Q: I am married, praise be to Allah, and I have children. I live in a city other than the city in which my family lives, but on holidays I go to the city where my family is. On ‘Eid-ul-Adha (the Festival of the Sacrifice), my children and I came five days before the ‘Eid but we did not offer the Ud-hiyah (sacrificial animal offered by non-pilgrims) even though I am able to, praise be to Allah.
Is it permissible for me to offer Ud-hiyah? Is my father’s Ud-hiyah valid on behalf of myself and my wife and children? What is the ruling on Ud-hiyah for the one who is financially able? Is it obligatory on the one who is not able? Is it permissible to take a loan in order to offer the Ud-hiyah? A.A.Sh. Rafha’ the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
A: The Ud-hiyah is a Sunnah (supererogatory act of worship following the example of the Prophet), not Wajib (obligatory), and one sheep is sufficient on behalf of a man and the members of his household, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to sacrifice two-horned rams that were white speckled with black, every year; one on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and the other on behalf of those among his Ummah (nation based on one creed) who believe in the Oneness of Allah.
If you, dear questioner, are living in a separate house, then the Ud-hiyah offered by your father on behalf of himself and the members of his household is not sufficient for you, because you are not living with them in the same house. It is prescribed for you to offer Ud-hiyah on behalf of yourself and your family. There is nothing wrong with a Muslim taking a loan to offer Ud-hiyah if he is able to repay it. May Allah grant us all success!
ShaykhFawzan:
O Muslims! Udh-hiyah is a stressed Sunnah for the one who is able to do it. It is slaughtered in the houses; they eat from it in their houses, give some of it to their neighbors, and give some of it as charity to those poor people around them.
As for what some of the people have invented, from paying the price of the udh-hiyah to charity organizations who slaughter (for them) outside of their city and far away from the house of the one offering the udh-hiyah, then this is against the Sunnah and changing an act of worship. So it is obligatory to leave this transaction and slaughter the udh-hiyahs in the houses and in the same city as the one offering the udh-hiyah, as is shown in the Sunnah and as has been the practice of the Muslims since the time of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) up until this invention has occurred. And I am afraid that it may be an innovation, and the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) had said, “Whoever introduces into our affair something that is not part of it, it is rejected.” And he (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) said, “Be warned of newly invented matters, for verily every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a straying.”
So whoever wants to give in charity to those in need, then the door of charity is wide open, but do not bring change to the correct Shar’ee way of an act of worship by calling it a sadaqah, I seek refuge in Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan, (( And what the Messenger gives you, then take it, and what he forbids you from, then cease doing it, and fear Allaah, verily Allaah is severe in punishment. )) [Al-Hashr:7] May Allaah bless me and you by way of the great Qur’aan.
Shaykh Uthaymeen:
“…the sacrifice is a clearly defined worship, because if the intent behind the sacrifice was to benefit the people with the meat then the people would have bought meat and gave it away as charity on the day of the Eid. Rather, the most important thing is the sacrifice for Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, as Allaah the Exalted said,
‘It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allaah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him.’ (Sura Hajj verse 37) Then also, if you sent out money to another town for the sacrifice to be done for you then you have opposed the command of Allaah, because Allaah the Exalted said,
‘Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor who have a very hard time.’ (Sura Hajj verse 28)
And so is it possible for you to eat from it when it was sacrificed in Somalia?…No! Then you have opposed the command of Allah. And many of the Scholars have said, ‘Eating from the sacrifice is obligatory and the person will be sinning if he leaves it off’. And by this we know that the call to implore that money for the sacrifice is sent outside of the person’s town is a call that is not correct. And that it is not befitting for the people to partake in this, rather sacrifice at your houses and with your families and manifest the rites of Islaam in your town.And whoever wants to benefit their brothers in the places where they are in need, then benefit them with money and with clothes and other than that. But as for a rite from the rites of Islam that we use to draw near to Allaah by sacrificing and eating from it, then it is never befitting for the people to forsake this.”
