What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes recommended for the person offering the Udhiyah?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There are several Sunnahs and etiquettes that are recommended for the person offering the Udhiyah (sacrifice) to observe, including:
1-It is Sunnah for the one intending to sacrifice to refrain from removing any hair or nails once the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah begin. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When the ten days [of Dhul-Hijjah] begin and one of you intends to offer a sacrifice, let him not touch [remove] any of his hair or skin." [Narrated by Muslim]. If someone does remove any hair or nails, they have not committed a sin, and their sacrifice remains valid.
2-It is recommended for the person offering the sacrifice to slaughter the animal themselves. If they are unable to do so, they should witness the slaughter. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her): "Stand and witness your sacrifice, for indeed, with its first drop of blood, your [previous sins] are forgiven." [Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Tabarani; it is classified as a weak (da'if) hadith].
3-The animal should be positioned to face the Qiblah at the time of slaughter, as the Qiblah is the most noble of directions.
4-The slaughterer should say: "Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim" (In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful). Even if one forgets to say it, the sacrifice is still permissible to eat. Allah (Blessed and Exalted be He) says: "So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned" [Al-An'am: 118]. It is also recommended to send blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and to say "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest) after the Tasmiyah.
5-The slaughterer should pray for the sacrifice to be accepted by saying: "O Allah, this is from You and for You, so please accept it from me." (Allahumma hadhihi minka wa ilayka, fataqabbal minni). And Allah the Almighty knows best.
What is the ruling on wiping the white area behind the ears instead of wiping the head?
The obligation in ablution is to wipe some of the head; it is not a condition to wipe all of it. Wiping the white area behind the ears suffices for that. And Allah the almighty knows best.
What is the ruling on Zakat al-Fitr?
Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory upon every Muslim for themselves and for those they are financially responsible for, provided they possess wealth that is surplus to their and their family's needs on the night and day of Eid.
Ibn Umar reported: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory—one sa‘ (measure) of dates or one sa‘ of barley—upon every Muslim, whether slave or free, male or female, young or old." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari]
Its estimated amount is approximately 2,500 grams of wheat or rice, and the General Iftaa` Department issues an annual ruling specifying its monetary value.
What is the ruling on wiping over socks?
It is not permissible to wipe over most common socks today because the conditions for wiping are not met. The concession was reported for wiping over leather socks (khuff) and socks (jowrab) with conditions: They must be thick, not allowing poured water to penetrate, enable one to walk in them, be worn while in a state of purity (from ablution), cover the entire foot up to the ankles (meaning covering the protruding ankle bones), and not be torn. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
