What to Avoid in Sacrificial Animals for Eid Ul-Adha: A Lesson from Muntaqaa Ibn Al-Jarood
What has come concerning sacrifices, 3rd Lesson | Benefits from Muntaqaa Ibn Al-Jarood
By our Shaykh, the ‘Allaamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu ‘Abdirrahman Yahya bin ‘Ali Al-Hajoori – may Allaah preserve him
What is to be avoided from the defects pertaining to the sacrificial animal for Eid Ul-Adhaa)
921 – Alee bin Al-Khashram narrated to us, he said Easa informed us on the authority of Shu’bah, on the authority of Suleiman bin Abdirrahman, Mawla Bani Asad, he said I heard Ubaid bin Fayruz a man from Bani Shaiban saying: “I asked Al-Baraa’a bin Aazib may Allaah be pleased with them what did the Prophet ﷺ dislike from the sacrificial animal, or what did he prohibit from? He said: “The Prophet ﷺ said: “Four are not accepted, and my hand is shorter than his hand: A lame animal whose lameness is evident, a one-eyed animal which is clearly one-eyed, an
animal which is clearly ill, and an emaciated animal with no fat on it”, I said, “Verily I dislike that it have a deficiency in its teeth or its horn or its ear”, he said, “Whatever you dislike then leave it off but do not prohibit it for anyone else.”
The chain of narration of the hadith is authentic is has been declared defectious with a sever in the chain between Suleiman, and Ubayd bin Fayruz. And there is no defect in it after investigation.
¤ And that they along with Uthmaan bin Amr – are in the addition of Al-Qaasim – between Suleiman and Ubayd.
¤ Imam Ahmed said in the biography of Suleiman from Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb ‘How good are his hadeeths concerning the sacrificial animals’.
Explanation of the hadeeth
There are four defects mentioned in the hadeeth of Al-Baraa’a
The scholars unanimously agreed that they prevent acceptability:
¤ Ibn Qudaamah said as is in the sacrifices in Al-Mughni.
As four the four defects, then we do not know of any differing between the people of knowledge that they prevent acceptability.
- a one-eyed animal which is clearly one-eyed
- a lame animal whose lameness is evident
- an animal which is clearly ill
- and an emaciated animal with no fat on it.”
(Ibn Qudaamah said: 📚)
The meaning of a (Awraa’a) one-eyed animal which is clearly one-eyed is one thats eye has fallen and gone, and the eye is considered a vital body part, and if there is whiteness on its eye but it hasn’t gone then it is accepted to be a sacrificial animal because it’s one-eyedness is not clear and it does not decrease its meat.
¤ (Ajfaa’a): an emaciated animal with no fat on it, it is the one that has no fat on its bones due to it being emaciated, so this is not accepted due to it having no meat on it, it is merely a bag of bones.
¤ As for the (Arjaa’a): a lame animal whose lameness is evident, then it is the one thats lameness is severe which prevents it from catching up to the rest of the sheep (flock), so they precede it to the pasture and graze and it doesn’t catch up with them, so it’s body meat decreases, and if it is a minor lameness which doesn’t lead to that it is accepted, as for the ill which is not expected to recover and it is an illness which hope is lost for it recovering, because that decreases its meat and its value a great deal.
And that which is in the hadeeth, the ill whose illness is clear and it is the one whose effects of illness have become apparent on it because that decreases its meat and spoils it and that is the most correct opinion.
¤ And Al-Qaadhee mentioned: that the intent with ill is (Al-Jarbaa’a) the one with scabbies because scabbies spoils the meat and makes it emaciated if it increases. And this is the statement of the companions of Shaafi’ee. And this is a restriction to the absoluteness, and specification to the generality without evidence, and the meaning constitutes to the generality as the wording insinuates, so if the illness decreases the meat and spoils it, then there is no meaning to the specification with the generality of the wording and meaning.
¤ As for the (Adhab): it is when more than half of the ear or horn has gone, and that prevents acceptability also, this has been stated by An-Nakha’ee, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, and Abu Hanifah and Shaafi’ee said: the one with a broken horn is accepted and something similar has been reported by Alee and Umar and Ammar and Ibn Al-Musayyib and Al-Hasan. And Maalik said: if the horn is flowing blood then it is not accepted and if not then it is.
And Ataa’a and Maalik said: If all of ear is gone it is not accepted, and if a small part is gone, it is accepted and they sought as proof the statement of the Prophet ﷺ {Four are not accepted concerning the sacrificial animals} this points to that other than these (defects) are accepted; and because in the hadith of Al-Baraa’a, on the authority of Ubaid bin Fayruz, he said: I said to Al-Baraa’a for verily I dislike the shortness in the horns or the tail. So he said: “Dislike for yourself what you want, but beware of restricting yourself (too much).”
¤ And because the intent is the meat, and the going of the aforementioned doesn’t effect that, and we have what has been reported on the authority of Alee may Allaah have mercy on him {The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ prohibited to slaughter with a broken horn or cut ear.} Qataadah said: “So I asked Saeed bin Al-Musayyib, he said: “Yes, the (Adhab) where half the horn, ear or more than that (is gone).
Shaafi’ee and Ibn Maajah reported on the authority of Alee may Allaah be pleased with him {: The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ ordered us to give importance to the eyes and the ears}
Reported by Abu Dawud, and An-Nasaa’ee. And what is pronounced takes precedence over what is understood.
¤ And the blind one is not accepted, because the prohibition of the Awraa’a hints to the blind one even if it’s blindness is not apparent; because blindness prevents it from walking with the sheep (flock) and sharing in stall-feed.
¤ And the one whose limb has been severed is not accepted, like the buttocks…. because Ibn Abbaas said: “The Ajfaa’a is not accepted nor the Jadaa’a”, (Imaam) Ahmed said, “It is the one whose udder has dried and this is more notifying in discrepancy than the disappearing of the flesh of the eyes.”
Baihaqi said in Al-Sughra: The basis in this is that whatever diminishes from the things which are eaten by itself or has an effect on its fat or meat whereby it causes a clear diminishing then it is not accepted to be slaughtered as a sacrificial animal.
Advice: Shaykh Yahyaa may Allaah preserve him said: “My advice to those performing Hajj is to entrust someone to buy a sacrificial animal for you which is free from defects, and it is preferred that he slaughters it on the first day, he doesn’t delay it beyond the days of tashreeq, and he eats from it, distributes and gifts from it.
Benefit:
If the hady (sacrificial animal for Hajj) is slaughtered outside of the Haram then there is difference of opinion, and the correct opinion is that is not accepted.
Benefit: To escape the difference of opinion (making) a whole year pass by Al-Jadh’
Attention: If the sacrificial animals breaks a bone before it is slaughtered or its eyes falls out it is not accepted it is to be changed for one free of defects
And Allaah knows best
Transcribed to Arabic and summarised by:
By Hamood Ath-Thawaabi
may Allah reward him with good
on the 6th, Muharram, 1440H
Translated by:
Abu ‘Abdillah ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi