The Sacred Tradition: Understanding the Significance of Animal Sacrifice in Islam

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The jurists differed regarding the ruling on the sacrificing animal in islam. The sacrificing animal in islam is a name given to all the sheep, camels or cows that are slaughtered on Eid al-Adha. The sacrificing animal in islam also have many rulings that we will discuss in detail in the following paragraphs.

Definition of the sacrificing animal in islam

sacrificing animal in islam linguistically: a name for what is sacrificed, i.e. slaughtered, and it is said: victim, and victims, and its plural is sacrifices, and it is called the Day of Sacrifice. Sacrifice, technically: slaughtering an animal under specific conditions. In order to draw closer to Allah Almighty during the days of sacrifice.

The legitimacy of the sacrificing animal in islam

The sacrificing animal in islam was initiated in the second year of the Hijra, and its legitimacy was proven by the Book of Allah Almighty and the Sunnah of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and there was consensus on that. From the Sunnah of the Prophet is what Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: 

(The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sacrificed – With two salted rams with their horns, he slaughtered them with his hand, and he said his name and said “Allahu Akbar” and placed his foot on their sides.) As for the consensus of the Muslims: They have unanimously agreed on the legitimacy of the sacrifice to this day, and none of the scholars disagreed with them.

The ruling on the sacrificing animal in islam in the four schools of thought

The opinions of the jurists regarding the ruling on the sacrificing animal in islam were numerous, divided into two opinions: Their statement is as follows:

The first opinion

Is that the sacrificing animal in islam is a confirmed Sunnah, and this is the doctrine of the majority of jurists from the famous Malikis, Shafi’is, Hanbalis, and Zahiris. It is one of the two narrations on the authority of Abu Yusuf from the Hanafi school.

And a group of companions said it on the authority of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, Omar bin Al-Khattab, Abdullah bin Omar, Bilal bin Rabah, and Abu Masoud Al-Badri – may Allah be pleased with them -. 

A group of followers said: Such as Suwayd bin Ghaflah, Saeed bin Al-Musayyab, Alqamah, Al-Aswad, Ata’, Sufyan Al-Thawri, and Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak – may Allah have mercy on them – and most of the scholars went to him, and they supported their statement with the follo

His saying – may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him -: (If the tithe begins and one of you wants to make a sacrifice, let him not touch anything of his hair or skin), and the word “he wanted” made the sacrifice dependent on the will, and that the obligation is not attached to the will. 

(The Messenger of Allah – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – ordered a horned ram to be trampled in black, and to be blessed in black, and to be seen in black, so he was brought to be sacrificed, and he said to her: O Aisha Bring the knife, then he said: Sharpen it with a stone. 

(So she did: Then he took her, and took the ram and laid it down, then slaughtered it, then said: In the name of Allah, O Allah, accept from Muhammad, the family of Muhammad, and from the nation of Muhammad, then he greeted him,

The second opinion 

Is that the sacrifice is legally obligatory for the wealthy person, and this is the Hanafi doctrine, and a view of the Malikis, and it was said by Al-Thawri, Al-Awza’i, and Al-Layth – may Allah have mercy on them all – and they supported their saying with the following: His saying – the Most High.

(So pray to your Lord and sacrifice), and what is meant by sacrifice is Slaughtering the sacrifice, and the command indicates that it is obligatory, and what is obligatory for the Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – is obligatory for his nation. Because he is a role model for them. 

Jundub bin Abdullah narrated that he said: “I witnessed Eid al-Adha with the Messenger of Allah – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – and when he finished his prayers with the people, he looked at sheep that had been slaughtered and said: Whoever slaughters before the prayer, let him slaughter A sheep in its place, and whoever has not slaughtered, let him slaughter in the name of Allah. )

Conditions for sacrificing animal in islam according to the Malikis 

According to the Malikis, several conditions are required for the sacrificing animal in islam to be valid, and we will mention them as follows:

  • The ability to save money; According to the Malikis, the one who is able to afford it is the one who does not necessarily need its price throughout the year. 
  • The sacrificing animal in islam must be free of defects. Which may reduce its flesh or cause harm to it, such as the four well-known defects agreed upon: It is not valid to sacrifice a one-eyed animal whose defects are clearly visible.
  • It is not valid to sacrifice a one who is sick and it’s obvious illness is not valid, it is not valid to sacrifice a animal that is lame and its ribs and limp are visible, and it is not valid to sacrifice a one that is emaciated or broken and whose bones are not devoid of marrow. 
  • The sacrificing animal in islam must be slaughtered during the day. If the sacrifice was slaughtered at night, it would not be sufficient and his sacrifice would not be accepted. 
  • The slaughterer must be a Muslim; It is not accepted if the infidel slaughters it, i.e. the one who sacrifices it on his behalf, even if it is in the Book of the Book, and even if it is permissible to eat it.
  • It is desirable to offer the sacrifice for someone other than the Hajj. Because his Sunnah is the sacrifice, and for anyone other than a Hajj, it is Sunnah for him to offer the sacrifice whether he is residing in his country or traveling, and it is recommended to offer the sacrifice for a young boy.
  • Not participating in the price of the sacrifice; Except for camels and cows.

Conclusion  

At the conclusion of the text, we have learned about the provisions of the sacrificing animal in islam in detail in Islam through the previous paragraphs. In addition, we have mentioned many of the conditions related to the sacrificing animal in islam in detail.


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