Dought & clear, - [Sacrifices], - Collecting the skins of the sacrificial animals, selling them and giving the price in charity.

The mosque committees here in Algeria collect the skins of the
sacrificial animals and sell them to leather manufacturing companies,
and they spend the money thus earned on building mosques, and they
argue that many people nowadays do not need them and they throw them
away. Is this action permissible? Is it permissible for a person to
give the skin of the sacrificial animal to them if they come to his
house and he knows beforehand that they are going to sell it?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is not permissible for the one who offers the sacrifice to sell the
skin of his sacrificial animal, because it has been singled out for
Allaah in all its parts, and that which has been singled out for
Allaah is not permissible for anyone to make money from it. Hence the
butcher should not be given any of it by way of payment.
Al-Bukhaari (1717) and Muslim (1317) narrated that 'Ali (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) commanded me to take care of his sacrificial
animals, and to give their meat, skins and blankets in charity, and
not to give the butcher any of it. He said: "We will pay him
ourselves."
It says inZaad al-Mustaqni': Its skin should not be sold, or any other
part of it, rather it should be made use of.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
hisSharh(7/514): "Its skin should not be sold" after slaughter,
because it has been singled out for Allaah in all its parts, and that
which has been singled out for Allaah is not permissible for anyone to
make money from it. The evidence for that is the hadeeth of 'Umar ibn
al-Khattaab which says that he provided someone with a horse to ride
in jihad for the sake of Allaah, but the man to whom he gave it
neglected the horse and did not take care of it. 'Umar came and asked
the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for permission
to buy it because he thought that its owner would sell it cheaply, but
the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him:
"Do not buy it even if he gives it to you for a dirham." The reason
for that is that it was given for the sake of Allaah, and whatever a
person gives for the sake of Allaah, it is not permissible for him to
take it back. Hence it not permissible for the one who has migrated
from a land of shirk to go back and live there, because he left a land
that he loves for the sake of Allaah, so it is not permissible for
him to go back to something that he loves if he gave it up for the
sake of Allaah. And because the skin is part of the animal like the
meat, i.e., it is not permissible to sell it, just as it is not
permissible to sell its meat.
"or any other part of it" means that none of its parts may be sold,
such as the liver, leg, head, stomach and so on. The reason is the
same as that mentioned above. End quote.
Hence it is known that what is prescribed is to make use of the skin
or to give it in charity to one who deserves it, such as a poor or
needy person. But if the one who offers the sacrifice gives the skin
in charity to a poor person, and the poor person sells it, there is no
sin on either of them.
Shaykh Muhammad al-Mukhtaar al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah preserve him)
said: If there is a company that will buy the skins in the same
abattoir, and he gives it to a poor person, and the poor person goes
and sells it to this company, there is nothing wrong with that. End
quote fromSharh Zaad al-Mustaqni'.
Secondly:
With regard to selling the skins and giving their price in charity,
the scholars differed concerning that. Some of them said that it is
permissible and this is the view of the Hanafis and was mentioned in
one report from Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him), but the
majority did not permit it.
It says inTabyeen al-Haqaa'iq(6/9): If he sells it for a few dirhams
to give them in charity, it is permissible, because it is an act of
worship like giving the skin and meat in charity.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inTuhfat al-Mawdood
bi Ahkaam al-Mawloodp. 89: Abu 'Abd-Allaah ibn Hamdaan said
inal-Ri'aayah: It is permissible to sell its skin and offal and head,
and give the price in charity. This was stated by Imam Ahmad.
Al-Khallaal said: 'Abd al-Malik ibn 'Abd al-Hameed told me that Abu
'Abd-Allaah (i.e., Imam Ahmad) said: Ibn 'Umar sold the skin of a cow
and gave its price in charity.
Ishaaq ibn Mansoor said: I said to Abu 'Abd-Allaah: What should be
done with the skin of the sacrificial animals? He said: It should be
made use of and its price given in charity. I said: Can it be sold and
its price given in charity? He said: Yes, (because of) the hadeeth of
Ibn 'Umar. End quote.
See alsoal-Insaaf(4/93).
Al-Shawkaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inNayl
al-Awtaar(5/153): They were unanimously agreed that its meat may not
be sold, and the same applies to the skin. But al-Awzaa'i, Ahmad,
Ishaaq and Abu Thawr regarded it as permissible, and this is also the
view of the Shaafa'is who said: It should be disposed of as the
udhiyah itself is disposed of. End quote.
Based on this, there is nothing wrong with giving the skins to the
charitable organizations who will sell them and give their price in
charity. This is a charitable project, because most people do not make
use of the skins of the sacrificial animals, so selling the skins and
giving the price in charity is achieving the intended purpose, which
is to benefit the poor and avoid the haraam thing, which is offering
compensation to the one who offered the sacrifice for any part of his
udhiyah.
It should noted that the udhiyah may be given to the rich as a gift,
so if the one who offers the sacrifice intends that he is giving the
skin as a gift to the charitable organization which is collecting
them, there is nothing wrong with that. Then the charity may sell them
and give the price in charity however it wishes.
And Allaah knows best.

History of Hajj

Hajj literally means 'to set out for a place'. Islamically however it
refers to the annual pilgrimage that Muslims make to Makkah with the
intention of performing certain religious rites in accordance with the
method prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad.
Hajj and its rites were first ordained by Allah in the time of the
Prophet lbrahim [Abraham] and he was the one who was entrusted by
Allah to build the Kaba - the House of Allah - along with his son
Ismail [Ishmael] at Makkah. Allah described the Kaba and its building
as follows:
"And remember when We showed Ibrahim the site of the [Sacred] House
[saying]: Associate not anything [in worship with Me and purify My
House for those who circumambulate it [i.e. perform tawaaf] and those
who stand up for prayer and those who bow down and make prostration
[in prayer etc.]."
[Surah Al-Hajj 22:26]
After building the Kaba, Prophet Ibrahim would come to Makkah to
perform Hajj every year, and after his death, this practice was
continued by his son. However, gradually with the passage of time,
both the form and the goal of the Hajj rites were changed. As idolatry
spread throughout Arabia, the Kaba lost its purity and idols were
placed inside it. Its walls became covered with poems and paintings,
including one of Jesus and his mother Maryam and eventually over 360
idols came to be placed around the Kaba.
During the Hajj period itself, the atmosphere around the sacred
precincts of the Kaba was like a circus. Men and women would go round
the Kaba naked, arguing that they should present themselves before
Allah in the same condition they were born. Their prayer became devoid
of all sincere remembrance of Allah and was instead reduced to a
series of hand clapping, whistling and the blowing of horns. Even the
talbiah[ 1]was distorted by them with the following additions:'No one
is Your partner except one who is permitted by you. You are his Master
and the Master of what he possesses'.
Sacrifices were also made in the name of God. However, the blood of
the sacrificed animals was poured onto the walls of the Kaba and the
flesh was hung from pillars around the Kaba, in the belief that Allah
demanded the flesh and blood of these animals.
Singing, drinking, adultery and other acts of immorality was rife
amongst the pilgrims and the poetry competitions, which were held,
were a major part of the whole Hajj event. In these competitions,
poets would praise the bravery and splendor of their own tribesmen and
tell exaggerated tales of the cowardice and miserliness of other
tribes. Competitions in generosity were also staged where the chief of
each tribe would set up huge cauldrons and feed the pilgrims, only so
that they could become well-known for their extreme generosity.
Thus the people had totally abandoned the teachings of their
forefather and leader Prophet Ibrahim. The House that he had made pure
for the worship of Allah alone, had been totally desecrated by the
pagans and the rites which he had established were completely
distorted by them. This sad state of affairs continued for nearly two
and a half thousand years. But then after this long period, the time
came for the supplication of Prophet Ibrahim to be answered:
"Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall
recite unto them your aayaat (verses) and instruct them in the book
and the Wisdom and sanctify them. Verily you are the 'Azeezul-Hakeem
[the All-Mighty, the All-Wise]."
[Surah Al-Baqarah 2:129]
Sure enough, a man by the name of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullaahwas born in
the very city that Prophet Ibrahim had made this supplication
centuries earlier. For twenty-three years, Prophet Muhammadspread the
message of Tawheed [true monotheism] - the same message that Prophet
Ibrahim and all the other Prophets came with - and established the law
of Allah upon the land. He expended every effort into making the word
of Allah supreme and his victory over falsehood culminated in the
smashing of the idols inside the Kaba which once again became the
universal center for the worshippers of the one True God.
Not only did the Prophet rid the Kaba of all its impurities, but he
also reinstated all the rites of Hajj which were established by
Allah's Permission, in the time of Prophet Ibrahim. Specific
injunctions in the Quran were revealed in order to eliminate all the
false rites which had become rampant in the pre-Islamic period. All
indecent and shameful acts were strictly banned in Allah's statement:
"There is to be no lewdness nor wrangles during Hajj."
[Surah al-Baqarah 2:197]
Competitions among poets in the exaltations of their forefathers and
their tribesmen's achievements were all stopped. Instead, Allah told
them:
"And when you have completed your rites [of Hajj] then remember Allah
as you remember your forefathers; nay with a more vigorous
remembrance."
[Surah al-Baqarah 2:200]
Competitions in generosity were also prohibited. Of course, the
feeding of the poor pilgrims was still encouraged as this was done
during the time of Prophet Ibrahim but Allah commanded that the
slaughtering of the animals which was done for this purpose should be
done seeking the pleasure of Allah rather than fame and the praise of
the people. He said:
"So mention the name of Allah over these animals when they are drawn
up in lines. Then, when they are drawn on their sides [after the
slaughter], eat thereof and feed the beggar who does not ask, and the
beggar who asks."
[Surah al-Hajj 22:36]
As for the deplorable practice of spattering blood of the sacrificed
animals on the walls of the Kaba and hanging their flesh on alters,
then Allah clearly informed them that:
"It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it
is Taqwaa (piety) from you that reaches Him."
[Surah al-Hajj 22:37]
The Prophetalso put a stop to the practice of circling the Kaba in a
state of nudity and the argument that the pagans put forward to
justify this ritual was sharply rebutted in Allah's question:
"Say: Who has forbidden the adornment [i.e. clothes] given by Allah
which He has produced for His Slaves?"
[Surah al-A'raaf 7:32]
Another custom which was prohibited through the Quran was that of
setting off for Hajj without taking any provisions for the journey. In
the pre-Islamic period, some people who claimed to be mutawakkiloon
(those having complete trust in Allah) would travel to perform Hajj
begging for food through the whole journey. They considered this form
of behavior a sign of piety and an indication of how much faith they
had in Allah. However Allah told mankind that to have sufficient
provisions for the journey was one of the preconditions for making
Hajj. He said:
"And take a provision [with you] for the journey, but the best
provision is at-Taqwaa (piety)."
[Surah al-Baqarah 2:197]
In this way, all the pre-Islamic practices, which were based on
ignorance, were abolished and Hajj was once more made a model of
piety, fear of Allah, purity, simplicity and austerity. Now, when the
pilgrims reach the Kaba, they no longer find the carnivals and the
frolic and frivolity that had once occupied the minds of the pilgrims
there before. Now, there is the remembrance of Allah at every step and
every action and every sacrifice was devoted to Him alone. It was this
kind of Hajj that was worthy of the reward of paradise, as the
Prophetsaid:"The reward for an accepted Hajj is nothing less than
paradise."
May Allah grant us all the ability to visit His House and perform the
Hajj in the manner of the Prophet Muhammad. Aameen.
Footnotes
1Labbaik Allahumma labbaik... (Here I am present, O' God, I am
present...) This is the chant which the pilgrims say when they are
traveling for pilgrimage.

Hajj: A Celebration of Peace

Where am I?
More than 2 million people surround me. We all have one common goal,
one purpose for being here together. I do not stand out from anyone
else. There are no signs of wealth or greatness upon me. No Rolex
watch or Nike shoes to mark me as a rich person. I am one person
alone, in a sea of humanity. I am black or white, yellow or brown,
the colour of my skin is not important. I am from Europe or Asia or
South America, my homeland is any corner of this wide earth. The
people around me are young and old, male and female, rich and poor.
We represent humankind in our diversity, yet we are united. We are
unity in diversity.
I am at Hajj
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam.Muslims declare that there is
no godworthy of worship but Allahand that Muhammad is His messenger;
they pray, they fast, they pay obligatory charity, and they go to
Hajj. Hajj is a pilgrimage to the city of Makah in Saudi Arabia.At
the mosque and in the surrounding area, Muslims perform prayers and
rituals. Hajj is an obligatory act performed once in a lifetime by
all mentally, physically, and financially able Muslims.
"And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makah) to the House (Kaba) is a duty that
mankind owes to God, those who can afford the expenses (for one's
conveyance, provision and residence) ; and whoever disbelieves then
God stands not in need of any of mankind, jinn and all that exists"
(Quran 3:97)
This year, 2010, Hajj is in the middle of November.Muslims from all
over the world will gather to worship God.They arrive in Saudi Arabia,
by plane, bus, car, etc. Some endure great hardship, others merely
buy a first class ticket, but they come as equals. People make this
journey prepared to stand at the House of God (or Kaba) and affirm
their love for God and His religion of Islam.
"And proclaim to humankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to
you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep
and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj)" (Quran 22:27)
The Hajj is several days of total devotion to the One God. Muslims
come together to celebrate His praises, ask for His forgiveness and
demonstrate unity for His sake alone.
Throughout the Muslim world, Hajj has come to symbolise unity.
Although Muslims may be disunited due to many outside influences,
such as money, politics, border disputes or other worldly concerns.
Hajj is the great leveller. At Hajj, all Muslims are equal; nothing
about the rituals they perform makes one person better than another.
More than 2 million Muslims stand in one place, wearing the same
simple clothing, following the same rituals and saying the same words.
They are united in their devotion to God. The black man stands next
to the white man and they call on God with one voice. The king stands
beside the pauper and they declare their submission to the will of God
using the same words.
Muslims from every corner of the globe are united in their submission
to the will of God. They cry out as if with one voice, "Here I am O
God, here I am at your service, and You have no partner. Here I am.
All praise, grace, and dominion belong to You. You have no partner".
This supplication is said repeatedly by the pilgrims.It is their
answer to God's call for the Muslims to perform Hajj.
These words are repeated with joy and reverence by all, regardless of
status or class. Some people are so overcome with emotion that they
weep, others feel elated and happier then they have ever felt before.
Every person there feels that he is one person, alone among millions
answering God's call and God hears his supplication and sees his
arrival. The pilgrims feel amazed that they are the guest of the most
Merciful God. He or she attends this gathering by the invitation of
God, not at the invitation of a government or an organisation, nor at
the request of a family member or friend.
Hajj is performed because God has invited the believers to congregate
together. Regardless of place of birth, nationality, ethnicity,
gender, or status, all are welcome, and all are equal in the sight of
God. The Muslims gather to meet one another and demonstrate to each
other, and the world that they are united. Unity in diversity. They
are united by their worship of One God.
"O humankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made
you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily,
the most honourable of you with God is that (believer) who has
At-Taqwa (piety, God consciousness). Verily, God is All-Knowing,
All-Aware." (Quran 39:13)
Islam is the religion of unity. Repeatedly throughout the Quran God
reminds the believers that they must remain united and seek strength
through unity. Hajj epitomises this unity. People from every race
and colour come together in submission to the will of God. Muslims
are one brotherhood and they come together with a sense of purpose and
a desire for peace.
"The believers are nothing else but brothers (in Islam). So make
reconciliation between your brothers, and fear God, that you may
receive mercy." (Quran 39:10)
"And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of God (this Quran),
and be not divided among yourselves, and remember God's Favour on you,
for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts
together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islam), and
you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it.
Thus God makes His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs,
revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided." (Quran
3:103)
Hajj is the largest annual gathering of Muslims; it is the largest
gathering of people united by the peacefulness and serenity that is
Islam. Anything that disturbs the peacefulness of Hajj is
prohibited. No matter what is happening in the material world at
Hajj, peace prevails.
Muslims gather together and their diversity is a wonder to behold.
The old stand with the young, the rich stand with the poor, people of
all colours and nationalities stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer,
and perform rituals side by side. Prophet Muhammad, may God praise
him, said,"In their love, kindness, and compassion for each other, the
believers are like a human body. [1]Muslims at Hajj are one people,
they are a soothing sea of humanity, gathered together to worship One
God. Muslims turn their faces in one direction and submit to the
will of God. They are united by their love of God, and united in
their diversity.
Footnotes:
[1]SaheehAl-Bukhari

History of Hajj

Hajj literally means 'to set out for a place'. Islamically however it refers to the annual pilgrimage that Muslims make to Makkah with the intention of performing certain religious rites in accordance with the method prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad. Hajj and its rites were first ordained by Allah in the time of the Prophet lbrahim [Abraham] and he was the one who was entrusted by Allah to build the Kaba - the House of Allah - along with his son Ismail [Ishmael] at Makkah. Allah described the Kaba and its building as follows: "And remember when We showed Ibrahim the site of the [Sacred] House [saying]: Associate not anything [in worship with Me and purify My House for those who circumambulate it [i.e. perform tawaaf] and those who stand up for prayer and those who bow down and make prostration [in prayer etc.]." [Surah Al-Hajj 22:26] After building the Kaba, Prophet Ibrahim would come to Makkah to perform Hajj every year, and after his death, this practice was continued by his son. However, gradually with the passage of time, both the form and the goal of the Hajj rites were changed. As idolatry spread throughout Arabia, the Kaba lost its purity and idols were placed inside it. Its walls became covered with poems and paintings, including one of Jesus and his mother Maryam and eventually over 360 idols came to be placed around the Kaba. During the Hajj period itself, the atmosphere around the sacred precincts of the Kaba was like a circus. Men and women would go round the Kaba naked, arguing that they should present themselves before Allah in the same condition they were born. Their prayer became devoid of all sincere remembrance of Allah and was instead reduced to a series of hand clapping, whistling and the blowing of horns. Even the talbiah[ 1]was distorted by them with the following additions:'No one is Your partner except one who is permitted by you. You are his Master and the Master of what he possesses'. Sacrifices were also made in the name of God. However, the blood of the sacrificed animals was poured onto the walls of the Kaba and the flesh was hung from pillars around the Kaba, in the belief that Allah demanded the flesh and blood of these animals. Singing, drinking, adultery and other acts of immorality was rife amongst the pilgrims and the poetry competitions, which were held, were a major part of the whole Hajj event. In these competitions, poets would praise the bravery and splendor of their own tribesmen and tell exaggerated tales of the cowardice and miserliness of other tribes. Competitions in generosity were also staged where the chief of each tribe would set up huge cauldrons and feed the pilgrims, only so that they could become well-known for their extreme generosity. Thus the people had totally abandoned the teachings of their forefather and leader Prophet Ibrahim. The House that he had made pure for the worship of Allah alone, had been totally desecrated by the pagans and the rites which he had established were completely distorted by them. This sad state of affairs continued for nearly two and a half thousand years. But then after this long period, the time came for the supplication of Prophet Ibrahim to be answered: "Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall recite unto them your aayaat (verses) and instruct them in the book and the Wisdom and sanctify them. Verily you are the 'Azeezul-Hakeem [the All-Mighty, the All-Wise]." [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:129] Sure enough, a man by the name of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullaahwas born in the very city that Prophet Ibrahim had made this supplication centuries earlier. For twenty-three years, Prophet Muhammadspread the message of Tawheed [true monotheism] - the same message that Prophet Ibrahim and all the other Prophets came with - and established the law of Allah upon the land. He expended every effort into making the word of Allah supreme and his victory over falsehood culminated in the smashing of the idols inside the Kaba which once again became the universal center for the worshippers of the one True God. Not only did the Prophet rid the Kaba of all its impurities, but he also reinstated all the rites of Hajj which were established by Allah's Permission, in the time of Prophet Ibrahim. Specific injunctions in the Quran were revealed in order to eliminate all the false rites which had become rampant in the pre-Islamic period. All indecent and shameful acts were strictly banned in Allah's statement: "There is to be no lewdness nor wrangles during Hajj." [Surah al-Baqarah 2:197] Competitions among poets in the exaltations of their forefathers and their tribesmen's achievements were all stopped. Instead, Allah told them: "And when you have completed your rites [of Hajj] then remember Allah as you remember your forefathers; nay with a more vigorous remembrance." [Surah al-Baqarah 2:200] Competitions in generosity were also prohibited. Of course, the feeding of the poor pilgrims was still encouraged as this was done during the time of Prophet Ibrahim but Allah commanded that the slaughtering of the animals which was done for this purpose should be done seeking the pleasure of Allah rather than fame and the praise of the people. He said: "So mention the name of Allah over these animals when they are drawn up in lines. Then, when they are drawn on their sides [after the slaughter], eat thereof and feed the beggar who does not ask, and the beggar who asks." [Surah al-Hajj 22:36] As for the deplorable practice of spattering blood of the sacrificed animals on the walls of the Kaba and hanging their flesh on alters, then Allah clearly informed them that: "It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is Taqwaa (piety) from you that reaches Him." [Surah al-Hajj 22:37] The Prophetalso put a stop to the practice of circling the Kaba in a state of nudity and the argument that the pagans put forward to justify this ritual was sharply rebutted in Allah's question: "Say: Who has forbidden the adornment [i.e. clothes] given by Allah which He has produced for His Slaves?" [Surah al-A'raaf 7:32] Another custom which was prohibited through the Quran was that of setting off for Hajj without taking any provisions for the journey. In the pre-Islamic period, some people who claimed to be mutawakkiloon (those having complete trust in Allah) would travel to perform Hajj begging for food through the whole journey. They considered this form of behavior a sign of piety and an indication of how much faith they had in Allah. However Allah told mankind that to have sufficient provisions for the journey was one of the preconditions for making Hajj. He said: "And take a provision [with you] for the journey, but the best provision is at-Taqwaa (piety)." [Surah al-Baqarah 2:197] In this way, all the pre-Islamic practices, which were based on ignorance, were abolished and Hajj was once more made a model of piety, fear of Allah, purity, simplicity and austerity. Now, when the pilgrims reach the Kaba, they no longer find the carnivals and the frolic and frivolity that had once occupied the minds of the pilgrims there before. Now, there is the remembrance of Allah at every step and every action and every sacrifice was devoted to Him alone. It was this kind of Hajj that was worthy of the reward of paradise, as the Prophetsaid:"The reward for an accepted Hajj is nothing less than paradise." May Allah grant us all the ability to visit His House and perform the Hajj in the manner of the Prophet Muhammad. Aameen. Footnotes 1Labbaik Allahumma labbaik... (Here I am present, O' God, I am present...) This is the chant which the pilgrims say when they are traveling for pilgrimage.