Dought & clear, - How old should the sacrificial animal be?

Is there a specific age for the sacrificial animal? Is it permissible
to slaughter a cow as a sacrifice when it is one and a half years
old?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) are agreed that Islam has
prescribed the age for sacrificial animals and it is not permissible
to slaughter animals that are younger than that. Whoever slaughters an
animal that is younger than that, it does not count as a sacrifice.
Seeal-Majmoo'by al-Nawawi, 1/176.
For example, al-Bukhaari (5556) and Muslim (1961) narrated that
al-Bara' ibn 'Aazib (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: A maternal
uncle of mine whose name was Abu Burdah slaughtered his sacrifice
before the prayer, and the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said to him: "Your sheep is a sheep for meat
(i.e., not a sacrifice)." He said: "O Messenger of Allaah, I have a
young goat (according to another report: I have a young she-goat)
(according to a report by al-Bukhaari (5563): I have a jadha'ah which
is better than two musinnahs – shall I sacrifice it?)" The
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Sacrifice
it, but that will not be valid for anyone but you." According to
another report: "It will not count for anyone after you." Then he
said: "Whoever slaughters (the animal) before the prayer has
slaughtered it for himself, and whoever slaughters it after the prayer
has offered the sacrifice and followed the way of the Muslims."
This hadeeth indicates that a jadha'ah of goats (young goat) is not
sufficient as a sacrifice. We will explain below what jadha'ah means.
Ibn al-Qayyim said inTahdheeb al-Sunan:
The phrase "It will not count for anyone after you" is a definitive
statement that it would not count for anyone after him. End quote.
Muslim (1963) narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Do not slaughter anything but a musinnah, unless it is too
hard for you, in which case you should slaughter a young sheep
(jadha'ah min al-da'n).
This hadeeth also clearly states that only a musinnah can be
slaughtered, except in the case of sheep, where a jadha'ah may be
offered.
Al-Nawawi said inSharh Muslim:
The scholars said:
A musinnah is a thaniyyah of anything, camel, cow or sheep, or
anything over that age. This clearly indicates that it is not
permissible to slaughter a jadha'ah of any animal in any
circumstances, except sheep. End quote.
Al-Haafiz said inal-Talkhees, 4/285:
The apparent meaning of the hadeeth suggests that a jadha'ah of sheep
is not permissible except if one cannot find a musinnah. Scholarly
consensus says something different, so this hadeeth should be
understood as referring to what is better. So it is mustahabb not to
slaughter anything but a musinnah. End quote.
Al-Nawawi said inSharh Muslim:
It says in 'Awn al-Ma'bood:
This interpretation is the one which is correct. End quote.
Then he quoted some of the ahaadeeth which indicate that it is
permissible to offer a jadha'ah of sheep as a sacrifice, such as the
hadeeth of 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him) who
said: "We slaughtered a jadha'ah of sheep with the Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)." Narrated by
al-Nasaa'i, 4382. al-Haafiz said: Its isnaad is qawiy (strong). It was
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa'i.
It says inal-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah(5/83) concerning the conditions of udhiyah:
The second condition is that it should have reached the age of
sacrifice, by being a thaniyyah or older in the case of camels, cows
and goats, and jadha'ah or older in the case of sheep. A sacrifice
does not count if the animal is younger than a thaniyyah except in the
case of sheep, or if it is sheep that is younger than a jadha'ah…. The
fuqaha' are agreed upon this condition, but they differed as to what
is meant by thaniyyah and jadha'ah. End quote.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
I do not know of any dissent with the view that a jadha'ah of goats or
anything else that is offered as a sacrifice apart from sheep is not
permissible. Rather it is permissible to sacrifice a thaniyyah or
anything older than of all of these. It is permissible to sacrifice a
jadha'ah of sheep according to the Sunnah. End quote fromTarteeb
al-Tamheed, 10/267.
Al-Nawawi said inal-Majmoo'(8/366):
The ummah is agreed that with regard to camels, cows and goats,
nothing will do except a thaniyyah, and with regard to sheep, nothing
will do but a jadha'ah, and that these are all acceptable. But some of
our companions narrated that Ibn 'Umar and al-Zuhri said: A jadha'ah
of sheep does not count. It was narrated from 'Ata' and al-'Awzaa'i
that a jadha'ah of camels, cows, goats and sheep does count. End
quote.
Secondly:
With regard to the stipulated age of sacrificial animals, the scholars
differed concerning that.
A jadha'ah of sheep is a sheep that has reached the age of six months,
according to the Hanafis and Hanbalis. According to the Maalikis and
Shaafa'is it is a sheep that has reached the age of one year.
The musinnah (or thaniyyah) of goats is one that has reached the age
of one year according to the Hanafis, Maalikis and Hanbalis. According
to the Shaafa'is, it is one that has reached the age of two years.
The musinnah of cows is one of the has reached the age of two years
according to the Hanafis, Shaafa'is and Hanbalis; according to the
Maalikis it is one that has reached the age of three years.
The musinnah of camels is one that has reached the age of five years
according to the Hanafis, Maalikis, Shaafa'is and Hanbalis.
SeeBadaa'i' al-Sanaa'i', 5/70;al-Bahr al-Raa'iq, 8/202;al-Taaj
wa'l-Ikleel, 4/363;Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel, 3/34;al-Majmoo',
8/365;al-Mughni, 13/368.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inAhkaam al-Udhiyah:
The thaniyyah of camels is one that has reached the age of five years.
The thaniyyah of cows is one that has reached the age of two years.
The thaniyyah of sheep is one that has reached the age of one year.
The jadha'ah is one that has reached the age of half a year. It is not
acceptable to offer anything younger than a thaniyyah in the case of
camels, cows and goats, or anything younger than a jadha'ah in the
case of sheep.
It says inFataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(11/377):
The shar'i evidence indicates that a sheep that has reached the age of
six months may count as a sacrifice, as may a goat that has reached
the age of one year, a cow that has reached the age of two years, and
a camel that has reached the age of five years. Anything younger than
that does not count as a hadiy or udhiyah. This is what the Qur'aan
refers to when it says (interpretation of the meaning):"sacrifice a
Hady (animal, i.e. a sheep, a cow, or a camel) such as you can afford"
[al-Baqarah 2:196], because the texts of the Qur'aan and Sunnah
explain one another. End quote.
Al-Kaasaani said inBadaa'i' al-Sanaa'i'(5/70):
These ages, as defined in sharee'ah, are minimum ages, not maximum
ages. Sacrificing an animal that is younger than that is not
permitted, but if an animal that is older than that is sacrificed, it
is permitted and is better. It is not permitted to sacrifice a lamb,
kid (young goat), calf or young camel, because the ages of animals
that we have mentioned were narrated in sharee'ah and these were not
mentioned among them. End quote.
So it is clear that slaughtering a cow that is younger than two years
old will not count as a sacrifice according to any of the imams.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Shortening the prayers when travelling is a confirmed Sunnah

Is it permissible for a traveller to offer the prayers in full and
pray them with four rak'ahs?
Praise be to Allah.
Shortening the prayers when travelling is a confirmed sunnah that one
should not forsake, according to the consensus of the imams (leading
scholars), apart from what is narrated from ash-Shaafa'i in one of his
two opinions, that offering the prayers in full is preferable. However
the correct view in his madhhab is that shortening the prayers is
preferable.
See:al-Majmoo'by an-Nawawi, 4/218-223
The view that shortening the prayers is preferable is supported by the
fact that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
shortened the prayers in all of his journeys, and there is no saheeh
report to indicate that he ever offered the prayer in full when he was
travelling.
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We went out with
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) from Madinah to
Makkah, and he offered his prayers with two rak'ahs every time until
we returned to Madinah.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1081; Muslim, 724.
Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I accompanied the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and
during the journey he did not pray more than two rak'ahs (in any
prayer), and Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with
them) did likewise.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1102; Muslim, 689
This refers to the beginning of 'Uthmaan's caliphate; at the end of
his caliphate, 'Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) used to offer
the prayers in full (when travelling).
When 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood (may Allah be pleased with him) heard that
'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (may Allah be pleased with him) was offering the
prayers with four rak'ahs in Mina, he said:Inna Lillaahi wa inna
ilayhi raaji 'oon(Verily to Allah we belong and verily to Him is our
return). I prayed two rak 'ahs with the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) in Mina, and I prayed two rak 'ahs
with Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq in Mina, and I prayed two rak 'ahs with 'Umar
ibn al-Khattaab in Mina.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1084; Muslim, 695
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It is makrooh to offer the prayers in full when travelling. Ahmad
said: I do not like it. It was narrated from Ahmad that he would not
comment on whether offering four rak'ahs would be valid. There is no
sound report to indicate that any of the Sahaabah (may Allah be
pleased with them) used to pray with four rak'ahs when travelling at
the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
The hadeeth narrated from 'Aa'ishah that suggests something to the
contrary cannot be taken as evidence.
End quote fromal-Ikhtiyaaraat, p. 32
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah be pleased with him) said inZaad al-Ma'aad, 1/464:
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to shorten
the four-rak'ah prayers, praying them with two rak'ahs, from the time
he set out travelling until he returned to Madinah. There is no sound
report from him to suggest that he ever offered the four-rak'ah
prayers in full whilst travelling.
With regard to the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah, according to which the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to shorten the
prayers and offer them in full when travelling, and that he used to
not fast and fast, it is not saheeh. I heard Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah say: This is a lie against the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him). End quote.
It was narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) used to shorten the prayers but 'Aa'ishah would offer them in
full, and he might not fast one day but she would fast.
Our Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah said: This is false. The Mother of the
Believers would not go against the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) and all his companions, and pray
differently from them. End quote.
Rather some of the imams, such as Imam Abu Haneefah and Ibn Hazm (may
Allah have mercy on them) were of the view that shortening the prayers
when travelling is obligatory, and it is not permissible to offer them
in full.
However, the correct opinion is that of the majority of scholars, that
shortening the prayers is Sunnah and is preferable, and is not
obligatory. That is supported by the fact that 'Uthmaan and 'Aa'ishah
(may Allah be pleased with them) offered prayers in full when
travelling. If shortening the prayers when travelling was obligatory,
they would not have offered them in full. The Sahaabah followed
'Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with all of them) in offering the
prayers in full in Mina; if offering the prayers in full was haraam,
they would not have followed him in that.
Imam ash-Shaafa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If it had been
obligatory for the traveller to pray with two rak'ahs, 'Uthmaan,
'Aa'ishah and Ibn Mas'ood would not have offered the prayers in full,
and it would not have been permissible for a traveller to offer the
prayers in full when praying with a resident who is not travelling.
End quote fromal-Umm, 1/159
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said inash-Sharh
al-Mumti', 4/358-362:
Some of the scholars said that offering the prayers in full (when
travelling) is makrooh (disliked), because this is contrary to the
regular, ongoing practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him), as the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) never offered the prayer in full when travelling, and he said:
"Pray as you have seen me praying." This is the view favoured by
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah(may Allah have mercy on him) and it is a
strong view; in fact it may be the strongest of the opinions.
Some of the scholars said that shortening the prayers is obligatory
and that the one who offers the prayer in full is sinning.
What seems to me to be most correct is that offering the prayers in
full (when travelling) is makrooh, not haraam, and that the one who
offers the prayer in full is not sinning. This is from a theoretical
point of view.
But from a practical point of view, is it befitting for a person to do
something when he fears that he may be sinning thereby?
It is not appropriate conduct; rather you should do what is Sunnah,
because that is better for your spiritual wellbeing, even if it is
permissible for you to do something contrary to that. End quote.
Based on that, it is preferable for the traveller to shorten his
prayers, but he does not have the right to refrain from offering the
prayer in congregation for the sake of shortening the prayer; rather
he must offer prayers in congregation. If the imam is a resident (not
travelling), he must offer the prayer in full with him, and if he is
travelling, he must shorten the prayer with him.

A World of Smile

About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was
working as an intern at my University's Museum of Natural History. One
day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an
elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of perched on
her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck
and torso. She was wearing a little white dress with red polka dots.
As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register.
I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink. As I took the
money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving
me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen. All of a sudden her
handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile
just melted me and almost instantly gave me a completely new sense of
what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college
student and brought me into her world; a world of smiles, love and
warmth.
That was ten years ago. I'm a successful business person now and
whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think
about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she
taught me.

Reward for Helping Others

Ibn Abbas narrated, Once I was in a state of itikaaf in the Prophet's
Mosque (Medina). A certain person came to me and sat down. I said to
him, 'O so and so, you look sad'. He said, 'Yes of course, o fraternal
brother of the Prophet. So-and-so has his due on me, and by the one
who lies in eternal peace in the grave (i.e. Prophet Muhammad), I am
not able to pay the debt' I said, 'Should I not talk to him about your
debt?' He said, 'You can do so if you like' There upon I put my shoes
on and went out of the mosque. The person asked him, 'Have you
forgotten the state you were in (i.e. itikaaf)?' I replied, 'Not at
all, but I have heard rom the one who lies in eternal peace in the
grave [saying this his eyes became filled with tears], said:
"One who moves to fulfill any need of his brother, and makes effort
for it, will find it better than itikaaf of ten years; and one who
performs itikaaf for one day for the pleasure of Allah, he will create
a distance of three ditches between him and the hell - and each ditch
has a width which lies between East and West, or between the heaven
and earth."
Source: Al Targhib Vol II p 272.
By the blessings of Allah, we are approaching another Ramadan. For
most of us, we feel a little taste of hunger during this month only.
But there are billions for whom it is a matter of daily life. Let us
get immense rewards by helping our needy brothers and sisters around
the world during this month of generosity.