WHAT IS QURBANI/UDHIYA – Zabeeha Farms

بسم الله و الصلاة و السلام على رسول الله

Rulings of Udhiyah (from islamqa.info)

Udhiyah is one of the great rituals of Islam, in which we remember the Unity of Allah, His blessings upon us and the obedience of our father Ibraaheem to his Lord, and in this act of udhiyah there is much goodness and blessing. So the Muslim must pay attention to its great importance. The following is a brief look at this important ritual.

What is Udhiyah?

Udhiyah refers to the animal (camel, cattle or sheep) that is sacrificed as an act of worship to Allah, in the country in which the person offering the sacrifice lives, during the period from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Nahr (Eid al-Adhaa) until the last of the Days of Tashreeq (the 13^th day of Dhu’l-Hijjah), with the intention of offering sacrifice. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).” [al-Kawthar 108:2]

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists).” [al-An’aam 6:162]

“And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your God is One God, so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam)…” [al-Hajj 22:34]

Is Udhiyah sunnah or obligatory?

Udhiyah is a confirmed Sunnah according to the majority of scholars (some scholars say that it is waajib or obligatory; this will be discussed in more detail below).

The basic principle is that it is required at the appointed time from one who is alive on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and he may include in the reward for it whoever he wishes, living or dead. With regard to udhiyah on behalf of one who is dead, if the deceased bequeathed up to one third of his wealth for that purpose, or included it in his waqf (endowment), then these wishes must be carried out, otherwise, if a person wishes to offer a sacrifice on behalf of someone who has died, this is a good deed and is considered to be giving charity on behalf of the dead.

But the Sunnah is for a man to include the members of his household, living and dead, in his udhiyah, and when he slaughters it, he should say, “Allahumma haadha ‘anni wa ‘an aali bayti (O Allah, this is on behalf of myself and the members of my household” – he does not have to make a separate sacrifice on behalf of every deceased person.

Udhiyah or giving its money in charity?

The scholars agreed that sacrificing the animal and giving its meat in charity is better than giving its value in charity, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to make the sacrifice, and he did not do anything but that which is best and most befitting. This is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad.

Virtues of udhiyah and the best of udhiyah

A sheep is good enough as a sacrifice for one man and the members of his household and his children, because of the hadeeth of Abu Ayyoob: “At the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), a man would sacrifice a sheep on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and they would eat from it and give some to others.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi, who classed it as saheeh)

The kinds of animals prescribed for sacrifice are camels, cattle and sheep. Some of the scholars said that the best sacrifice is camels, then cattle, then sheep, then a share in a she-camel or cow, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said concerning Friday prayers: “Whoever goes to [Friday prayers] early, it is equivalent to him sacrificing a camel.” This is the opinion of the three imaams Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad. On this basis, a sheep is better than one-seventh of a camel or cow. Maalik said that the best is a young sheep, then a cow then a camel, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sacrificed two rams, and he never did anything but that which was the best. The response to that is that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) always chose what was more appropriate out of kindness towards his ummah, because they would follow his example, and he did not want to make things difficult for them. (Fatawa al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baz).

A camel or cow is enough for seven people, because of the report narrated by Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “We sacrificed at al-Hudaybiyah with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), a camel for seven and a cow for seven.” According to one version: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to share camels and cattle, each seven men sharing one animal.” According to another version: “So a cow would be sacrificed on behalf of seven men and we would share it.” (Reported by Muslim)

Ruling of udhiyah

Udhiyah is one of the rituals of Islam. It is mentioned in Jawaahir al-Ikleel Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel that if the people of a city or country neglect udhiyah, they should be fought, because it is one of the rituals of Islam. (Rasaa’il Fiqhiyyah by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, p. 46). There are two scholarly opinions on udhiyah:

1- that it is waajib (obligatory). This is the opinion of al-Oozaa’i, al-Layth and Abu Haneefah, and it is one of the two opinions narrated from Imaam Ahmad. It was also the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and is one of the two opinions in the madhhab of Maalik, or is what seems to be the madhhab of Maalik. Those who favour this opinion take the following as evidence:

The verse: “Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).” [al-Kawthar 108:2]. This is a command, and a command implies that something is obligatory.
The hadeeth of Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before he prays, let him slaughter another one in its place, and whoever did not slaughter a sacrifice, let him do so in the name of Allah.’” (Reported by Muslim, 3621)
The hadeeth: “Whoever can afford to offer a sacrifice but does not do so, let him not approach our place or prayer.” (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). It says in Fath al-Baari that its men are thiqaat).

2- that it is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu’akkadah). This is the opinion of the majority, and it is the madhhab of al-Shaafa’i and the better-known opinion of Maalik and Ahmad. But most of those who favour this opinion stated that it is makrooh (disliked) for the one who is able to offer a sacrifice to neglect to do so. They base their opinion on the following:

The hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sunan Abi Dawood, where he said: “I prayed on Eid al-Adhaa with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and when he finished (the prayer), he was brought two rams, and he sacrificed them. He said, ‘In the Name of Allah, Allah is Most Great. This is on behalf of myself and any member of my ummah who did not offer a sacrifice.” (Sunan Abi Dawood bi Sharh Muhammad Shams al-Haq Abaadi, 7/486)
The hadeeth reported by all the famous muhadditheen apart from al-Bukhaari: “Whoever among you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not take anything from his hair or nails.” Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah preserve him, said, following his discussion of those who say it is obligatory and those who say it is Sunnah, “Each point of view has its evidence, but to be on the safe side, the one who is able to offer a sacrifice should not neglect to do so, because of what is involved in this act of reverence towards Allah, remembering Him, and making sure that one has nothing to be blamed for.

Conditions of udhiyah

The animal should have reached the required age, which is six months for a lamb, one year for a goat, two years for a cow and five years for a camel.
It should be free of any faults, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are four that will not do for sacrifice: a one-eyed animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose limp is obvious and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones .” (Saheeh, Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 886). There are milder defects that do not disqualify an animal, but it is makrooh to sacrifice such animals, such as an animal with a horn or ear missing, or an animal with slits in its ears, etc. Udhiyah is an act of worship to Allah, and Allah is Good and accepts only that which is good. Whoever honours the rites of Allah, this has to do with the piety (taqwa) of the heart.
It is forbidden to sell it. If an animal has been selected for sacrifice, it is not permissible to sell it or give it away, except in exchange for one that is better. If an animal gives birth, its offspring should be sacrificed along with it. It is also permissible to ride it if necessary. The evidence for this is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw a man leading his camel and told him, “Ride it.” He said, “It is for sacrifice.” He said, “Ride it” a second or third time.
It should be sacrificed at the specified time, which is from after the prayer and khutbah of Eid – not from when the time for the prayer and khutbah starts – until before sunset on the last of the days of Tashreeq, which is the 13^th day of Dhu’l-Hijjah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever sacrifices before the prayer, let him repeat it.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The days of Nahr (Sacrifice) are the day of al-Adhaa and the three days following it.” This is also the opinion of al-Hasan al-Basri, ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabaah, al-Oozaa’i, al-Shaafa’i and Ibn al-Mundhir, may Allah have mercy on them all.

What should be done with the sacrifice?

It is mustahabb (liked, preferable) for the one who has made a sacrifice to not eat anything on that day before he eats from it, if this is possible, because of the hadeeth, “Let every man eat from his sacrifice.” (Classed as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5349). This eating should be after the Eid prayer and khutbah. This is the opinion of the scholars, including ‘Ali, Ibn ‘Abbaas, Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and others. The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not go out on the day of Fitr until he had eaten, and he would not eat on the day of Adhaa until he had slaughtered (his sacrifice).” (Al-Albaani said: its isnaad is saheeh. Al-Mishkaat, 1/452).
It is better for a person to slaughter the sacrifice himself, but if he does not, it is mustahabb for him to be present when it is slaughtered.
It is mustahaab to divide the meat into three: one third to be eaten, one third to be given as gifts and one third to be given in charity. This was the opinion of Ibn Mas’ood and Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). The scholars agreed that it is not permissible to sell anything from its meat, fat or skin. In a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever sells the skin of his udhiyah, there is no udhiyah for him (i.e., it is not counted as udhiyah).” (Classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6118). The butcher should not be given anything of it by way of reward or payment, because ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded me to take care of the sacrifice and to give its meat, skin and raiment ( covering used for protection ) in charity, and not to give anything of it to the butcher as a compensation . He said, ‘We will give him something from what we have.’” (Agreed upon). It was said that it is permissible to give the butcher something as a gift, and that it is permissible to give some of it to a kaafir if he is poor or a relative or a neighbour, or in order to open his heart to Islam. (Fatawa al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baz).

Things to avoid in Dhul-Hijjah

Question: what should the Muslim avoid in the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah if he wants to offer a sacrifice?

The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must refrain from taking anything from his hair, nails or skin from the first day of Dhu’l-Hijjah until he offers his sacrifice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not remove anything from his hair or nails until he has offered his sacrifice.” According to another report: “Let him not touch any part of his hair or nails.” (Reported by Muslim with four isnaads, 13/146). This command implies obligation and the prohibition implies that it is forbidden, according to the most correct opinion, because these are absolutes with no exceptions. If a person deliberately takes something (from his hair or nails), he must seek the forgiveness of Allah, but he does not have to pay any fidyah (penalty), and his udhiyah is still valid. Whoever needs to remove some of his hair or nails because leaving it will cause him harm, such as a torn nail or a wound in a site covered by hair, should remove it, and there is no sin on him if he does so. This is not more serious than the muhrim (person in ihram for Hajj or ‘Umrah) who is allowed to shave if not doing so will cause him harm. There is nothing wrong with men and women washing their hair during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) only forbade removing hair, and because the muhrim is allowed to wash his head.

Why should we avoid shaving in Dhul-Hijjah?

The wisdom behind the prohibition on removing hair and nails is because the one who is going to offer a sacrifice is like the one who is in ihram for Hajj and ‘Umrah with regard to some rituals, which is the offering of a sacrifice in order to draw closer to Allah. Thus some of the rulings of ihram apply to the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, so he should not touch his hair and nails until he has slaughtered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allah will release him from the fire of Hell. And Allah knows best.

If a person removes some of his hair and nails during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah because he is not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to sacrifice, he should refrain from cutting his hair or nails from the moment he takes the decision.

There are some women who delegate their brothers or sons to do the sacrifice on their behalf so that they can cut their hair during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah. This is not correct, because the ruling applies to the one who is making the sacrifice, whether he or she delegates someone else to do the actual slaughter or not. The prohibition does not apply to the person appointed, it applies to the person who wants to offer a sacrifice on behalf of himself, as is indicated by the hadeeth. As for the person who is doing the sacrifice on behalf of another, whether because of a will or because he has been delegated to do so, the prohibition does not apply to him.

It is apparent that this prohibition applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, and does not extend to his wife or children, unless one of them is offering a sacrifice on his or her own behalf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to sacrifice on behalf of the family of Muhammad, and it was not reported that he forbade them to remove anything of their hair or nails.

Whoever is planning to offer a sacrifice, then decides to go for Hajj, should not remove anything of his hair or nails when he wants to enter ihram, because this is Sunnah only when there is a need for it. But if he is doing Hajj “tamattu’” [where one performs ‘Umrah, then ends ihram and enters a new state of ihram for Hajj], he should shorten his hair when he finishes ‘Umrah because that is part of the ritual.

The things that are forbidden for the person who wants to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth quoted above. It is not forbidden for him to wear perfume or to have intercourse with his wife or to wear sewn garments and so on .

And Allah knows best

https://islamqa.info/en/articles/67/rulings-of-udhiyah

Questions to Shaikh Ibn Al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullāh):

1. Sacrificing (Ud’hiyyah) on behalf of the deceased

Singling out a sacrifice on behalf of a dead person is not from the Sunnah ― and it is not reported from the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) from what I know that he made individual sacrifices on behalf of any dead person and nor on behalf of his Companions during his lifetime, rather a person is to sacrifice an animal for himself and his family. And if he adds the deceased in that intention, then there is no harm.

2. Can a woman slaughter the animal for ud’hiyah?

Yes, it is allowed for a woman to perform the sacrifice or anyone other than her too. That is because the origin is that men and women share in the acts of worship unless there is a specific text [that prohibits it]. It is established in a hadeeth that Ka’b had a slave girl who used to graze his sheep on a small mountain called Sal’u, situated near the market. Once a sheep was attacked by a wolf [that then fled] so she broke a stone and slaughtered the sheep with it. When they mentioned that to the Prophet, he, permitted them to eat it. (Bukhāri, no. 5502)

3. The one who intends to sacrifice and then cuts his hair or nails before the sacrifice of the animal has taken place.

The ruling on such a person is that he has disobeyed the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) because the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “When the month of Dhul-Hijjah begins, and one of you intends to make a sacrifice (ud’hiyah), then let him not take anything from the hair of his body, or his nails until he has sacrificed.” So, a person who violates this command should repent to Allah, the Most High. As for his sacrifice, then it is not affected at all. And it is not as some of the common people think that if a person cuts his hair or his nails, then his sacrifice is invalidated ― this is not correct.

4. Is it allowed for a Muslim who has offered his sacrifice to give some of the meat to a non-Muslim and should the person who has offered the sacrifice eat from the slaughtered meat himself?

It is permitted for a person to give some of the meat (cooked or raw) to a non-Muslim as a charitable act on the condition that the non-Muslim is not fighting or killing the Muslims, and if he is fighting and killing them, then he should not be given anything.

As for a person (and his household) eating from his own sacrificed animal, then yes, he should―if he has prayed ‘Eid, and then sacrificed the animal and he eats from it before eating something else, then that is fine. In fact, the scholars say that is better. It is from the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and his Companions that they would eat from the animals they sacrificed.

(See As’ilah wa Ajwibah Fi Salāt Al-‘Eidayn of Al-‘Allāmah Ibn ‘Uthaimīn)

Sending the ‘Eid Sacrifice (Qurbāni) abroad to the poor?

In this audio, Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaimīn (rahimahullāh) states that it is not allowed to send money for Ud’hiyah (‘Eid sacrifice) overseas as a means of feeding meat to the poor. Then, he explains in detail why―and here are the main points he mentions:

People send the price of their sacrifice (Ud’hiyah) overseas to poor countries and the meat is given to the poor. Some people encourage this and adverts are placed to convince people to send money overseas for the sacrifice. This behaviour in the most part is due to their ignorance of what the Sharī’ah intends and ignorance of the Sharī’ah ruling in this matter.
The first and most important reason for the ud’hiyah is that the slaughter of the animal itself is an act of nearness to Allah ― it is from the most virtuous types of worship. So, the intent is the slaughter itself done by the one who is offering the sacrifice.
The slaughter in the name of Allah is mentioned at the time of sacrifice which one cannot do when the money for the animal is sent overseas to be carried out by others.
If the money is sent overseas, one cannot eat from the meat that is sacrificed as his ud’hiyah ― and eating from the sacrificed meat is something that is enjoined by Allah in His Book and also established as the Sunnah of the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), his family and his Companions. In fact, eating from the sacrifice is regarded as an obligation by a large number of scholars ― so, regardless of whether it is obligatory or recommended, if the sacrifice is done overseas, he cannot eat from his sacrifice (nor can his family, relatives, neighbours and the poor people of his town).
By sending it overseas, one has removed a great distinguishing sign of this day of ‘Eid from his land.
This great distinguishing act of Islam of Ud’hiyah is removed from our presence, and our offspring do not see it or feel its greatness ― when it is done in the location you live, the whole household feels this goodness and benefits from the sacrifice of ‘Eid.
So, it is a clear and great error to send the cost of the sacrifice to another land instead of doing it where you live.
The mistake they make is that they see the sacrifice solely as food for the hungry―and that is an error. If you are truthful in desiring to help the poor and to feed the hungry, then you should send money to them for food, drink and clothing. Who is preventing you from that?
So, you should clarify to the people that what they do is wrong (by sending money for sacrifice overseas)―explain to them that they should perform the ud’hiyah in their homes (locally) and eat from the sacrifice (and feed others).
So, the intent of the sacrifice is not to obtain meat for the poor―rather the most important intent is to attain nearness to Allah by the slaughter (dhabh) of cattle.
If one truly wants to help the poor and feed them, send them your money so they can eat, alhamdulillāh.

Allah stated:

وَالْبُدْنَ جَعَلْنَاهَا لَكُم مِّن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ ۖ فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ ۖ فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرْنَاهَا لَكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ – 22:36

“And the cows, oxen, or camels driven to be offered as sacrifices ― We have made for you as among the symbols of Allah, therein you have much good. So mention the Name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines for sacrifice. Then, when they are down on their sides after slaughter, eat thereof, and feed the poor who does not ask, and the beggar who asks. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may be grateful.” (Al-Hajj: 36)

Excerpt taken from https://abukhadeejah.com/eid-al-adha-regulations-of-sacrifice-and-sending-abroad