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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(192): "Ruling on Eating from a Vowed Sacrifice"

Date Added : 22-11-2015

Resolution No.(192)(12/2013) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Eating from a Vowed Sacrifice"

Date: 2/ Moharam/1435 AH, corresponding to 6/11/2013 AD.

All perfect praise is due to Allah , The Lord of The Worlds; and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions:

On its tenth session held on the above mentioned date, the Board reviewed a question emailed by one of the citizens, and it reads as follows: "I have vowed to sacrifice a calf for the Sake of Allah. Is it permissible for me and  my family to eat from it?"

After researching and deliberating, the Board arrived at the following decision:

Eating from the vowed sacrifice is one of the controversial issues among the Muslim Jurists, because some of them say that it takes the same rules of the sacrifice (Udhiyah), where the person, offering it, and his family are permitted to eat a third of its meat; whereas, some say that it takes the rules of the vow in terms of being donated for the sake of Allah, where the vow-taker and his family aren`t permitted to eat from its meat.

On their part, the Hanafite and the Shafite Jurists have forbidden the vow-taker to eat from the meat of the vowed sacrifice. Kindly refer to the book [Asna al-Mataleb, vol./pp.545].

Whereas, the Malikite and Hanbalite Jurists have permitted the vow-taker to eat from his vowed sacrifice. Al-Dosoukhi said: "If the vow-taker didn`t specify a certain animal and didn`t specify that it is vowed as a charity for the poor and needy, then he is permitted to eat from its meat." {Al-Hasheyah}. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Taking the above question* into consideration, the Iftaa` Board is of the view that it is permissible for the questioner to eat from his vowed sacrifice giving preponderance to the rules that apply to the Udhiyah.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board

The General Mufti of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan/Abd Al-Kareem Al-Khasawneh .

Prof.Haiel Abd Al-Hafeed /member       Prof.Abd Al-Naasir Abu Al-Basal

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`id Al-Hijawi/member           Dr.Yahia Al-Botosh

Prof.Mohammad Al-Gdah/ member              Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-E`sa

Dr.Wasif Al-Bakri / member           Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/member

Dr.Mohammad Al-Zo`bi/member      

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who purchases a sacrificial animal (uḍḥiyah) and it then develops a defect before slaughter?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a defect that invalidates the sacrifice (uḍḥiyah) arises after its purchase — for example, if one purchased a sound, defect-free animal, and it then developed a limp, blindness in one eye, or a similar defect before slaughter — it does not fulfill the requirement of a valid uḍḥiyah, according to the Shāfi'ī school.
It is stated in Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib (Vol.1/P.535): "Even if the limp develops [in the animal] while the knife is upon it, it still does not fulfill the requirement, because it is lame at the moment of slaughter — this is analogous to a case where a sheep's leg breaks and one hastens to slaughter it [in that condition]."
The Ḥanbalī school, however, held that if the one offering the sacrifice purchased the animal while it was sound and defect-free, and a defect then befell it afterward, the sacrifice remains valid and there is no obligation to replace it.
It is stated in Masā'il al-Imām Aḥmad, one of the Ḥanbalī reference works (Vol.8/P.4021): "I said: If a person purchases the sacrificial animal while it is sound, and it is then afflicted with illness, blindness in one eye, or a broken limb [before slaughter]? He [Imam Aḥmad] said: It is said that it still fulfills the requirement. Isḥāq said likewise, because he purchased it while sound, and the defect befell it only afterward, so it remains sufficient on his behalf." [End of quote]
Accordingly, a sheep afflicted with a defect that invalidates the sacrifice does not fulfill the requirement of a valid uḍḥiyah — whether the defect arose after purchase or during the slaughter itself — according to the Shāfi'ī school. However, there is no objection to following the Ḥanbalī position on this matter [as a valid alternative]. And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on giving Zakah (obligatory charity) to one`s relatives?

It is impermissible to pay Zakah to one`s origins (parents and grandparents) because providing for them is an obligation on their branches (sons and daughters) if they were poor, but it is permissible to give some of the Zakah money to relatives whose provision isn`t due on the giver of the Zakah.

Is it permissible to offer an Udhiyah on behalf of the deceased?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) on behalf of a deceased person is permissible. This is the official position of the Hanbali school (as stated in Kashshaf al-Qina’ by al-Bahuti,Vol.6/P.428) and was also upheld by the prominent Shafi'i scholar Al-’Abbadi (mentioned in Bidayat al-Muhtaj by Ibn Qadi Shuhbah,Vol. 4/P.358). It has likewise been narrated as a valid view among some Maliki and Hanafi scholars.
 
In fact, Imam Abu Dawud dedicated an entire chapter in his Sunan collection entitled, "Chapter on Sacrificing on Behalf of the Deceased." In it, he recorded a narration from Hanash, who said: "I saw 'Ali sacrificing two rams, so I asked him, 'What is this?' He replied, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to offer a sacrifice on his behalf, so I am sacrificing on his behalf.'"
 
Imam Abu Dawud also narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, this is from You, for You, and on behalf of Muhammad and his Ummah (community). In the Name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest," and he then slaughtered the animal.
 
The textual evidence here lies in the fact that our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), offered a sacrifice on behalf of his entire community—and it is well-established that his community includes those who have already passed away.
 
Furthermore, there is an abundance of sacred texts demonstrating that the rewards of righteous deeds reach the deceased. For instance, it is permissible to fast on behalf of a deceased person who passed away with missed obligatory fasts, and it is equally permissible to perform Hajj on their behalf, both of which are firmly established in authentic Hadiths. Therefore, if the reward of fasting (which is a purely physical act of worship) and Hajj (which is a joint physical and financial act of worship) can reach the deceased, then the reward of an Udhiyah reaches them with greater reason (by way of A Fortiori argument). This is because it is a purely financial act of worship, falling under the general category of charity (Sadaqah).
 
Additionally, scholars have reached a consensus (Ijma') that the rewards of charity reach the deceased, and since the Udhiyah is inherently an act of charity, it falls under the same ruling. Consequently, based on all the aforementioned evidence, we hold the view that offering a sacrifice on behalf of the deceased is entirely permissible. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

Is it permissible for women to attend Tarawih prayer in the mosque?

Yes, it is permissible for women to attend Tarawih prayer in the mosque, provided they observe modesty, proper covering, and avoid mixing with men.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from the mosques of Allah." [Bukhari and Muslim]

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