The description of the Sacrifice which takes place within the Hajj on the tenth day
This is from the traditions of our father, the Prophet Ibraaheem [Peace be upon him] that he has founded for us to follow. Allaah says about this in His statement:
“And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a ram);”
[As-Saafaat 37:107]
With this established, it is important to note that we have been commanded to follow the religion of our father Prophet Ibraaheem [Peace be upon him].
Allaah, The Most High, said,
“And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj).
That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade), and mention the Name of Allah on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah), over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice), [at the time of their slaughtering by saying: (Bismillah, Wallahu-Akbar, Allahumma Minka wa Ilaik).] Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor having a hard time
Then let them complete their prescribed duties (Manasik of Hajj) and perform their vows, and circumambulate the Ancient House (the Ka'bah at Makkah).
That (Manasik- prescribed duties of Hajj is the obligation that mankind owes to Allah), and whoever honours the sacred things of Allah, then that is better for him with his Lord. The cattle are lawful to you, except those (that will be) mentioned to you (as exceptions). So shun the abomination (worshipping) of idol, and shun lying speech (false statements)
Hunafa' Lillah (i.e. worshiping none but Allah), not associating partners (in worship) unto Him; and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place.
Thus it is [what has been mentioned in the above said Verses (27, 28, 29, 30, 31) is an obligation that mankind owes to Allah] and whosoever honours the Symbols of Allah, then it is truly from the piety of the hearts.
In them (cattle offered for sacrifice) are benefits for you for an appointed term, and afterwards they are brought for sacrifice unto the ancient House (the Haram -sacred territory of Makkah).
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 Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God - Allah), so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam). And (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) give glad tidings to the Mukhbitun (those who obey Allah with humility and are humble from among the true believers of Islamic Monotheism),
Whose hearts are filled with fear when Allah is mentioned and As-Sabirun [who patiently bear whatever may befall them (of calamities)]; and who perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and who spend (in Allah's Cause) out of what We have provided them.
And the Budn (cows, oxen, or camels driven to be offered as sacrifices by the pilgrims at the sanctuary of Makkah) We have made them for you as among the Symbols of Allah, wherein 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 (men), and the beggar who asks (men). Thus have We made them subject to you that you may be grateful.
It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have We made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His Guidance to you. And give glad tidings (O Muhammadصلىالله عليه وسلم) to the Muhsinun (doers of good).”
[Hajj 22:27-37]
Ibn Katheer [May Allaah have mercy on him] said in explaining the above:
“Allaah says:
‘…and whosoever honours the Symbols of Allah….’ meaning honouring what He has commanded us. Then He said,
‘….then it is truly from the piety of the hearts….’ meaning the ways of venerating include perform the sacrifices in the best way. This has been reported by Ibn ‘Abbas [May Allah be Pleased with him] who is reported in explaining the honouring in this ayah to mean ‘choosing from the best of animals to slaughter, the fattest and healthiest‘.
Ibn Abee Haatim [May Allaah have mercy on him] reported Ibn ‘Abbaas [May Allah be Pleased with him] in explaining the ayah:
‘…and whosoever honours the Symbols of Allah….’ meaning the fattest, the healthiest and the biggest.
Aboo Umaamah ibn Sahl said, “When we were in Madeenah, we used to choose the fattest animals to sacrifice. The Muslims used to make the animals fat beforehand. ” [Narrated by Bukhaari]
Bukhaari [5553] also narrated from the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik [May Allah be Pleased with him] that the Messenger of Allaah [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] used to sacrifice two rams. And I used to do likewise.
It is also narrated by him [5229] that the Messenger of Allaah [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] sacrificed two rams with two horns pressing them with his hand.
It is also narrated [5238] and Muslim [1966] from the hadeeth of Anas [May Allah be Pleased with him] who said, “The Messenger of Allaah sacrificed two rams pressing them. I saw him putting his foot on their sides whilst mentioning the name of Allaah over them. He sacrificed them with his own hands”
The ruling of Udhiyah or sacrifice
Sacrificing an animal within the rituals of Hajj is from the greatest of acts of worship. It is from the greatest acts of worship that brings you close to Allaah, Exalted and Glorified is He.
The people of knowledge differed on its rulings, they stated two opinions:
1) Obligatory: This is the view of Aboo Haneefah and one of the views that have been attributed to Imaam Ahmad and Imaam Maalik. It is the chosen opinion of Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn Taymiyyah.
2) Recommended: meaning it is not obligatory. This is the opinion of Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee and the well-known opinion of Imaam Ahmad and Imaam Maalik. This is the correct view, it being highly recommended. The following evidences exemplify this:
a) The first proof to show that it is not obligatory to do Udhiyah is the fact that the origin of a command in Islam is not an obligation for the Muslim to carry out, unless it is stated that the command is obligatory for every Muslim to do. And I do not know any evidence to suggest that it is obligatory and as for some of the text that suggest it is obligatory then I say that they are not authentic.[26][26]
b) The second proof to prove that the sacrifice is not an obligation on every Muslim is the narration collected by Aboo Dawood [2789] on the authority of ‘Amr ibn ‘Aaas that the Messenger of Allaah [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] said,
“I have been commanded to take the day of sacrifice as an Eid as Allaah the Exalted and Glorified has made it such for this Ummah”.
So a man said,“What do you think about a man who only has one female goat, should he sacrifice it?”
The Messenger of Allaah [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] replied, “No, but cut your hair and nails, trim your moustache and shave your pubic hairs. This will be a complete sacrifice for you with Allaah the Exalted and Glorified”.
This occurred on the day of Eid or sacrifice. The point of evidence in the hadeeth is the fact that the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] did not order the man to sacrifice this female goat, had it been obligatory he surely would have commanded him to do so.
c) The third piece of evidence to prove that the sacrifice for this Eid is not obligatory comes in the narration reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh [1977] on the authority of Umm Salamah [May Allah be Pleased with her] who said that the Messenger of Allaah [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] said,
“If the ten days of Dhul Hijjah start and you want to make a sacrifice…..” until the end of the hadeeth.
The point here is that the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] left doing the sacrifice to the preference of the person. [27][27]
d) The fourth piece of evidence to prove that the sacrifice for this Eid is not obligatory is proven by the fact that not one of the Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them all] held the opinion of it being obligatory. Ibn Hazm said about this,“There is no single authentic narration from the companions to say that the sacrifice is obligatory” [al-Muhalla 7/358].
Bayhaqi [9/265] narrated with an authentic chain on the authority of Abee Sareehah al-Ghafaar who said, “I went to Aboo Bakr -in another narration it says he saw Aboo Bakr and ‘Umar- and they did not offer a sacrifice…”
Bayhaqi [9/265] also narrated with a authentic chain that Abee Mas’ood al-Ansaari said, “I did not sacrifice an animal even though I was wealthy…”
The meaning of these narrations are also similar to that which has been narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas and Bilaal [May Allah be Pleased with them both] as well as others from the Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them all].
Bukhaari also reported[28][28]that Ibn ‘Umar [May Allaah be Pleased with him] said, “The sacrifice is Sunnah and it is well-known”.
And I don’t know of any Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them all] that disagreed with the above, rather what has been narrated from the Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them all] is that the sacrifice is Sunnah.
It has been reported from Aboo Hurayrah [May Allaah be Pleased with him] that he mentioned the ruling of the sacrifice being Sunnah and based this on the report from the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him].
He narrated that the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] said,
“Whoever is able to offer a sacrifice and doesn’t do so, should not come to the place of out prayer”.
Reported by Ahmad [2/321]; Ibn Maajah [3123] as well as others.
This chain is weak because of the presence of Abd Allaah ibn ‘Ayaash, but the scholars did differ on the acceptance of his narrations.
Ibn Jawzee reported Imaam Ahmad saying that Abd Allaah ibn ‘Ayaash is rejected in his narrations, however ad-Daaraqtuni said that his narrations can’t be attributed to the Prophet[29][29]
[Tanqeeh at-Tahqeeq 3/566]
I say: other narrations that are similar to this also are weak in their chains. Furthermore, the sacrifice being an obligation has not been attributed to any of ther other major Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them all], thus proving that the Sacrifice is Sunnah and not obligatory. [30][30]
Offering the sacrifice for yourself and for your family
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[31][31]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.
The time when one should offer the sacrifice
The first thing that the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] would do on the day of sacrifice, after performing the prayer, is to offer the sacrifice[32][32]. Imaam Bukhaari in his Saheeh [922] and Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh [1961] both reported on the authority of Baraa’ [May Allaah be Pleased with him] that the Messenger of Allaah [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] said,
“The first thing we will do on this day is to pray and then we will go back and offer the sacrifice. Whoever does this then he has acted in accordance with our Sunnah. Whoever offers the sacrifice before the prayer then he should give that to his family as he has not fulfilled the sacrifice”.
And Allah Knows best
Taken from a treatise entitled, 'Description of the Virtues of the First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah' by Shaykh Abdullah as-Sa'd
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