10 Common Questions About Qurbani/Udhiyah | Imam Nadim Bashir | EPIC Masjid Live

10 Common Questions About Qurbani/Udhiyah

Today inshallah is going to be a little different. We often cover something or some hadith or the biography of some particular sahabi. Today inshallah in light of tomorrow there's a very good chance of the month of Dhul-Hijjah starting and that is why I just want to have this small reminder and short session on some of the things that we need to keep in mind regarding udhiyah or qurbani, some of the key questions that often come up.

First of all is that we all have to keep in mind that if the month of Dhul-Hijjah starts tomorrow or day of tomorrow, whenever it starts, the most important thing is that we have a mental framework that we need to do the maximum that we can in these days. As the Prophet ﷺ he says that there are no days that there are no days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than the deeds are performed in these ten days of the Dhul-Hijjah and a sahabi asked Ya Rasulullah, even going and striving in the cause of Allah, the Prophet ﷺ says unless a person goes in the cause of Allah and they lose everything in that situation they will excel the person who has done good deeds in the first ten days of the Dhul-Hijjah. But otherwise if that's not the case they come back with their wealth and their life then the person who did the righteous deeds in the ten days of the Dhul-Hijjah, they will supersede this person.

So that is why subhanAllah, there are so many other things that we can learn about these ten days and that's why we try to push ourselves in these ten days. However, I've also collected ten questions, ten most commonly asked questions regarding qurbani or udhiyah and inshallah I want to run through all of them.

Question #1: What is Udhiyah and What is the Essence of Udhiyah?

So udhiyah from a shari'i perspective means to sacrifice a specific type of animal that's mentioned in the Qur'an or the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ at a very specific time in specific days with the niyyah of coming close to Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala. Udhiyah is generally the Arabic term, qurbani is generally the Urdu or the Farsi term and in essence what that means is that sacrificing the animal for the cause of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala.

Now generally speaking the reason why is called qurbani also is because we are sacrificing something that is very beloved to us. In essence, what is this? It is reviving the legacy of our forefather Ibrahim ﷺ because this was the greatest sacrifice and the greatest challenge that came from Allah to Ibrahim ﷺ and as Allah refers to Ibrahim ﷺ in the Qur'an as an imam.

What does an imam do? He's a leader. He sets the tone for everyone else and he usually has to provide or give the highest level of sacrifice. So Ibrahim ﷺ is a leader when it comes to making sacrifices for Allah ﷻ and this is what he did in order to please Allah. So this is us reviving this legacy of Ibrahim ﷺ.

It was mandated in the second year after hijrah. It was the same year in which zakat was mandated. It was the same year in which facing the Qibla was mandated and it was also the same year in which alcohol was made prohibited by Allah ﷻ. So a lot took place in this second year.

Question #2: What is the Importance of Udhiyah?

So there are three hadith of the Prophet ﷺ I want to share with you. The very first one is:

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

This is a very strong hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. He says whoever can afford to offer a sacrifice but they do not do so let him not approach our place of prayer. This is what the Prophet ﷺ says. So you can see from this rhetoric of the Prophet ﷺ that anyone who has the financial capacity, they should perform a Qurbani or an Udhiyah.

There's also another hadith narrated by our mother, Aisha ﷺ, wherein she says that the Prophet ﷺ said the son of Adam does not do any good deed on the day of sacrifice that is nearer and dearer to Allah than shedding the blood of the animal. It will come, meaning the animal, on the Day of Judgment with its horns, its hooves, and its hair. Its blood will be accepted by Allah ﷻ before it reaches the ground. So be content with what you do when you do it. So this is again another hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, and this is also corroborated with another verse of the Qur'an where Allah says:

It is Allah who does not benefit. Allah does not benefit from the meat. It does not benefit from this Qurbani. It does not benefit in any capacity. But it's this Taqwa, this sacrifice that a person makes for the sake of Allah ﷻ.

Also, we find another hadith narrated by Zaid ibn Arqam ﷺ, where the Sahaba, they asked Ya Rasulullah مَا هَذِهِ الْأَضَاحِي؟ What is this Adahi? He says هَذِهِ سُنَّةُ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ This is the sunnah of your father Ibrahim ﷺ. They said Ya Rasulullah, what do we get in return of making this Udhiyah? He says بِكُلِّ شَعْرَةٍ حَسَنَةٌ For every single hair on the body of that animal, a person will get the reward. A man said, what about wool? He ﷺ says بِكُلِّ شَعْرَةٍ مِنَ الصُّوفِ حَسَنَةٌ For every single hair of wool, there is also going to be a reward.

And also we find in the Qur'an, when the Prophet ﷺ, when his son passed away, and many of the Quraysh began to mock the Prophet ﷺ, and they began to say things such as أَبْتَرُ مُحَمَّدٌ, that Muhammad has been cut off, because his lineage, the fact that he has daughters, but his sons are not staying alive, they do pass away in their infant stages. People began to mock the Prophet ﷺ. Allah responded to them by saying:

We gave you al-Kawthar. Pray to Allah and make a sacrifice for Allah ﷻ. If there's anyone who's cut off, it's they who are cut off, you are not the one who's cut off, so this is the importance of performing this udhiyah.

Question #3: Who is Required to Make This Udhiyah?

So there are two different opinions. Opinion number one says that it is a sunnah mu'akkadah for the person, any person, it is sunnah mu'akkadah for them, and this is the opinion of the majority of the scholars. How do we know this? There's a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ narrated by Jabir رضي الله عنه, he says, we prayed with Rasulullah ﷺ Eid al-Adha, and then when it was over, he brought an animal, and he sacrificed it, he says بسم الله الله أكبر, and then he says ﷺ اللَّهُمَّ هَذَا عَنِّي وَعَمَّن لَمْ يُضَحِّ مِنْ أُمَّتِي This is on behalf of me, and behalf of every single person who was not able to do a qurbani or an udhiyah, so this is why the many ulama state that it is clearly a sunnah mu'akkadah.

Also there's another hadith of Anas رضي الله عنه, where he says that كَانَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْ مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَنْ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed an animal, and he would say that this is, Oh Allah accept this from me, and from my family, and on behalf of the entire ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ. So this is one opinion.

The second opinion says, which is the Hanafi opinion, that anyone who possesses the amount of nisab, anyone who possesses the amount of nisab, nisab is that threshold amount that signifies whether you are going to give zakat or not. Anyone who reaches that nisab amount, they are required to give. This means that even many times women have a lot of jewelry. And according to the Hanafi school of thought, a woman who has jewelry, they are also required to give zakat for their jewelry. So that is why if a woman has, and in many cases, mashallah, they have a lot. So if they have beyond the nisab, then they will also give a qurbani. If the kids do not have, then they are not required to give.

Now, if the man says that I will give, I will pay for the qurbani, I will pay for the udhiyah for myself, and on behalf of my wife, that's absolutely fine. If a man comes forward and says I will do this, I will do this. However, in this case if the husband also says, I'm going to take care of my qurbani or my udhiyah, and my wife, since she has enough that she can take care of hers, then she will take care of hers. But if the husband wants to pay for everyone else also, even for the children, that's absolutely fine.

There is no alternate for udhiyah. You cannot just give money, or put money in the sadaqah box and say, my udhiyah is done. It's not like this. You have to, you can even give your money to an organization that does qurbani or udhiyah anywhere around the world, and it will be accepted.

Question #4: What are the Types of Animals?

When it comes to four animals, four different categories, or three different categories. Camel has to be five years of age or more. Cow, bull, ox, or buffalo, it has to be two years of age at the bare minimum. And when it comes to a goat, sheep, ram, or anything of that type, it has to be one year of age. If there is a ram, goat, or sheep that is beyond the age of six months, and it looks healthy like a one-year-old animal, it can be sacrificed.

If it has any kind of defects, it cannot be sacrificed, such as the horn is missing from the roots, or it's blind, or it's sick, it's very sick, or it's limping and things of that type, you cannot sacrifice any animal that has a defect. Animals that are castrated, they can be sacrificed, they are allowed for qurbani purposes. Skin of the animal, it cannot be sold. It cannot be sold in any capacity. The skin of an animal, once they are done, you cannot sell them.

Question #5: What are the Times and Shares When the Qurbani Can Be Done?

Qurbani, first of all, is done after Salatul Eid. This is according to the hadith of Prophet ﷺ. As far as the shares are concerned, it should be distributed into three different parts. One for themselves and their immediate family. Next one for their relatives and friends or neighbors. And number three is to give out a sadaqah to the needy and the poor.

It is not permissible to eat the meat of the following three sacrifices. Sacrifice that is carried out as a kafarah, sacrifice that is carried out for a deceased person who made a wasiyah, and sacrifice carried out due to a vow, like a person made a nazar. You cannot, because these are things that you made a promise to Allah, or they are a kafarah. In that case, they cannot be used for your own consumption purposes.

Now, as far as the time is concerned, it has to be done after Salatul Eid. Anyone who does it before Salatul Eid, it will not be accepted.

Question #6: Can You Sacrifice on Behalf of Someone Else?

So, quickly. There are three different ways of looking at this. Number one is, if it is offered on behalf of themselves, and on behalf of someone who is living, or who has passed away, that's absolutely fine. As Rasulullah ﷺ did. This is for me, and for my ummah. So, the ummah is not present, you can do that, that's absolutely permissible.

The second aspect of this is, to do it on behalf of someone else, because they made a wasiyah. Someone made a wasiyah, if I pass away, please make a qurbani on my behalf, that's absolutely fine either.

The next one is where it becomes a little tricky. And this is where you're going to find two different opinions. One opinion says, that you cannot do it on behalf of anyone specifically who has passed away.

Questions About Qurbani for Deceased Persons

Because Rasulullah ﷺ, even though Khadijah radiyaAllahu anha passed away, we don't find any hadith of the Prophet ﷺ where he says that, this qurbani or udhiyah is for Khadijah radiyaAllahu anha. Or this is for Hamza radiyaAllahu anha. Anyone who is beloved to him, there was no specific udhiyah that was made on their name. However, this is, so that is why one opinion says, you cannot make an udhiyah specifically for a deceased person with their name.

However, there is a second opinion, which is, that it is allowed. How do we know this? Because there's a hadith in Sahih Muslim, where a man came to Rasulullah ﷺ and he said, that my mother died very suddenly, and I know that she had some money, or she want to give some sadaqah. Can I give that on her behalf? And will that reach her or not? Rasulullah ﷺ said, yes, you can give it on her behalf, and the sadaqah will reach her. You understand? And that is why there are some ulama who say, that it is completely allowed if you want to sacrifice an animal on behalf of someone who has passed away, as a reward, as a sadaqah, it is completely permissible.

Sacrificing on Behalf of the Prophet ﷺ

Now, another thing that happens often, is that, and this is something that happens in some countries, within some Muslim communities. The question is, can you sacrifice on behalf of Rasulullah ﷺ?

Now, generally we don't find, let me say this. First of all, there's a hadith of Ali r.a, where the Prophet ﷺ told him, that he instructed him to slaughter for me, and slaughter on his behalf. So, it is mentioned that, Ali r.a who said, that I continue to slaughter, and make udhiyah for myself, and on behalf of Rasulullah ﷺ, as long as I was alive. Also, there's another sahabi, his name was Hamash. He says that, I saw Ali r.a with two sheep. And he says that, why do you have two sheep? He says, one is for me, and one is for Rasulullah ﷺ.

So, having said that, there is no... Now, even though the Prophet ﷺ told them this, there is no specific hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, wherein he says, that the best way to show our gratitude to the Prophet ﷺ, is by doing qurbani on his behalf, or doing any kind of udhiyah on his behalf. So, if it was, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala would have said something. In fact, Allah says:

If you want to show your gratitude, send your peace and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ. However, I'm just sharing this with you because this is something that you find this in many other books, that some others say that qurbani or doing udhiyah on behalf of Rasulullah ﷺ, this is not doing on behalf of the Prophet ﷺ, this is doing it to show our gratitude to the Prophet ﷺ. There are some opinions that say that it is allowed.

Generally, personally speaking, I don't do it. The best way to show our gratitude to the Prophet ﷺ, is to send your peace and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, to follow his lifestyle. There is no better way to show our gratitude to the Prophet ﷺ than doing it this way. However, there are some scholars, in fact, Ibn Abidin, he is a great scholar, Hanafi scholar, he said that it is permissible as a way to show your gratitude to the Prophet ﷺ.

Forgetting to Say Allahu Akbar

Now, last few questions quickly. What if a person is about to make qurbani and they forget to say اللهُ أكبر? If they forget to say اللهُ أكبر, if it's done intentionally, of course, you have to do another one. If it's done unintentionally, no problem.

Non-Muslim Butchers

Number nine. What if the butcher is a non-Muslim? Now, you know, by the way, there was a brother who came to me not long ago, he said that he went to a slaughterhouse and he said that he wants to do it himself. So they said that you need to provide us a letter from the masjid or from the imam stating that you want to do it and you want to do it in a very specific way. I gave it to him.

So the thing is that the point is that if you go to a slaughter place and there's a non-Muslim who does it, now the ulama, they say, if it's done by anyone else who is a non-kitabi, it is completely impermissible. If it is done by a kitabi, meaning a Jew or a Christian, it is permissible only also if they say اللهُ أكبر, بسم الله, اللهُ أكبر, but they have to take the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So that is why it is always preferable if you go here to the slaughterhouses, make sure you do it yourself. That is always the best way.

Abstaining from Cutting Hair and Nails

And lastly, as far as those who are not performing hajj and you're planning to do qurbani, it is mentioned in the hadith narrated by Umm Salama radiyallahu ta'ala anha that it is preferable to stay away from cutting your nails and your hair, from the beginning of the hijjah all the way to the time your qurbani is done. So if the hijjah is starting tomorrow, tomorrow and at the time of maghrib, and you're planning to do qurbani, then make sure you cut your hair and your nails before the day, before the hijjah starts.

Now, the question also comes up in this. If I do cut my hair and I do cut my nails during these 10 days, and I'm planning to do qurbani, is there any kafara? There is no kafara. It is rather a recommendation of Rasulullah ﷺ. So inshallah we keep these things in mind. These are just 10 most frequently asked questions that people, 10 most frequently asked questions regarding qurbani or udhiyah.

The Experience of Qurbani

Last thing I would just say is this. I said this in the khutbah the other day. Try to make sure that if you are here, you try to do the qurbani here. You know, in many of our countries, India, Pakistan, the Middle Eastern countries, you know what we do? We buy animals and then we put them outside our home. And when we go to the masjid, we do ziyarat. We feed it. And when we come back, we do ziyarat. And before, even in the middle of the night, if we hear something, forget about the kids. Let me look at my animal. Everything is fine.

The most important thing, you know what happens? It's a human thing. It's a human thing. When you have gained so much attachment to one animal, to sacrifice that same animal becomes very difficult. Think about Ibrahim alayhi wasalam. He has to sacrifice his son. Of course, a father loves his son very much. But in this case, even when it comes to animal, it takes a lot of courage to sacrifice that same animal after you have been feeding it and taking care of it for almost like a week, two weeks, made it, you know, mashallah, big and everything. And then to sacrifice it, it takes a lot of difficulty.

Whereas here, many times, the reason why you and I, we don't feel it because we go to the farmhouse or we go someplace, we buy the animal, they put a number on the ear of the animal, and then that's ours. After that, we don't care about the animal. Is it alive? Is it doing well? We don't care about the animal. We just visit that animal on the day of udhiyah, on yawm al-nahar. That's the day we visit that animal. And then we sacrifice it. So a lot of times, you just don't feel that passion. You don't feel that heart. Your heart is not into it because there's no qurbani that was done. You understand?

So that is why still at the bare minimum, that's all that we have over here. That's all that we have over here. So that is why we try to go at least do this at the bare minimum. And if you ever get a chance, do take your kids. This is my recommendation to everyone here. Do take your kids to one of these, one of our countries that we come from, and let them live the experience of Eid al-Adha. Wallahi, it's amazing.

When I was memorizing the Quran when I was a kid, I used to see it. Every Eid al-Adha, cows are being brought, buffalos are being brought, goats are being brought, and so forth. It was just like an atmosphere everywhere. You understand? So that is why try to always do this with your children so that the legacy of Ibrahim ﷺ and the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ lives on within our upcoming generation.

May Allah grant all of us tawfiq. Amin. Jazakumullah khair. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Amin.