Understanding the Rites of ‘Eed Al-Adh-ha - II

Sacrifice on behalf of the dead is of three types:
The first type is when the sacrifice is slaughtered on behalf of
people who are alive. For instance, a man might slaughter a sacrifice
for himself and his family including the dead among them, as the
Prophet,, used to slaughter a sacrifice and say that it is for
Muhammad and the family of Muhammad )including those who are dead(.
The second type is to slaughter a sacrifice for the dead. For
instance, one might donate a sacrifice on behalf of a dead Muslim
person. Jurists of the Hanbali School said that the deceased receives
the reward of such a sacrifice and benefits from it just like giving
charity on behalf of the dead. Some scholars said that the sacrifice
should only be slaughtered on behalf of the dead if he previously
entrusted his family to do so. However, it is wrong to slaughter a
sacrifice for the dead as a kind of donation or by virtue of the
deceased's will without slaughtering a sacrifice for themselves and
the rest of the family who are alive. By so doing, they abandon
theSunnahand are deprived of the reward of the'Eedsacrifice. This is
done out of ignorance as people do not know that theSunnahis to
slaughter a sacrifice for oneself and his family and that this will
include the dead and those who are alive, as the grace of Allaah is
all-Encompassing.
The third type is to slaughter a sacrifice on behalf of a dead person
by virtue of a bequest that he made. This should be executed just as
he said without any increase or decrease.
The time of the 'Eedsacrifice starts after the'EedPrayer as the
Prophet,, said:"Whoever slaughters after the prayer will have
completed the rites and followed the Sunnah of the Muslims."The time
of'Eedsacrifice ends at sunset of the last day ofTashreeq)the
thirteenth ofThul-Hijjah(.Slaughtering is permissible during four
days; the'EedDay which is the tenth ofThul-Hijjahand the three Days
ofTashreeqwhich are the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth
ofThul-Hijjah. Slaughtering is permissible during the day or night
)slaughtering at night would be on the eve of the eleventh, twelfth
and thirteenth ofThul-Hijjah(.
If someone slaughters his sacrifice before the 'EedPrayer, this does
not suffice for the'Eedsacrifice and he should slaughter another one.
It was narrated that the Messenger of Allaah,, looked at sheep that
were slaughtered before the'EedPrayer and said:"Anyone who slaughtered
before the prayer should slaughter another sheep and those who did not
slaughter yet should slaughter in the Name of Allaah."
The 'Eedsacrifice is an act of obedience that is done with the
intention of drawing closer to Allaah The Almighty so, it should be
done according to what satisfies Him and this should fulfill two
conditions:
The first is to have a sincere intention without ostentation, seeking
fame and prestige or any of the gains of the worldly life or the
satisfaction of any creature.
The second one is to follow theSunnahof the Prophet,as he
said:"Whoever does something that does not belong to our matter
)religion( it will be rejected."
For the'Eedsacrifice to be in compliance with the orders of the
Messenger of Allaah,, it should meet certain conditions. The
conditions of its time were pointed out above. The following are the
four conditions that pertain to the sacrifice itself:
1.It should be owned by the person who sacrifices it as one cannot
makeUdh-hiyyahwith something that he does not own.
2.It should be livestock, namely camels, cows, sheep or goats.
3.It should have attained the age determined bySharee'ah)Islamic
legislation(: about six months for a sheep, one year for a goat, two
years for a cow, and five years for a camel.
4.It should be free of defects; the one-eyed whose defect is obvious,
the sick whose sickness is clear, the lame animal whose limping is
apparent, and the weak that has no marrow are not sufficient
forUdh-hiyah.