All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

According to Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), it is permissible to sell Udhiyahs (sacrificial animals) with specific features. Al-Ramli, Shafie, said: "If someone said to another: "Sell me a shirt that has certain features for this sum of money" and the other accepted, then this sale is concluded as it depends on the description of the commodity in question." {Hashiyat al-Ramli ala Asna al-Matalib, V.2:18}. This is Salam or Forward sale if stated in this form, but a sale if not stated in the Salam form. It is stated in the Shafie book, {Tohfat at-Tollab wa Hasheyat al-Sharqawi, V.2:16}: "It is permissible to sell a commodity based on describing its features and this is considered a sale, not a Salam sale because it wasn`t stated in Salam form. In terms of meaning, selling a commodity based on its description is Salam sale, however, the reliable opinion of the Shafie Madhab is that it is a mere sale."

As for delegating the seller to slaughter the sacrifice on one`s behalf, this is permissible in principle because a deputy acts as the one who deputized him. Moreover, a certain mechanism should be adopted to make sure that each person receives his specific sacrifice and that sacrifices don`t get mixed. Therefore, charities and companies should do their best to achieve this end.

We remind these charities, which are deputized to slaughter sacrificial animals on behalf of Muslims, that what they are doing is an act of goodness and righteousness. We also remind those in charge of these charities to adhere to the rules of slaughtering sacrificial animals and deliver them to their owners on time. And Allah the Almighty knows best.