Rulings on Sacrifice in the Light of the Qur'an and Hadith

Rulings on Sacrifice in the Light of the Qur'an and Hadith

Rulings on Sacrifice in the Light of the Qur'an and Hadith

Rulings on Sacrifice, in the Light of the Qur'an and Hadith, This is an important issue today. Because Eid-ul-Adha is near. It is one of the rituals of Islam. And it is very important in Islam. It is such a great act of worship that Allah has mentioned it in the Qur'an in conjunction with prayer. Due to this, its importance is further increased. Today, with the help of Allah, we will explain its rules and issues in the light of Qur'an and Hadith:

(1)Definition of Sacrifice:

ما يذبح من بهيمة الأنعام أيام الأضحى بسبب العيد؛ تقرباً إلى الله عز وجل۔ During the days of Eid-ul-Adha, a person slaughters an animal to gain nearness to Allah due to Eid. This is called sacrifice.

(2) Evidence of sacrifice from Qur'an and Hadith:

The Qur'an and the consensus of the scholars prove that this is permissible. And this is one of the rites of Islam. Allah said: فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ۔( Pray for your Lord and offer sacrifices. (Surat al-Kawthar, verse no. 02)  

Allah said: قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ۔Say(O Muhammad(PBUH): Surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are only for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (Surat al-An'am: 162)

The legitimacy of sacrifice is also proved by the words and deeds of our Prophet Muhammad. Hazrat Bara ibn Azib (RA) narrates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: «مَنْ ذَبَحَ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ تَمَّ نُسُكُهُ، وَأَصَابَ سُنَّةَ المُسْلِمِينَ» Whoever offered the sacrifice after the prayer (Eid), his sacrifice was completed. And that person has followed the way of the Muslims. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5545)

Hazrat Anas bin Malik (RA) states: «ضَحَّى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِكَبْشَيْنِ أَمْلَحَيْنِ، فَرَأَيْتُهُ وَاضِعًا قَدَمَهُ عَلَى صِفَاحِهِمَا، يُسَمِّي وَيُكَبِّرُ، فَذَبَحَهُمَا بِيَدِهِ» The Prophet (PBUH) slaughtered two black and white rams. So I saw him with his foot on one side of his neck. He recited Bismillah and said Takbir and slaughtered them both with his own hand. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5558)

(3) Ruling on sacrifice:

 There is no difference of opinion among the scholars that sacrifice is one of the rites of Islam. But there is a difference of opinion among the scholars as to whether this is obligatory or Sunnah. There are two groups of scholars in this regard. According to one group, this is an obligation, while another group says that it is not an obligation but a definite Sunnah. We now present to you the arguments of both groups:

• Arguments for the obligation of sacrifice:

The first argument:

The first proof of those who say that it is obligatory is this command of Allah. Allah said: فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ۔ Pray for your Lord and offer sacrifices. (Surat al-Kawthar, verse no. 02)

The second argument:

Hazrat Jundab ibn Sufyan (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: «مَنْ ذَبَحَ قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ فَلْيَذْبَحْ مَكَانَهَا أُخْرَى، وَمَنْ كَانَ لَمْ يَذْبَحْ حَتَّى صَلَّيْنَا فَلْيَذْبَحْ عَلَى اسْمِ اللَّهِ» Whoever slaughters (the animal) before the prayer (Eid) should slaughter another (animal) in its place. And he who has not yet slaughtered should slaughter in the name of Allah. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5500)

Those who believe in the necessity of sacrifice. In my opinion, these are their strongest arguments. We will now present to you the answers to the arguments given by those who believe that sacrifice is Sunnah:

Answer to the first argument:

In this verse, sacrifice does not mean the act of sacrifice, but it means that when you offer sacrifice, do it only for Allah. And even if we assume that "نَحَر" here means sacrifice, then here it is an absolute matter. That is, it proves that if a person does this even once in his life, his duty will be fulfilled. On the other hand, we do not have any evidence to prove that this is obligatory every year. However, we want an argument that proves that this is obligatory every year.

Answer to the second argument:

  In this hadith, the animal which the Prophet (PBUH) commanded to be slaughtered is in exchange for another animal, because when he first determined this sacrifice and then later he slaughtered it prematurely. So they will have to pay for it.

And as far as this command of the Prophet is concerned" فَلْيَذْبَحْ عَلَى اسْمِ اللَّهِ" So the ruling is to slaughter in the name of Allah and not the absolute slaughter. So even this argument cannot be an argument for the obligation of sacrifice.

• Arguments that the sacrifice is not obligatory:

A group of scholars say that this is not obligatory but it is a definite Sunnah. The arguments of this group are as follows:

The first argument:

Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ثَلَاثٌ هُنَّ عَلَيَّ فَرَائِضُ وَهُنَّ لَكُمْ تَطَوُّعٌ: النَّحْرُ، وَالْوِتْرُ، وَرَكْعَتَا الضُّحَى Sacrifice, Witr, and two rak'ats of Chasht prayer are three things that are obligatory for me while they are obligatory for you (Al-Sunan Al-Kubra, Hadith No. 4145)

The second argument:

Hazrat Abu Rafi '(RA) narrates that when the Prophet (PBUH) intended to sacrifice, he would buy two fat, fresh, and two horned rams. Then when the Prophet (PBUH) delivered the sermon and offered the prayer, he would slaughter one of them with his own hand and then say: اللهُمَّ هَذَا عَنْ أُمَّتِي جَمِيعًا مَنْ شَهِدَ لَكَ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ وَشَهِدَ لِي بِالْبَلَاغِ۔O Allah! This is from my entire Ummah. Whoever bears witness to your monotheism and bears witness to my (religion) delivery. (Al-Sunan al-Kubra, Hadith No. 19009)

That is, the obligatory sacrifice was performed by the Prophet. And what is left is supererogatory for the Ummah.

The third reason:

Hazrat Um e-Salmah (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ( PBUH) said: «إِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ هِلَالَ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ، وَأَرَادَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يُضَحِّيَ، فَلْيُمْسِكْ عَنْ شَعْرِهِ وَأَظْفَارِهِ» When you see the moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and one of you intends to offer a sacrifice, he should not cut his hair and nails. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1977)

On the other hand, the Prophet (PBUH) described the sacrifice with intention. And the intention contradicts the obligation of anything. These are the arguments of those who believe that this is not obligatory but the Sunnah is definite. Now the answers to their arguments are  given by those who believe in the necessity of sacrifice.

Answer to the first argument:

 The authenticity of this hadith is not correct. And this hadeeth is weak. And a weak hadith is not defensible.

Answer to the second argument:

Like the first hadith, this hadith is also weak. And a weak hadith is not defensible. Allama Nasir al-Din al-Albani has called this hadeeth weak. (Series of weak hadiths, Hadith number: 6461)

Answer to the third argument:

If we attribute anything to Arda, it does not mean that it is no longer obligatory and that we are empowered in this matter. Because sometimes it happens that a person has to make an intention when there is something that needs to be paid for. And sometimes when there is no proof of the necessity of something, it is not even necessary to intend. As is the case with prayers, if the prayer is fictitious, then it is obligatory to intend to perform it. But if the prayer is supererogatory, then it is not necessary to intend it.

Preferred position:

The prevailing view regarding the obligation or non-obligation of sacrifice is that if a person has more wealth than he needs, he should make a sacrifice. Otherwise, sacrifice is not obligatory.

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) said: وَوُجُوبُهَا حِينَئِذٍ مَشْرُوطٌ بِأَنْ يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهَا فَاضِلًا عَنْ حَوَائِجِهِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ كَصَدَقَةِ الْفِطْرِ۔(Sacrifice) will be obligatory only when a person has the power to do so. (And) he has more wealth than he needs. As is the case with Sadaqah al-Fitr. (Al-Fataawa, Vol.

To clarify the importance of sacrifice, we have presented to you the views of the scholars. Therefore, the precautionary position in this regard is that if a person has the power to make a sacrifice, he should not give it up under any circumstances because it is one of the rites of Islam. May Allah help us to understand religion and act accordingly. Ameen!