Conditions of Sacrifice in the light of Quran and Sunnah

In the light of the Qur'an and Hadith, the conditions of sacrifice is an important issue. A sacrifice is an act of worship and a means of attaining nearness to Allah. And no act of worship is valid unless it pleases Allah.

In today's article, with the help of Allah, we will explain the conditions of sacrifice in the light of Qur'an and Hadith and the defects due to which no animal is worthy of sacrifice.

(1) Being sincere:

Any act of worship finds acceptance in the sight of Allah only when there is sincerity in it. If there is no sincerity in the worship of man, goodness, then Allah rejects his worship.

Since sacrifice is also an act of worship, we have to create sincerity in it so that Allah will accept our actions. Sincerity means that a person should act only for Allah while avoiding fame, honor, good name, and hypocrisy.

Allah said: وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ They are only commanded to be united and to purify their worship for the sake of Allah. (Surat al-Bayyenah, Verse No. 5)

The goodness of a person who does even a small good deed with sincerity has a great place in the sight of Allah. On the other hand, a person who does great good with hypocrisy has no value in the sight of Allah.

Sacrifice is also an act of worship. If we want our worship to be accepted by God, we must be sincere in our actions. And this has to be done without any worldly purpose. Because sincerity is one of the conditions of sacrifice.

(2) According to the Sunnah:

Just as sincerity is a condition for sacrifice so is it a condition that one's actions be in accordance with the Sunnah, because following the Sunnah is one of the conditions for sacrifice. If a person has sincerity but his deeds are not in accordance with the Sunnah, then his deeds have no value.

Hazrat Ayesha (RA) says that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: «مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ» Whoever does something that we have not commanded has no value. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1718)

Man's sacrifice will be accepted in the sight of Allah only when he meets the conditions laid down by the Prophet (PBUH). The conditions set by the Prophet (PBUH) for the sacrificial animal are as follows:

(3) The animal belongs to the owner:

That is, the animal that we have to slaughter should be in the possession of the owner. And that animal should not be stolen. Nor should it be taken away from anyone, that is, nothing like it should be present in it, because these are all sins. A sacrifice is an act of worship and a means of attaining nearness to Allah. It is not right to get close to Allah with disobedience.

(4) The sex of the animal:

That is, the animal that we have to slaughter should be one of the animals that the Prophet (PBUH) prescribed. And they are cows, goats, camels, ewes, sheep, and so on.

(5) According to Deen the animal has reached its prescribed age:

This means that the age of this animal should be the same as the age prescribed by the Prophet. That is if the animal is a camel, a cow or a goat, or a sheep, then it is " ثَنِیّ".

Hazrat Jabir (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: «لَا تَذْبَحُوا إِلَّا مُسِنَّةً، إِلَّا أَنْ يَعْسُرَ عَلَيْكُمْ، فَتَذْبَحُوا جَذَعَةً مِنَ الضَّأْنِ» You shall not slaughter any animal except the musinnah animal. If (Musinnah animal is not found) then slaughter a one-year-old lamb. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1963)

Masna is an animal that has lost two front teeth۔And in the sheep, the "جذعہ" is the one-year-old animal.

From the appearance of the above hadith, it is understood that the sacrifice of "Jaz'ah" جذعہ can be made only if we do not find any "musnniah" مُسِنَّۃ animal.(That is, the animal whose front teeth have fallen out)

We can only sacrifice the "Jazah" جذعہ of the sheep for the unavailability of a Musinnah مُسِنَّۃ animal. In no case is it permissible to sacrifice a "Jaz’ah" جذعہ for a goat, as it is a condition for a camel, a goat, and a cow to be "musinnah" مُسِنَّۃ.

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(6)The animal should be free from defects:

The animal that we have to sacrifice in the way of Allah on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha must also be free from defects. Because the purification of the animal from defects is also one of the conditions of sacrifice. These are the four defects which have been mentioned by the Prophet (PBUH).

Hazrat Barra narrates that the Messenger of Allah Said: «لَا يُضَحَّى بِالعَرْجَاءِ بَيِّنٌ ظَلَعُهَا،وَلَا بِالعَوْرَاءِ بَيِّنٌ عَوَرُهَا،وَلَابِالمَرِيضَةِ بَيِّنٌ مَرَضُهَا،وَلَابِالعَجْفَاءِالَّتِي لَا تُنْقِي» A lame animal whose lameness is obvious, a squint animal whose squint is obvious, a sick animal whose disease is obvious and a weak animal that does not even have pulp in its bones should not be sacrificed. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi and his The chain of transmission is correct. Hadith No. 1497) There are four types of animals mentioned in this hadith. We will explain them in more detail.

1. A lame animal whose lameness is obvious:

This refers to an animal that does not even have the strength to walk. But if there is an animal in which there is a little lameness which is not fully visible, then the sacrifice of such an animal is permissible. But security is better than that.

2. Asquint whose squint is clear:

This refers to an animal that has one eye pierced or it has emerged. But if there is an animal that cannot be seen but its squinting is not clear, then such an animal can be sacrificed. However, security from this defect is also important.

3. A sick animal whose disease is obvious:

This refers to an animal whose disease becomes severe. As if the animal had a fever so high that it could not even graze. In the same way, it becomes so itchy that it spoils its flesh.

Besides, whatever disease we consider obvious. In the same way, if an animal becomes lazy due to which it cannot graze, then such an animal will be sacrificed. However, it is better to keep the animals safe.

4. A weak animal that has no pulp in its bones:

If an animal is old but has pulp in its bones, such an animal will be sacrificed. Apart from these, if there is any other defect in the animal other than these defects or there is any defect more severe than them, then such an animal will not be worthy of sacrifice. Every animal that we sacrifice in the way of Allah on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha should have all these conditions.

If even one of these conditions of sacrifice is missing in an animal, then such an animal will not be worthy of sacrifice. We pray to Allah to help us to understand the religion correctly and to act accordingly. Ameen!

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Conditions of Sacrifice in the light of Quran and Sunnah