Question: What is the Masnoon (Sunnah) method of Nahr/slaughtering the sacrificial animal? Can a woman slaughter the animal herself? And which dua should be recited while slaughtering?
Answer..!
Alhamdulillah..!
Qurbani should be performed after the Eid prayer; whoever performs Qurbani before the prayer, their Qurbani is not accepted.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The first thing we will do on this day (Eid al-Adha) is to offer the (Eid) prayer, then we will return and perform the sacrifice. Whoever does so, acts according to our Sunnah; but whoever slaughters before the prayer, it is merely meat that he has presented to his family; it is not a sacrifice (Qurbani) in any way..!” Finished.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 5545)
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1553)
The Place for Nahr and Qurbani
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to perform Nahr and slaughter in the Eidgah (prayer ground).
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 982)
Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Every street of Makkah is a pathway and a Manhar (place for Nahr).”
(Silsila Sahiha, 2464)
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“All of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and all the streets of Makkah are pathways and places of sacrifice.”
(Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 3048)
Shaddad bin Aus (may Allah be pleased with him) says!
There are two characteristics that I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), one is that: “Verily Allah has prescribed Ihsan (proficiency/kindness) in all things. So if you kill (in Qisas or Hudud), kill well (i.e., if blood is taken for blood, finish it quickly, do not torture); (and in a narration other than Muslim bin Ibrahim’s it is stated) so kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.”
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 2815)
All the Jurists (Fuqaha) agree that while slaughtering, care should be taken not to slaughter one animal in front of another animal of the same species.
See: “Al-Mawsu’ah Al-Fiqhiyyah” (10/221)
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“It is disliked (Makrooh) to slaughter a goat in front of another goat.” Finished.
“Al-Mughni” (9/317)
Similarly, in “Awn al-Ma’bood” it is stated:
“Do not throw the animal down ruthlessly, nor drag it ruthlessly for slaughter, and do not slaughter it in front of another animal.”
Sheikh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“Slaughtering one animal in front of another is Makrooh (disliked).” Finished.
“Majmoo’ Fatawa Ibn Baz” (23/73-74)
And Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Abbad (may Allah preserve him) says:
“One should not slaughter with a blunt knife or instrument because this will cause it pain; similarly, do not slaughter it in front of other animals as this is tantamount to torturing the animal.” Finished.
(Sharh Sunan Abu Dawood 15/212)
Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) says!
I asked: O Messenger of Allah! If one of us finds game and does not have a knife, can he slaughter it with a white (sharp) stone or a split piece of a staff? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Spill the blood with whatever you wish and mention the name of Allah (say Bismillah Allahu Akbar).”
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 2824)
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 3177)
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates! That the Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed two horned rams having black and white colors. I saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) placing his foot on their sides (flanks) and reciting Bismillah and Wallahu Akbar. Thus, he slaughtered both rams with his own hand.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 5558)
Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates!
That the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Nahr of seven standing camels with his own hand and sacrificed two horned rams with black and white colors in Medina.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 1712)
On the occasion of Hajjat-ul-Wida, the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to the place of Nahr and out of the hundred camels he brought with him, he performed Nahr (sacrificed) sixty-three camels with his own blessed hand, and gave the rest to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), who performed Nahr on them.
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1218)
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that,
The Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed a cow on behalf of his wives.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 5559)
From all these Ahadith, it is understood that:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) generally slaughtered the sacrificial animals with his own blessed hand, and on the occasion of Hajjat-ul-Wida, he slaughtered 63 camels himself and Hazrat Ali (RA) slaughtered 37 camels.
So it is known that those offering sacrifice should slaughter with their own hands, and this is superior (Afzal), but it is also permissible to slaughter on behalf of someone else (as a proxy), just as Hazrat Ali (RA) did, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also sacrificed a cow on behalf of his women.
A slave girl of Ka’b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) used to graze sheep on the mountain of Sal’. One of the sheep from the flock was about to die, so she slaughtered it with a stone before it died. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about it, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Eat it.”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 5505)
Imam Bukhari (RA) has mentioned via Ta’liq (suspended narration) from Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari (RA):
«اَمَرَ أَبُوْ مُوْسٰي بَنَاتِه أَنْ يُضَحِّيْنَ بِأَيْدِيْھِنَّ»
(Abu Musa ordered his daughters to slaughter their sacrifices with their own hands.
Sahih Bukhari, Book of Al-Adahi – 5559)
Arfah bin Harith Al-Kindi says,
I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) during Hajjat-ul-Wida. When the camels for sacrifice were brought, he (peace be upon him) said: “Call Abu Al-Hasan (the Kunya of Ali RA).”
So Ali (RA) was called to him. He (the Prophet) said to him: “Hold the lower end of the lance,” and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) held the upper end, then they performed Nahr on the camels. When they finished, he mounted his mule and made Ali sit behind him.
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 1766)
Ziyad bin Jubair says: I saw Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) come to a man who had made his camel sit to perform Nahr. Abdullah (RA) said: “Make it stand and tie it, then perform Nahr, for this is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).”
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 1713)
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 1768)
In the narration of Sahih Muslim, it is stated!
“Perform Nahr while it is standing and tied (at the knee); this is the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace be upon him).”
(Muslim Hadith No. 1320)
(Ibn Juraij says: Also, Abdur Rahman bin Sabit informed me (Mursalan)) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions used to perform Nahr of the camel with its left leg tied and standing on the other legs.
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 1767)
Allama Al-Albani has declared it Sahih in Sahih Abu Dawood, and Imam Al-Nawawi has declared its chain Sahih upon the conditions of Sahih Muslim in Sharh Muslim 9/69.
Clarification:
The Sunnah method of sacrificing a camel is to make it stand in such a way that its front left leg is tied to the thigh, and it stands on three legs. Then, reciting Takbeer, strike the hollow between the base of the neck and the chest with a spear, dagger, or any sharp-edged instrument so that its jugular vein is cut.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) slaughtered two horned, black-and-white, castrated rams on the day of sacrifice; he laid them down facing the Qibla… Finished.
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 2795)
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates! That the Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed two horned rams having black and white colors. I saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) placing his foot on their sides (flanks) and reciting Bismillah and Wallahu Akbar. Thus, he slaughtered both rams with his own hand.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 5558)
It is Masnoon to recite this Dua before slaughtering the animal
The Prophet (peace be upon him) slaughtered two horned, black-and-white, castrated rams on the day of sacrifice. When he turned them towards the Qibla, he (peace be upon him) recited this Dua:
إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ عَلَى مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ، إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ»
“I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, being upon the religion of Ibrahim, a pure monotheist, and I am not of the polytheists. Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. And with this I have been commanded, and I am one of the Muslims.
O Allah! This sacrifice is from Your bounty, and it is solely for Your pleasure. Accept it from Muhammad and his Ummah.
(Bismillah Wallahu Akbar) In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.”
Then he slaughtered..!
(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 2795)
(Allama Al-Albani has declared it Hasan in Takhrij Mishkat al-Masabih 1406)
These words should be said at the time of slaughtering the animal
Whoever slaughters a sacrificial animal, it is Sunnah for them to say the following words at the time of slaughtering:
1_ بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ وَاللّٰہُ أَکْبَرُ اَللّٰہُمَّ تَقَبَّلْ مِنِّیْ وَمِنْ أَہلِیْ۔
“In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah! Accept (this sacrifice) from me and from my family.”
And if he is slaughtering on behalf of someone else, he should say that this is from so-and-so, and say:
2_ بسم اللہ واللہ اکبر،
اللهم تقبل من فلان وآل فلان ،
“In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, accept from [Name of person] and the family of [Name of person].”
Saying these words is also proven!
3_بسمِ اللهِ واللهُ أكبرُ، اللهم هذا منك ولك
“In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, this is from You and purely for You.”
Remember that in this, only reciting ‘Bismillah’ is Wajib (obligatory), and saying the remaining words is Mustahabb (recommended), not Wajib.
What is the evidence for this? From these Ahadith:
It is narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he stated the Prophet (peace be upon him) slaughtered with his own hand two horned rams which were black and white (with more white), and he said Bismillah and Allahu Akbar and placed his leg on their necks.
(Sahih Bukhari Hadith No. 5565)
(Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 1966)
And Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered a horned ram to be brought so he could sacrifice it. It was brought. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): “Bring the knife.” Then he said: “Sharpen it on a stone.” (Aisha RA says) I did so. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) took the knife, laid the ram down, and while slaughtering it, said: “Bismillah. O Allah, accept from Muhammad, the family of Muhammad, and the Ummah of Muhammad,” then he slaughtered it.
(Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 1967)
Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that on the day of Eid, the Prophet (peace be upon him) slaughtered two rams and said these words:
بسمِ اللهِ واللهُ أكبرُ، اللهم هذا منك ولك
“In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, this is from You and purely for You.”
(Irwa al-Ghalil by Al-Albani (RA) – 1152)
1- It is Sunnah to lay the animal facing the Qibla while slaughtering; if it is not facing the Qibla, there is no harm.
2- The person offering the sacrifice should slaughter it themselves; if slaughtering is difficult for them, anyone can slaughter in their place.
3- When beginning to slaughter the animal, sharpen the knife so that the animal feels the least amount of pain during slaughter.
4- Lay the animal on the ground facing Qibla, and while moving the sharp knife over its neck, say Bismillah Wallahu Akbar. This much supplication is sufficient, and intention is related to the heart.
If you wish to recite more supplications, you can recite any of the duas mentioned above.
5- Several points should be kept in mind regarding slaughtering:
The slaughterer must be a sane, adult Muslim; it should be slaughtered with a blood-letting instrument; in slaughtering, the windpipe, food pipe, and jugular veins must be cut; and the name of Allah must be mentioned at the time of slaughter.
6- There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the sacrifice of a Benamazi (one who does not pray) and their slaughtered animal. According to some scholars, the sacrifice of a Benamazi is not accepted, nor is the animal slaughtered by a Benamazi Halal.
Their difference of opinion stands, but abandoning prayer is agreed upon as Kufr (disbelief). The one offering the sacrifice or the one slaughtering should repent before this action and vow to observe prayers punctually in the future.
7- Slaughter the animal yourself, or at the very least, have it slaughtered by a person who performs Salah (prayer).
(And Allah knows best what is correct)
Reference: https://alfurqan.info/problems/302
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