It has been narrated by Imaam Malik in his Muwatta [2/486] and at-Tirmidhi in his Jaami’ [1505] – this being his wording – that Abee Ayyob al-Ansaari was asked by ‘Ata, “How did you offer the sacrifice at the time of the Messenger of Allaah?” He replied, “ A man would offer a female sheep on behalf of himself and his family, he would eat from it and would feed others
At-Tirmidhi said that this hadeeth is Hasan Saheeh[1] and I agree with this grading of at-Tirmidhi.
So the Sunnah is for the people of the household to gather and all offer one sacrifice. If they intend and are capable of offering more then this is better and has more virtues, as it was previously stated in the hadeeth of Anas [May Allah be Pleased with him] that the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] offered two rams.
Furthermore if it is easier for the person to send the sacrifice or have the animal sacrificed on his behalf in another land that would be better. It is no secret that some of the Muslim countries today have a great need for it, as poverty and famine seems to be spreading. So the Muslim shouldn’t forget his brother when he is in need and should help him according to his ability, this will be highly rewarded by Allaah, the Most Perfect the Most High.
Things the person who wants to offer the sacrifice must do
It has been reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh [1977] on the authority Umm Salamah [May Allaah be Pleased with her] that the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] said,
“When the then days of Dhul Hijjah start and one of you wish to offer a sacrifice then he/she must make sure that they don’t cut their hair nor remove any skin from their bodies”
This narration gives us insight in the prohibition of removing three things, for the one who wants to offer a sacrifice and they are; hair, nails and skin, until the animal has been sacrificed.
The prohibition of removing dry skin is also included; this may be underneath the nails or below the feet.
Imaam Ahmad took the stance that keeping things growing without cutting them was obligatory, as this is the literal and apparent meaning of the aforementioned hadeeth of Umm Salamah. However the majority of the scholars say that removing these items, namely the hair, skin and nails, are all disliked only and not prohibited.
However, in reconciliation with the evidences the first view is the correct one as the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] prohibited such, and once He [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] prohibits us to do something then refraining from it becomes obligatory.
Therefore if someone wants to offer a sacrifice he must then refrain from removing anything from skin, hair or nails. The one who is paying for the sacrifice is the one who refrains and if the household are all offering one sacrifice collectively then the one who is paying for the animal is the one who refrains and not the whole family.
Likewise if someone has been appointed to offer a sacrifice on behalf of someone else, then the he is not the one who refrains, rather the one whose name the sacrifice is for is the one who must refrain.
Added to this, whoever wants to comb their hair is allowed and may do so. Likewise the person who wants to apply perfume is allowed to do so as well. The only things that are prohibited for the person who wants to offer a sacrifice are the three, cutting their hair, removing skin and trimming the nails.
The evidence to demonstrate the permissibility of combing the hair, and that it is not from the prohibited things that the person must refrain from, it the narration reported by Bukhaari in his saheeh [310] on the authority of ‘Aaishah [May Allah be Pleased with her] who said the Messenger of Allaah [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] said to her whilst they were in Ihraam,
“…open your braids and comb your hair…”
The rulings applied to Ihraam and what a person is not allowed to remove from their hair, skin and nails is must more serious than the sacrifice, so this tells us that in this severe state of Ihraam we are still allowed to comb our hairs, then it will certainly be permissible to comb our hairs in a state of prohibition which is lesser than the Ihraam.
[Taken from a treatise written by Shaykh 'Abdullah as-Sa'd]
[1] This term has various meanings and uses as the scholars have explained. In fact there exist over fifteen different ways it has been used, however it often means that there are various chains and version, some being good [Hasan] and others being authentic [Saheeh], thus the term Hasan Saheeh has been used. [See Sharh Mawqitha of Imaam adh-Dhahabee] [TN]
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