Should he offer a sacrifice (udhiya/qurbaani) or give the price of the sacrifice to his poor sick relative so that he can get treatment?

Can one not give qurbani and give that amount of money to a sick close
relaive for treatment? zakat money given to him which is not
sufficient for treatment.
Praise be to Allaah.
The basic principle is that offering the sacrifice is better than
giving its price in charity, because of what results from that of
drawing close to Allah byoffering a sacrifice and giving charity, and
performing this ritual in front of one's family andchildren, and
keeping this ritual alive among the people, because the sacrifice is
one of the symbols of Islam.
Ibn al-Qayyim said in Tuhfat al-Mawdood (p. 65):
Sacrifice at the appropriate time, such as during Hajj and on
Eidal-Adha, is better than giving its price in charityeven if one
gives more, because offering a sacrifice and shedding blood is what is
required, and it is an act of worship that is mentioned alongside
prayer, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only)"
[al-Kawthar: 108:2]
"Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, myliving,
and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alameen (mankind, jinn
and all that exists)"
[al-An'aam 6:162].
In every religion there is prayer and sacrifice and no other acts of
worship could take their place. Hence if you give charityequivalent to
many times the price of the sacrifice offered in Hajj, it can never
take its place. The same is true of udhiyah (qurbaani). End quote.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:
Offering the udhiyah (qurbaani) on the Muslim's behalf and on behalf
of the (living) members of his family is a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah
mu'akkadah) for the one who is able to do it, and offering it isbetter
than giving its price in charity.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 11/419
If this relative is sick and in urgent need of treatment and
medicine,then helping him in his sickness and striving to find
treatment for him takes precedence over udhiyah, especially if his
sickness is severe and heis in urgent need of help, and there is no
oneamong his relatives or friends who can help him.
'Abd al-Razzaaq narratedin al-Musannaf (8156) from al-Thawri, from
'Imraan ibn Muslim, fromSuwayd ibn Ghaflah thathe said: I heard Bilaal
say: To give its price (i.e.,the price of the udhiyah)in charity to an
orphan or a debtor is dearer to me than sacrificing it. He(the
narrator) said: I do not know whether Suwayd said it by himself or it
is the wordsof Bilaal.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Hajj (i.e., voluntary Hajj) done in the prescribed manner is better
than charity that is not obligatory. But if he has relatives who are
in need, then giving charity to them is better,who need his charity
for his maintenance. But if both actions are voluntary, then Hajj is
better, because it is an act of worship that is both physical and
financial. By the same token, offering a sacrifice for 'aqeeqah or
udhiyah is better than giving its price in charity. End quote from
al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 5/382
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If it is a matter of choice between udhiyah and paying off debt on
behalf of a poor person, then paying off the debt is better,
especially if thedebtor is a relative.
End quote from Majmoo'Fataawa wa Rasaa'il Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 13/1496
And Allah knows best.

Her mother died and she had vowed to sacrifice a sheep; can herdaughter give the cash value instead?

Her maternal uncle was in an accident and her mother had vowed that if
he got out safely she would sacrifice a sheep or the like, and would
invite people, neighbours and friends, or distribute the meat among
people. Praise beto Allah, her uncle got out safely, but Allah willed
that the mother should die two years ago, without having fulfilled the
vow. Is she now required to fulfil the vow on her mother'sbehalf? Can
she give money to the poor in Iraq? Please note that the daughter
lives in Europe and it is difficult for her to fulfil the vow by
slaughtering an animal.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If a person makes a vow to sacrifice a sheep, for example, if Allah
saves his relative, this is a vow to do an act of worship which must
be fulfilled. If your mother died before fulfilling her vow,then it is
regarded as a debt that she owes and must be paid for out of her
estate. If she did not have any wealth, it is mustahabb for her
children to do it on her behalf. Al-Bukhaari (2761) and Muslim (1638)
narrated from Ibn'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sa'd ibn
'Ubaadah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): My mother died, and had
made a vow (that she did not fulfil). He said: "Fulfil it on her
behalf.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: The
words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him),
"Fulfil it on her behalf" indicate that obligationsthat were required
of the deceased should be fulfilled. With regard to financial
obligations, there is scholarly consensus (that the mustbe fulfilled).
As for obligations to do other acts of worship, there is a difference
of scholarly opinions concerning them.
Moreover, the view of ash-Shaafa'i and others is that financial
obligations that were required of the deceased, such as zakaah,
expiation and vows, must be fulfilled, whether he left instructions to
that effect or not, as is the case with debts owed to people.
It should be noted that our view and that of the majority is that the
heir is not obliged to fulfil the vow that was obligatory upon the
deceased if it was not financial, or if it was financial but he did
not leave behind any estate, but it is mustahabb for him to do that.
End quote.
Secondly:
If a person vows to sacrifice a sheep or the like, it is obligatory
for him to fulfil the vow, and it is not acceptable to pay the cash
value instead. The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked
about a woman who vowed to sacrifice a lamb every month, but she found
it difficult to buy lambs, slaughter them and distribute the meat. Is
it permissible for her to give the cash value of the lambs?
They replied:
There is no hardship in sacrificing lambs; rather she has to continue
sacrificing them and distributing the meat to the poor, and it is not
acceptable for her to give the cash value, because the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever makes a vow
to do an act of obedience to Allah, let him do it, and whoever makes a
vow to do an act of disobedience to Allah, let him not do it." End
quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh
'Abdullah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah, 23/395
Based on that, it is not permissible to give the cash value instead of
slaughtering the sheep; the fact that the questioner lives in Europe
does not mean that she cannot delegatesomeone to sacrifice a sheep and
distribute the meat to neighbours and friends, either in the country
where she is living or elsewhere.
And Allah knows best.

Can he pray in the clothes he slept in?

Do the clothes you wear to sleep become impure (so you are not allowed
to pray Salat in them.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The basic principle with regard to clothes is that they are taahir
(pure), unless any najaasah (impurity) has gotten onto them, in which
casethey must be purified.
Merely sleeping in clothes does not make them najis (impure); rather
they remain pure until it becomes certain that any impurity has gotten
onto them.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: The basic principle with regard to a
person wearing clothes is that he (and they) are pure so long as he is
not certain that any impurityhas gotten onto his bodyor clothes. This
basic principle is supported bythe words of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) when a man complained to him that he felt
something duringhis prayer – referring to breaking wind. He said: "Do
not stop (praying) unless you hear a sound or notice a smell." If the
individual is not certain about that, then the basic principle is that
he remains pure. He may think it most likely that his clothes have
become contaminated with impurity, but so long as he is not certain
about it, the basic principle is that he remains pure. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 11/107
For more information please see the answer toquestion no. 12720
Secondly:
It is permissible to pray in clothes in which one has slept, so long
as theyare pure and cover the 'awrah, although it is better and more
perfect to wear beautiful clothesthat look good for prayer. That is in
obedience to the command of Allah, may He be exalted, in the verse
(interpretation of the meaning): "O Children of Adam! Take your
adornment (by wearing your clean clothes), while praying" [al-A'raaf
7:31].
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about
the ruling on praying in nightclothes and attending gatherings wearing
them. He said: There is nothing wrong with praying in nightclothes if
they are pure, whether one comes to the mosque wearing them or not,
unless those clothes will attract attention and criticism, and people
will talk about him in their gatherings because of that. People should
avoid anything that may be a cause of people backbiting about them.

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Conveying Rewards to the Deceased (Isaale Sawaab)

Allah - in the name of - the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
At the outset please know, that in Islam, death is not perceived asan
end of life. It is just the end of the worldly existence as we witness
it, and the beginning of a new existence, in which the soul
experiences a new world called "Barzakh." The soul may experiencethis
new life with or without its original body, according to its own rank
allotted to it by Allah the Almighty, the Supreme. There are too many
proofs from the Holy Qur'an and Hadeeth (Holy Prophet's Traditions)
regarding the above, and warrant an extensive article on the same. But
that is not the question here.
The question that some people ask is that if a person is dead, can we
increase its status or decrease its torment by conveying rewards of
OUR deeds
It is the consensus of the Sahaba, the earlier Ulema, and the latter
ones that the above is (a) Effective and that (b) it is certainly
permissible, in fact meritorious, to do so.
If one wants to convey the reward of one's recital of Holy Qur'an,
charity, Nafil Salaat (NonObligatory), fasts and good deeds, Hajj,
Umrah etc., then one should convey it to the virtuous soul of our
beloved Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), one's
relatives, and all the Muslim men and women. All of them will receive
the same rewardwithout any deduction; the one who has carried this out
will also receive the same reward without any loss. It is also valid
to convey the reward to the living persons. (Fatawa Shami).
Before we back up the above statements with several proofs from the
Holy Qur'an and Hadeeth, we should, as amatter of justice, look into
the objections brought against the above belief.
Those who object to this act, cite the following verse from the Holy Qur'an:
"And that man will not obtain anything except what he strove for" (Najm 53:39)
They allege that the above verse clarifies thatnone of our deeds can
benefit one who has passed away. Such a view is incorrect. Firstly,
this Ayah exhorts people to remember that good deeds will bring good
results and evil deeds, anevil result. So they must always persist is
seeking good. And that that they must not simply depend on other
people's prayers. Secondly, most scholars are of the opinion that the
message in this verse is abrogated by the verse: "And those who
believe and whose families follow them in Faith, -- to them We shall
join their families: nor shall We deprive them of the fruit of
anything of theirworks: yet each individual is in pledge for his
deeds" (Toor 52:21)." This verse entersthe children into Paradise
because of the righteousness of the parents.
They also cite a famous Hadeeth from Muslim Shareef:
Abu Huraira (Allah be well pleased with him) reported Allah's
Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: When a man
dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurringcharity, or
knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him
(for the deceased).
Please closely examine the above Hadeeth. The words say " his acts"
(except three) come to an end. What comes to an end, then, is the
deceased person's own actions. This does not mean that a dead
persondoes not benefit from anything else. He cannot increase his own
rewardby any new act (even if he prays or does Zikr in the grave, as
proven from various Hadeeth). But his reward can go on increasing
because ofthe prayers of his son.
The above Hadeeth therefore cannot be quoted in support of theargument
that our actions cannot benefit those who are dead. In fact, it
supports the case for conveying rewards to the dead!.
Also note that the actions and beliefs of none else than the beloved
Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are proof of their
wrong opinion. And also against their narrow minded opinion are the
actions and beliefs of none else than the great Sahaba (Allah be well
pleased with them).
Having negated the objections, we bring forth for your perusal several
proofs from the Holy Qur'an and Hadeethsupporting the act of conveying
rewards to those who passed away before us.
A. PROOFS FROM HOLY QUR'AN
Verse 1
And those who came after them say, "O our Lord! Forgive us, and
ourbrothers who accepted faith before us , and do not keep any malice
in our hearts towards the believers - O our Lord! Indeed You only are
the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful." (Hashr 59:10)
Note that the above verse is a very strong evidence of the practice of
the Sahaba, which was so loved by Allah that it is part of the Holy
Qur'an. Why would the Sahaba pray for the deceased people if their
prayer was of no benefitAnd to top it all, Allah theAlmighty has
approved and praised their action!
Verse 2
"O our Lord! And forgive me, and my parents, andall the Muslims on the
day when the account will be established." (Ibrahim 14:41)
The benefit of the aboveverse is obvious. The prayer of Prophet Syedna
Ibrahim (peace be upon him), includes all believers - right from the
beginning i.e. those before him, and till the end of this world i.e.
even those who are not yet born. Al Hamdo Lillah! And this prayer is
often made in the last part (Qaadah) of our Salaat.
Verse 3
And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith, -- to
them We shall join their families : nor shall We deprive them of the
fruit of anything of theirworks: yet each individual is in pledge for
his deeds." (Toor 52:21)
This verse says that children will be admitted into Paradise because
of the righteousness of the parents.
Verse 4
And lower your wing humbly for them, with mercy, and pray, " My Lord!
Have mercy on them both , the way theynursed me when I was young."
(Bani Israel 17:24)
This verse is in fact a command from Allah for all believers to seek
mercy for their parents. So what is your opinion Will not the command
ofAllah hold any benefit for the deceased parent It certainly does.
Also note that there are several other verses from the Holy Qur'an
that teach us to pray, and the prayer includes all Muslim brothers &
sisters (living, passed away or yet to be borne).
Readers are requested toreflect on the fact that the above verses are
part of the Holy Qur'an - they are read perhaps millions of times
every day all over the world, aspart of regular recitation, and also
as Qirat within Salaat, and also as prayer in the last part (Qaadah)
of Salaat.
B. PROOFS FROM THE HADEETH
GENERAL PERMISSIONS (HADEETH # 1 - 4)
Hadeeth 1
Abu Huraira (Allah be well pleased with him) reported Allah's
Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: When a man
dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurringcharity, or
knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him
(for the deceased) . (Muslim)
Hadeeth 2
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What is
credited to a believer of his action and good deed after his death is
any useful knowledge he might have taught or spread, a Allah-fearing
child he might have left behind, a copy of the Qur'an he might have
left to an heir, a mosque he might have built, a house he might have
dedicated for use by travelers, a stream or river he might have caused
to run, a donation to charity (i.e. sadaqah) he might have set aside
when he was enjoying good health. Allthat catches up with himafter his
death. " (Ibn Majah)
Hadeeth 3
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'Aas (Allah be well pleased with
him): Al-'As ibn Wa'il left his will that a hundred slaves should be
emancipated on his behalf. His son Hisham emancipated fifty slaves and
his son Amr intended to emancipate the remaining fifty on his behalf,
but he said: I should ask first the Apostle of Allah. He, therefore,
came to the Holy Prophet and said: Apostle of Allah, my father left in
his will thata hundred slaves should be emancipated on his behalf and
Hisham has emancipated fifty on his behalf and fifty remain. Shall I
emancipate them on his behalf The Apostleof Allah said: Had he been a
Muslim and you had emancipated slaves on his behalf, or given sadaqah
on his behalf, or performed the pilgrimage, that would have reached
him. (Abu Daud)
Hadeeth 4
Abu Huraira (Allah be well pleased with him) reported Allah's
Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: He who
alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the
world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the
Day of Resurrection, and he who finds relief for one who is hard
pressed, Allah would make thingseasy for him in the Hereafter, and he
who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults
in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant
so longas the servant is at the back of his brother, and he who treads
the path in search of know- ledge, Allah would make that path easy,
leading to Paradise for him and those persons who assemble in the
house among the houses of Allah (mosques) and recite the Book of Allah
and they learn and teachthe Qur'an (among themselves) there
woulddescend upon them the tranquility and mercy would cover them and
the angels would surround them and Allahmakes a mention of them in the
presence of those near Him , and he who is slow-paced in doing good
deeds, his (high) lineage does not make him go ahead. (Muslim)
FUNERALS (HADEETH # 5 - 9)
When a Muslim dies, it is a duty on the communityof Muslims to offer a
special prayer for him during which they pray Allah to forgive him and
admit him into heaven. The funeral prayer is Fard Kifayah for the
living Muslim brothers i.e. if just one person offers it, the entire
community is absolved of this duty. But see the importance attached to
the more and more people joining the prayer. And the benefit reaching
the deceased person is obvious.
Hadeeth 5
Syeda 'A'isha (Allah be well pleased with her) reported Allah's
Apostle (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: If a company of
Muslims numbering one hundredpray over a dead person,all of them
interceding for him, their intercession for him will be accepted.
(Muslim)
Hadeeth 6
'Abdullah b. 'Abbas (Allahbe well pleased with him) reported that his
son died in Qudaid or 'Usfan. He said to Kuraib to see as to how many
people had gathered there for his (funeral). He (Kuraib) said: So I
went out and I informedhim about the people who had gathered there. He
(Ibn 'Abbas) said: Do you think they are forty He (Kuraib) said: Yes.
Ibn 'Abbas thensaid to them: Bring him (the dead body) out for Ihave
heard Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying:
If any Muslim dies and forty men who associate nothing with Allah
stand over his prayer (they offer prayerover him), Allah will accept
them as intercessors for him. (Muslim)

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