The Importance and Rulings of Sacrifice - Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem

The Importance and Rulings of Sacrifice

أَمَّا بَعْد

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, as we are going to complete the month of Dhul-Qa'da very soon and we will be entering into the month of Dhul-Hijjah — which is the month of the Eid of Al-Adha, the Eid of the sacrifice — in today's khutbah, I would like to highlight some of the important rulings and the masail pertaining to the sacrifice.

The Ruling of Qurbani

First and foremost, we should know the ruling of the sacrifice — of doing the qurbani on this occasion, on the occasion of Eid. The majority of the fuqaha are of the opinion that sacrifice on the occasion of Eid is a highly recommended sunnah of Rasulullah. Whereas some of the fuqaha are of the opinion that it is compulsory, based on the hadith of Rasulullah that is collected by Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, Imam At-Tabarani, and other muhaddithin, in which the Prophet says:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 8273; Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat of Al-Tabarani)

"Whoever has the ability to offer sacrifice yet he does not do so, he should not come closer to our musalla — our place of performing Eid." So this hadith, as some of the fuqaha have taken it, is a warning from the Prophet that whoever has the ability to offer sacrifice, he must do so.

Regardless of the ruling — whether it is mustahab or wajib — something that is confirmed from the sunnah of Rasulullah is that he used to offer sacrifice every year. Despite his financial situation, despite the poverty that he himself faced and his household faced, he would offer sacrifice every year. In fact, he used to slaughter two healthy big rams every year on every Eid ul-Adha, as our mother Aisha had confirmed.

And when the Prophet performed his Hajj, he performed the sacrifice in very large numbers. He sent Ali to Yemen and instructed him to purchase and bring the animals from there. So Ali brought the animals from there all the way to Mecca, to Mina, and he slaughtered the animals himself. Altogether there were 100 camels that Rasulullah sacrificed. Out of 100, he himself slaughtered 63 camels with his own blessed hands, and the rest he left with Ali. It was not only camels — he also offered the sacrifice of the cow on the occasion of Hajj as well. To that extent, Rasulullah used to give the qurbani and the sacrifice an importance.

A Common Misconception: Qurbani is Not Just Charity

Unfortunately, nowadays the concept of the sacrifice of qurbani has been converted into general charity and sadaqa. Yes, it is true that part of the portion of the meat of the sacrifice should be given as a charity, as a sadaqa, but the actual sunnah of Rasulullah is to slaughter the animal and to consume the meat of the animal yourself. It is not just mainly a sadaqa or charity. Rasulullah used to offer sacrifice and he used to consume the meat of the animal himself.

And as we all know, sadaqa was prohibited — was haram — on Rasulullah and his family. So this is something that we have misunderstood, and this is largely a misconception regarding the qurbani. And that is why we find nowadays, when we hear the announcement and the publicity from many of the charities to donate 50 pounds or 70 pounds or 100 pounds for the qurbani, most of us believe this is just a donation, and we just easily transfer the money and say that's it — job is over.

The Purpose of the Sacrifice: The Story of Ibrahim and Ismail

What is the purpose of sacrifice? Rasulullah was asked this question by the companions, who said, "What are these sacrifices? What is the purpose of this sacrifice?" He replied, "This is the sunnah of your father Ibrahim." When he saw in the dream that he was slaughtering his own beloved son Ismail, as Allah has reported in the Quran in Surah As-Saffat:

Ibrahim saw a dream and then told that dream to his beloved son Ismail, who was very young — in his early teens. He said to him, "O my dear son, I have seen in the dream that I was slaughtering you — not an animal, I was slaughtering you with my own hands. What do you think of this dream?" What was the reply of Ismail? He said, "O my beloved father, do whatever you have been commanded by Allah, because the dreams of the Prophets are wahi and revelation from Allah. You will certainly find me, by the permission of Allah, from amongst those who have patience — from amongst the sabireen."

And this is a unique event in the history of humanity — that Ismail replied this way, and both of them, father and son, submitted their will to Allah. Ibrahim was about to fulfill his dream by slaughtering his own son. Then Allah sent the revelation to him:

"We called upon Ibrahim and said: 'O Ibrahim, you have fulfilled your dream — it is enough.'" And Allah sent a ram from paradise that was slaughtered. And since that day, it has become an act of worship within the religion of Islam. This is the whole purpose.

Allah has instructed us in the Quran, in one of the smallest surahs — in Surah Al-Kawthar:

"Offer your Salah for your Lord and offer the sacrifice." And when it comes to offering the sacrifice, the sole purpose of the sacrifice should be to please Allah by slaughtering the animal. This is the whole purpose. As for consuming the meat, as I said, it is the sunnah of Rasulullah to give a portion of the meat to the poor and needy. But the sacrifice itself — the whole sacrifice — is not a sadaqah.

Sacrificing on Behalf of the Deceased

We should clarify some other issues as well. Some of us believe that we should be offering sacrifice on behalf of our deceased ones — our parents. Whereas we do not find any hadith of Rasulullah that encourages us to sacrifice separately, individually, on behalf of the deceased.

Yes, what is established from the sunnah of Rasulullah is that the sacrifice that you offer for yourself — make the intention for all of your family members. You can include whoever you want to. As Rasulullah used to say at the time of slaughtering:

"O Allah, accept this sacrifice from me and from all of my household." And obviously his household included those who had passed away as well — his daughters and some of his wives such as Khadijah. So based on this, it is permissible to include others within the intention. And bear in mind — when it comes to including others in the intention, you do not need to have the fear that it is going to decrease your reward. No. It is not going to decrease your reward. Rather, you will be rewarded, inshAllah, by the permission of Allah, fully, without any reduction.

Offering Qurbani Abroad

Yes, there is another issue: if you offer sacrifice here, then it may be difficult — or many of us may find it difficult — to distribute a portion of the meat amongst the needy and the poor. It is difficult to find here. Although within our community, within our locality, we have many of those who are in need of this type of sadaqah. But if you find it difficult, then in this case, yes, you can offer an additional qurbani abroad, and that can be classed as a portion of qurbani that has been given as a sadaqah. But never forget the sunnah of Rasulullah of offering the sacrifice within your locality.

Sacrificing on Behalf of the Prophet

Also, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, there is one common practice — particularly amongst the Asian people — that they offer the qurbani and the sacrifice on behalf of Rasulullah, based on a hadith that is collected by Imam Abu Dawood, in which it is mentioned that Rasulullah advised Ali to continue offering sacrifice on behalf of Rasulullah even after his death. But the reality is that this narration, that hadith, is weak, and you cannot take this hadith as an evidence. So there is no need to offer the sacrifice on behalf of Rasulullah, because this is something that is not established from the authentic sunnah of the Prophet.

The Sacrifice is an Act of Worship — Sincerity of Intention

Another issue that I would like to bring to your attention is that sacrifice is an act of worship. By slaughtering the animal, you will be pleasing Allah. That is why Allah said in the Quran:

"The blood and the flesh of the animal does not reach Allah. What goes to Allah is the taqwa — the taqwa within your hearts." So when you offer a sacrifice, you must purify your intention that you are doing so solely and purely for the sake of Allah. Which means that there should not be riya — there should not be showing off.

And unfortunately, within some of the Muslim cultures, it has become a matter of showing off. People try to compete with one another in offering and purchasing the biggest animal. And sometimes we see on TV shows that such a person has purchased an animal that is usually in the market for, say, around 100 pounds, but he has paid 1,000 pounds. So what is the purpose of this? Unfortunately, other than showing off. It is an act of worship — there should not be riya.

Types of Animals for Sacrifice

When it comes to offering the sacrifice, the sacrifice can be given from three types of animals:

1. Goat or Sheep: Each animal stands for one sacrifice.

2. Cow: In the cow, you can have up to seven shares. Up to seven shares — which means it can be less than seven. It can be six, it can be five. You do not have to have all seven. Even if you were to offer on your own one full cow, it is permissible — it will be classed as one sacrifice. And each share is classed as one complete sacrifice.

3. Camel: In the camel, we can have two options — either up to seven, or according to some narrations, up to ten shares. Again, each share stands for one full sacrifice.

Refraining from Cutting Hair and Nails in Dhul-Hijjah

And lastly, I would like to remind everyone that Rasulullah has said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1977)

"As soon as the month of Dhul-Hijjah begins and one of you intends to offer sacrifice, he should refrain from clipping the nails and cutting the hair." And this hadith is authentic, and it applies to the person who is offering the sacrifice. Some of the scholars have said that all the members of the household should refrain from cutting the hair and clipping the nails, but there is no clear evidence for that. Actually, the hadith refers to the person who is paying and who is offering the sacrifice.

Closing Du'a

We ask Allah that He gives us tawfiq and ability to understand His religion, and may Allah give us tawfiq and ability to offer the sacrifice. And we ask Allah that He increases us in our knowledge and in our action, and that He allows us to follow the sunnah of Rasulullah. And peace be upon the messengers. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.