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Udhiyah and Eid-Adha Related Fiqhi Issues

Dr. Wael Shehab
29 July, 2020

What is udhiyah? Why should we offer udhiyah? Who should offer the udhiyah? What is the time of offering udhiyah? How should we offer Eid Al-Adha prayer in light of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?

Find the answers to these questions in this fatwa session.

We would like to thank our guest, Dr. Wael Shehab, for answering these questions.

Wednesday, Jul. 29, 2020 | 12:00 - 13:00 GMT

Session is over.
DISCLAIMER
Views expressed by hosts/guests on this program (live dialogue, Facebook sessions, etc.) are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.  

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Q:

This year Eid al-Adha will coincide with Friday prayer. Can we skip Friday prayer?

A:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

This year, Eid Al-Adha falls on Friday; Muslims will therefore have two congregational prayers: Friday and Eid prayers on the same day. However, according to many scholars, including Shafi`i and Hanbali scholars, those who perform Eid prayer are allowed to skip the Jumu`ah and replace it with Zhuhr prayer.

This opinion, which is founded on understanding the practice of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), is highly recommended given the limited spaces in our masjids and gatherings restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) states that the Prophet (peace be on him) said, “In this day two Eids (Eid and Friday) have fallen concurrently, so if anyone wishes to skip the Jumu`ah, he/she may do so, but we are holding the Jumu`ah anyway.” (Abu Dawud)

May Allah accept your and our good deeds! 

Allah Almighty knows best.

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Q:

Is it permissible to offer Eid al-Adha at home in light of COVID-19?

A:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

Eid Al-Adha has great spiritual, devotional, and social meanings. It implants in our hearts the spirit of sharing, caring, and giving back to our society.

This year, the Eid comes while we are going through very abnormal circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Therefore, we should celebrate the Eid while fully complying with the public heath instructions to curb the spread of the fatal virus and maintain the safety of all.

Some of the scholars say that Eid Prayers are Wajib (obligatory) – this is the view of the Hanafi scholars and of Imam Ibn Taymiyah. Some scholars say that Eid Prayer is Fard Kifayah (a communal duty, binding on the Muslims as a group, and it is fulfilled if a sufficient number of people perform it, thereby absolving the rest of sin). This is the view of the Hanbalis. A third group says that Eid Prayer is Sunnah Muakkadah. This is the view of the Malikis and Shafi`is.

It is, however, allowed for the person, who misses the Eid prayer with the community, to pray it at home. If it’s not allowed for Muslims at a given place/city/country to pray at the masjid or to gather for Eid due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, one may pray Eid at home. Also, a person who has health issues may pray Eid at home. One may pray it with the family, make takbeer before the prayer, and pray 2 rakahs with 7 takbeers in the first rakah and 5 in the second. There is no khutbah then.

May Allah accept your and our good deeds! 

Allah Almighty knows best.

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Q:

Should I mention the names of the people who are offering the udhiyah?

A:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

It’s recommended for the person offering the udhiyah/qurbani to say “in the name of Allah”, and then to state that he/she is offering the udhiyah on behalf of so-and-so.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (peace be on him) offered two big, fat, black and white rams, and both were horned and castrated. He (peace be on him) placed his foot on the sides of one of them and said, “In the Name of Allah. Allah is the Greatest. (Here I offer this animal for Allah’s sake) on behalf of Muhammad and his kith and kin.”

Then, he (peace be on him) placed his foot on the sides of the other animal and said, “In the Name of Allah. Allah is the Greatest. (Here I offer this animal for your sake,) Oh Allah; on behalf of Muhammad and his nation, those who witness that there is no god but You and that I have conveyed the Message You have sent me with.”

May Allah accept your and our good deeds! 

Allah Almighty knows best.

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Q:

Who should offer the udhiyah? 

A.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

Offering udhiyah is a recommended Sunnah on capable Muslims. It is not mandatory according to the most correct view.

According to some scholars, a capable person who is recommended to offer the udhiyah is the one who doesn’t need its price for a year.

May Allah accept your and our good deeds! 

Allah Almighty knows best.

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Q:

Is offering udhiyah an obligation?

A:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

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.

Aishah, Mother of the Believers, reported the Prophet (peace be on him) as having said, “No deed is more beloved to Almighty Allah on the Day of Eid Al-Adha than offering sacrifices (for His sake). The animals sacrificed will come on the Day of Judgment with their horns, hair and hoofs [to testify to the sincerity of the people who have offered them]. The blood of these animals takes its place in Almighty Allah’s sight before it is dropped on the ground. So, be pleased on offering them.” (Ibn Majjah and At-Tirmidhi)

The opinion of the majority of the scholars that udhiyah/qurbani is a confirmed Sunnah, not obligatory, carries more weight. This is founded on some proofs that include that narration of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) said, “When you see the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him/her refrain from (removing anything from) his/her hair or nails” (Muslim).

The Prophet’s saying here “ and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him/her refrain from (removing anything from) his/her hair or nails“ indicates the udhiyah’s being a voluntary act, as an obligatory one would not be left for one’s choice as these words indicate.

This view is also founded on the narration of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace be on him) said, “There are three things that are obligatory for me but voluntary for you. These are the Witr Prayer, sacrificing animals (on Eid Al-Adha), and the two [Sunnah] rak`ahs of Fajr Prayer.” (Al-Hakem)

May Allah accept your and our good deeds, Ameen.

Allah Almighty knows best.

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Q:

If I slaughter the sacrificial animal before the Eid day, is it udhiyah?

A:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

The specified time for offering udhiyah is during the period from after the Eid Prayer on the Day of Eid Al-Adha until the last of the Days of Tashreeq (Dhul Hijjah 13th). The Quran reads, {So perform the Salah [ritual Prayer] for your Lord and slaughter [an animal].} (Al-Kawthar 108:2)

Al-Barra’ reported that on Eid Al-Adha, the Prophet (peace be on him) would say, “He who offers our prayer (meaning the Eid Prayer) and observes our ritual (sacrificing an animal) in that day, has done right. And whoever sacrifices before the Prayer, let him repeat it.”

He (peace be on him) was also reported to have said, “The first ritual to be observed on this day (Eid Al-Adha) is to offer (the Eid) Prayer and then slaughter the animals for sacrifice. So, whosoever offers a sacrifice before the Eid Prayer, he or she just slaughters an animal for meat; it has nothing to do with the ritual of slaughtering.”

Given the above, it is not acceptable to slaughter the udhiyah/qurbani before the Eid Prayer; the person who does so should offer another sacrifice.

May Allah accept your and our good deeds, Ameen.

Allah Almighty knows best.

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Q:

 Is it permissible to send money to another country to do udhiyah there?

A:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

It is acceptable to send money to or/and trust reliable official charities or relatives to offer the udhiyah/qurbani on your behalf in another city/country of your residence for a considerable reason such as:

a) when people in the country one sends udhiyah to are in dire need because of starvation, calamity, or war.

b) If the person has some relatives in another country needing his/her help.

May Allah accept your and our good deeds, Ameen.

Allah Almighty knows best.

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Q:

I forgot and had my haircut after the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah. Can I offer udhiyah? 

A:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

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Thank you for your good question.

A person who intends to offer udhiyyah/qurbani is recommended, according to the majority of the Muslim scholars, not to cut his/her hair or nail when he/she sees the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah.

It was narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) said, “When you see the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him/her refrain from (removing anything from) his/her hair or nails” (Muslim).

Based on the above narration, Imam Ash-Shafi`i and other scholars hold the opinion that it is disliked for the person who intends to offer a sacrifice to cut his/her hair or nails on Dhul-Hijjah days until he or she offers the udhiyyah/qurbani.

Imam Abu Hanifa and other scholars, however, consider it permissible for the person who intends to offer a sacrifice to cut his/her hair or nails on Dhul-Hijjah days. This opinion is founded on the narration of Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Sh said; “I twisted with my own hands the garlands for the hadi (cattle selected for sacrifice) of the Prophet (peace be on him) who garlanded and marked them, and then made them proceed to Makkah; yet no permissible thing was regarded as impermissible for him then.” (Agreed on hadith) This denotes the permissibility of cutting hair and nails.

Given the above, what you have done if OK. May Allah accept your udhiyah/qurbani, Ameen.

May Allah accept your and our good deeds!

Allah Almighty knows best.