MUSLIM SERMON - THE OBLIGATION OF ANIMAL SACRIFICE
1)
The obligation of fearing Allaah and thanking Him for legislating the
ritual of sacrificing an animal.
2) Slaughtering Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) is better than donating its monetary value.
3) Some rules of offering Udhiyah and its Sunnahs.
4) What suffices as Udhiyah and defects that make it unacceptable.
5) Issues related to Udhiyah.
O people! Fear Allaah, your Lord, and thank Him on account of the favor
He endowed upon you by ordaining you to offer sacrificial animals as a
means of seeking His pleasure. This act of sacrifice is the tradition
of your father Ibraaheem, peace be upon him, and your Prophet Muhammad
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. You are promised by your Lord, reward
for each part of the body of your offering, even its hair or wool. The
Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, “On the day of sacrifice,
no one does a deed more pleasing to Allaah than the shedding of blood.
The sacrificial animal will come on the Day of Resurrection with its
horns, hair and hooves (and its owner will be rewarded on that basis);
and (its) blood finds acceptance with Allaah (for its owner) before it
falls on the ground, so be glad about it." (Tirmidhi)
O Muslims! Purchasing a sacrifice and slaughtering it is better than
giving its monetary value in charity. The deed of sacrificing an animal
is a stressed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu'akkadah) to be emulated by the
financially able persons. So, slaughter on behalf of yourselves and
your households, including your wives, children and parents, so that
all of them will gain its reward and you will thus follow the practice
of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, who slayed for himself
and his family. Some people offer sacrifice only on behalf of their
parents, depriving themselves and their households of the reward; it is
preferable to do so in the name of all. This is regarding offering
sacrifice by an individual for himself.
As for slaughtering as an appointed person, one should satisfy the
items of the will accurately, unless it contains (instructions to
offer) more than one sacrifice and there is such a shortage of funds
that the cost for the sacrificial animals cannot be met. In such a
case, if the one entrusted to slay is an individual, one sacrificial
animal may be sacrificed with the intention (and hope) of earning the
reward for the rest as well.
A number of people slaughter on behalf of their deceased relatives
during the first year of their death, naming it ‘Dahiyyah Al-Hufrah’
(the sacrifice of the grave) – this practice has no basis in the
Islaamic law. Similarly, as a means of specifying the owner of the
sacrificial animal, some people wipe or mark its face until the back of
its neck. According to Islaamic principles, though, one should state
its owner merely by mentioning his name during slaughtering, without
wiping – this is in accordance with the conduct of the Prophet
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Moreover, if one sacrifices the animal
even with only the intention, without mentioning the name of its owner,
it will be sufficient.
The sacrifice should be one of the following kinds of animals: camels,
cows, sheep or goats. It cannot be valid unless it meets two
conditions: that it is of the specified age and is free from certain
defects that invalidate it.
As far as age is concerned, it is specified as follows:
* Camels should be five years old.
* Cows should be two years old.
* Goats should be one year old.
* Sheep should be six months old.
Regarding the defects that invalidate the sacrifice, they were
explained by the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam in the following
Hadeeth: “Four (types of animals) should be avoided in sacrifice: A
lame animal whose lameness is evident, a one-eyed animal which is
clearly one-eyed, an animal which is clearly ill and an emaciated
animal with no fat on it." (Ahmad) The clear lameness is identified by
the animal’s inability to contend and keep up with sound animals. An
animal with a defective eye either popping out or which is completely
concealed, identifies it as being clearly one-eyed; yet, if the
imperfection is not detected, even though it cannot see with it, it
will still be a valid sacrifice but disliked. The way it trots, the
type of appetite it has, as well as other similar factors determine
whether or not the animal is considered well or ill, such as due to
obvious sicknesses like mild or severe scabies. An ailing animal whose
poor health has not had an obvious effect can be accepted as a
legitimate sacrifice; in any case, it is preferable to offer a
sacrifice that is free from all such defects. If the sacrificial animal
is so emaciated that its bones contain no marrow, it will not be
accepted as a valid sacrifice. Thus, these are the defects that render
the sacrifice invalid. There are other imperfections which can be
overlooked, such as slit ears, broken horns and missing teeth. However,
the better the condition of the sacrificial animal, the more acceptable
it is.
The male animal, whether castrated or not, is accepted as a sacrifice
as the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam offered both. However, the
fleshier the animal, the more satisfactory it is.
It is better to slaughter a goat or a sheep than one-seventh of a camel
or cow, even though both are basically equivalent. One may share a cow
or camel with six other persons, in the hope of all of them attaining
the reward. Also, the pregnant sacrifice is equally acceptable as one
not carrying a child.
If a person is able, he should slaughter his sacrifice himself;
however, if he cannot, he may hire someone to do it and should attend
the slaughtering. All the same, if he is not present, the sacrifice is
still valid. Furthermore, if a person slaughters an animal thinking it
is his, but later discovers that it belongs to someone else, then the
sacrifice will suffice for its owner, that is he (the owner) receives
the reward for it and takes the meat. For instance, if there is a yard
with several sacrificial animals in it and a person takes one of them,
assuming it is his and slaughters it, but later discovers that it did
not belong to him, then although the sacrifice is valid, the one who
mistakenly slaughtered the animal does not receive the credit or reward
for it, rather, his position is like that of someone appointed to
slaughter on behalf of the owner.
Allaah says which means, “Indeed, We have granted you, (O Muhammad),
Al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise). So pray to your Lord and sacrifice
(to Him alone).” (Al Kawthur: 1-2)