But if he has an excuse for delaying it beyond the
days of Tashreeq, such as if the animal ran away,
without there being any negligence on his part, and he
could not find it until after the time was over, or he
appointed someone else to slaughter it and that person
forgot until the time was over, then there is nothing
wrong with slaughtering it after the appointed time.
This is by analogy with the one who sleeps and misses
a prayer, or forgets it – he should pray it as soon as
he wakes up or remember it.
It is permissible to slaughter the udhiyah at any
time, night or day, but it is better to slaughter it
during the day, and it is better to slaughter on the
day of Eid after the two khutbahs. Each day is better
than the day that follows it, because that means that
one is hastening to do good.
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