|
Udhiyah or animal sacrifice is an act of
worship which reminds us of the great act of sacrifice that Prophet
Ibrahim and Isma`il were willing to do for the sake of Almighty Allah. It
is not required for the head of the family to offer a separate sacrifice
for every member of the house as one sacrifice is sufficient for the whole
family.
Offering udhiyah (sacrifice) during `Eid
Al-Adha is regarded as wajib or mandatory according to Imam Abu
Hanifah and as sunnah mu'akkadah or confirmed Sunnah according to
other jurists.
All those people who have the nisab
(payable amount) of zakah should offer a sacrifice. The time for offering
a sacrifice begins after the `Eid Al-Adha prayer. According to a Hadith,
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said:
"Whosoever offered a sacrifice before the `Eid prayer, he or she
just slaughtered an animal for meat, but whosoever made sacrifice after
the `Eid Al-Adha prayer, he or she has offered a sacrifice."
(Al-Bukhari)
Udhiyah (sacrifice) is an act of worship
(`ibadah). As we have the times of prayers so we also have time for
making a sacrifice during `Eid Al-Adha. The time of sacrifice remains
until sunset on the 12th day Dhul-Hijjah. (This is according to some
jurists as there is another opinion stating that the time is extended
until the sunset of the 13th day). It is not required for the head of the
household to offer a separate sacrifice for every member of the house,
rather one sacrifice would be sufficient for the whole family. However, if
other members of family own the nisab of zakah, then they must
offer their own sacrifice. One goat, lamb or sheep is on behalf of one
person, but seven people can share in offering one cow or camel.
The udhiyah is the Sunnah of Prophet
Ibrahim, Prophet Isma`il and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all). It
has a meaning and significance. It reminds us of the great act of
sacrifice that Prophet Ibrahim and Isma`il were willing to do for the sake
of Almighty Allah. Allah spared the life of Prophet Isma`il, but He told
us that, (And We ransomed him with a
momentous sacrifice) (As-Saffaat
37:107). The "momentous sacrifice (dhibhin 'athim) is the
sacrifice of the billions of people who have been remembering this
tradition for the last four thousand years. Other people who claim to
follow Prophet Ibrahim have forgotten this tradition, but we Muslims have
kept it alive without any interruption. We must keep this Sunnah and
should not forget it.
There is no substitute for udhiyah.
However, if one wants to offer a Nafl (non-obligatory) sacrifice on
behalf of oneself or one's deceased parents or some other relatives, one
has a choice either to make udhiyah or give the price of the animal
in charity.
The meat of the udhiyah should be
divided in three equal portions: one for oneself and the family, one for
friends, and one for the poor and needy. If there are more poor people,
then it is good to give all of it in charity to the poor and the needy.
Here in US and Canada we may not need the meat that much, but there are
many other places where people do not get meat. It is, perhaps, better for
us here in America if we give the money to some dependable relief
organizations in order to make udhiyah on our behalf; and to
distribute the meat among the poor and needy in poor countries and in
countries where people are suffering due to wars, economic sanctions or
natural disasters.
|
