Some Important Masaa-il of Ud-hiyyah

The following masa a-il are for those who follow the Ahnaaf (Hanafī) school of thought.

1. It is preferred (Mustahab) that the person who is performing Ud-hiyyah, does not clip their
hair or nails from the 1st to the 10th of Dhul Hijjah until such a time that the animal has been
sacrificed. This is not Waajib. [Muslim vol2, p160/ Kitabul Masail vol2, p254]. Please refer to the Ruling of clipping the hair and nails in Dhul-Hijjah.
2. To make intention for a sacrifice in the heart, it is not necessary to be proclaimed loudly. In
reality, the intention at the time when the animal was bought is also sufficient. [Fataawa
Hindiyah vol5, p291/ Kitabul Masail vol2, p242] 3. At the time of sacrifice, it is necessary to proclaim loudly; “Bismillahi Allaahhu Akbar”.
4. At the time of sacrifice, if the person performing the sacrifice is being helped by a second person with the knife, it is necessary for the second person to proclaim Allah’s name also.
5. At the time of sacrifice, the animal should be made to face Qibla. [Kitabul Masail vol2, p242] 6. The goat being sacrificed should be at least one year old, the sheep and ram should also be at
least one year old. If the sheep and ram are less than a year old but are healthy enough to be
assumed to be a year old, this animal is also permissible. The cow and bull should be at least
two years in age and camels should be at least five years in age. [Sunan Abu Dawood #1024] 7. The animal should be nurtured and cared for prior to doing so. It is better for the person
himself to sacrifice the animal he has cared for, or at least, be present at the time the sacrifice
takes place. If for some reason, due to poverty and needs of the Muslims in a particular place,
the sacrifice can be performed in another country, this also is acceptable and it is hoped
Allah will reward abundantly for this intention also.
8. It is best to split the meat of the sacrifice into 3 parts; for the home, relatives/neighbours and
the poor. The meat of Qurbani can be shared with anybody of any faith. [Durr Mukhtar Shami vol9,
p474/ Kitabul Masail vol2, p249] 9. It is NOT permissible to sell the meat of Ud-hiyyah, it can only be used personally or distributed
to those who are eligible. However, if there is a danger that the meat will be spoilt and
wasted, it can be sold and the value of money obtained should be distributed to the poor.
[Tatar Khaniya, vol17, p441/ Jawarihul Fiqh, vol1, p452/ Kitabul Masail, vol2, p250] 10. The skin of the sacrifice can be used personally or given to others. If it is sold, the money
cannot be used, except as Sadaqah to the poor. [Kitabul Masail vol2, p250] 11. * Those who ‘order’ their Ud-hiyyah’s from a butcher, there is no information as to how the skin
of the animal is utilised, nor does the shop know about this. This is not permissible according
to Shari’ah to keep this without the permission of the person for whom the Ud-hiyyah was
done. It also cannot be sold for a profit by the Shepherd/Farmer. The income from this MUST
be used as Sadaqah or gifted to a Madrasah.
12. It is necessary for those who ‘order’ their Qurbaanis/Ud-hiyyahs from butchers. They need to understand how and when the animal is sacrificed. The sacrifice of the ‘Eid animal should be performed
after the ‘Eid Salah in that country. It is not sufficient to merely place an order at the butchers.

Mufti Muhammad Yusuf Danka
Croydon Masjid & Islamic Centre
(27/Shawwal/1433 AH) 14/09/2012)