Rulings Regarding Sacrificial Animals - II

05/11/2009| IslamWeb

6- A Sacrificial animal to be offered as a penalty for killing a game

This is due on he who, during the state of Ihraam (ritual consecration), kills or helps, by beckoning or handing, or any such action, to kill a hunted animal. Here, offering a sacrificial animal equivalent to what he killed is due, to be slaughtered and distributed among the poor of the Sacred Sanctuary, based on the statement of Allah The Almighty (what means): {…And whoever of you kills it intentionally - the penalty is an equivalent from sacrificial animals to what he killed, as judged by two just men among you as an offering [to Allah] delivered to the Ka‘bah…..} [Quran 5:95] He has the right to evaluate the equivalent and buy with the price food to be distributed to the needy, half a Saa‘ (double cupped handful) each, or fast a day for feeding each needy, based on the statement of Allah The Almighty in the previously mentioned holy verse (what means): {….Or an expiation: the feeding of needy people or the equivalent of that in fasting…..} [Quran 5:95] Hence, what is due here is optional between the two choices.

Conditions of Sacrificial Animals

The same conditions of Udh-hiyah (the sacrificial animals offered by non-pilgrims) apply to the sacrificial animal for pilgrims to be offered: to be of camels, cows, sheep or goats; to attain the Sharee‘ah-considered age (for camels, cows and goats) or a young sheep: it can be a five-year old camel, a two-year old cow, a one-year old goat, (and a young sheep is six-months old); to be faultless, that is, free from defects that would make it insufficient for freeing the liability: for example, the one-eyed animal whose blindness is evident is not acceptable, nor is the lame whose lameness is evident, nor is the sick whose illness is evident, nor is the fleshless which has no marrow.

The best of them is camels, then cows, and then sheep; and the least to be sufficient for a man is a sheep, or one-seventh of a camel or one-seventh of a cow, in view of the statement of Jaabir “We offered Hajj with the Messenger of Allah and slaughtered a sacrifice at the rate of a camel per seven, and a cow per seven.” [Muslim] A person has the right to have his household share with him this reward.

The best sacrificial animal is that which has all attributes of perfection and flawlessness, such as to be fat, fleshy, good-looking and expensive, in view of the statement of Allah The Almighty (what means): {That [is so]. And whoever honors the symbols of Allah - indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.} [Quran 22:32] In his commentary on this, Ibn ‘Abbaas said, “To honor it is to seek the meaty, fat and best -looking among them.” ‘Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr said to his sons, “O my sons, let not any one of you offer to Allah The Almighty of camels that which he would feel shy to present to a generous person, for Allah is the Most Generous of those who are generous, and the worthiest to choose for [the best to be offered].”

It is preferable also to mark and garland the sacrificial animals, in order to make known the symbols of Allah and show to the people that they are sacrificial animals to be delivered as offerings to the Sacred House of Allah, wherewith one comes close to Him.

To mark a sacrificial animal is to slash one of the sides of the camel's hump until the blood flows, thus making it a mark of its being a sacrificial animal so that no one would touch it. To garland it is to hang around the sacrificial animal's neck a piece of leather or the like in order for it to be recognized as a sacrificial animal. ‘Aa’ishah said, “I would twist the garlands of the sacrificial animals offered by the Messenger of Allah which he would send to the Ka‘bah.” [Al-Bukhari]

If someone has specified his sacrificial animal to be offered by word, marking or garlanding, it is then impermissible to sell it or grant it as a gift, for by specifying it, it is no longer in his possession, but has become the right of Allah The Almighty.

The Time and Place of Slaughtering the Sacrificial Animal to be Offered

The sacrificial animal to be offered, be it obligatory or voluntary, should be slaughtered only in the Sacred Sanctuary, except for two kinds:

First: What is due because of committing one of the Hajj’s forbidden actions except killing game: it is permissible to slaughter it in the Sacred Sanctuary or in the very place where the forbidden act was committed.

Second: What is due because of prevention, which should be slaughtered where one was prevented.

The giver of a sacrificial animal has the right to slaughter it anywhere within the limits of the Sacred Sanctuary, in view of the statement of the Messenger of Allah : “The whole area of Mina is fitting for a slaughtering place, and all the streets of Makkah are approved as entrances to it and as a slaughtering place.” [Abu Daawood]

The time of slaughtering starts from the day of Nahr (slaughter) once an interval of time enough for offering ‘Eed prayer elapses after the sun rises by as much as a spear’s length, and it extends to the sunset of the last of the days of Tashreeq, according to the most correct opinion, which is the 13th of Thul-Hijjah, in view of the statement of the Messenger of Allah : “All days of Tashreeq are befitting for slaughtering.” [Ahmad]

It is preferable for one to slaughter his sacrificial animal by himself, or he may delegate someone to do it on his behalf. The Prophet slaughtered with his hand sixty-three camels and then gave Ali permission to slaughter the remaining thirty-seven.

One has the right to eat from the voluntary sacrificial animal or that which is offered for Tamattu` or Qiraan, and give out as a gift or charity thereof, unlike the other types of sacrificial animals.