Dought & clear, - Sacrifices, - What should the one who wants to offer a sacrifice refrain from doing?.

With regard to a Muslim who is not performing Hajj, what should he do
during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah? Is cutting the nails and
hair not permissible? Is putting on henna or wearing new clothes not
permitted until after the sacrifice has been slaughtered?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If the onset of Dhu'l-Hijjah has been proven and a person wants to
offer a sacrifice, it is haraam for him to remove anything from the
hair on his body or to cut his nails or any part of his skin. It is
not forbidden for him to wear new clothes or to put on henna or
perfume, or to be intimate with his wife or have intercourse with her.
This ruling applies only to the one who is going to offer the
sacrifice, and not to the rest of his family, and not to the one whom
he appoints to slaughter the sacrifice on his behalf. None of these
things are forbidden for his wife or children, or for his deputy.
No differentiation is made between men and women with regard to this
ruling. If a woman wants to offer a sacrifice on her own behalf,
whether she is married or not, then she should refrain from removing
any hair from her body or cutting her nails, because of the general
meaning of the texts which state that that is not allowed.
This is not called ihraam, because there is no ihraam except during
the rituals of Hajj and 'Umrah, and the one who is in ihraam wears the
ihraam garments and refrains from wearing perfume, having intercourse,
and hunting, but all of these things are permissible for the one who
wants to offer a sacrifice after the month of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins. He
is not forbidden to do anything except cut his hair, trim his nails or
remove anything from his skin.
It was narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that
the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you
see the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and one of you wants to offer a
sacrifice, let him refrain from (removing anything) from his hair or
nails." Narrated by Muslim, 1977. According to another version: "Let
him not remove anything of his hair or skin."
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
It is prescribed for the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, when the
month of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, that he should not remove anything from
his hair, nails or skin until he has offered the sacrifice, because of
the report narrated by the group apart from al-Bukhaari (may Allaah
have mercy on them), from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with
her), that the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and one
of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him refrain from (removing
anything) from his hair or nails." According to a version narrated by
Abu Dawood, Muslim and al-Nasaa'i: "Whoever has a sacrifice to offer,
when the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, let him not remove anything
from his hair or nails until he has offered the sacrifice" – whether
he is going to slaughter the sacrifice himself or has asked someone
else to slaughter it on his behalf. As for the one on whose behalf the
sacrifice is being offered, that is not prescribed in his case,
because there is no report to that effect. That is not called ihraam,
rather ihraam refers to the one who enters ihraam for Hajj or 'Umrah
or both. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 11/397, 398
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
In the hadeeth it says, "Whoever wants to offer a sacrifice or appoint
some else to slaughter the sacrifice for him, from the beginning of
the month of Dhu'l-Hijjah, let him not remove anything from his hair,
skin or nails, until he has offered the sacrifice." Does this
prohibition apply to all the members of a household, old and young, or
does it apply to the adults only and not the children?
They replied:
We do not know of a version of the hadeeth which appears as mentioned
in the question. The version which we know is narrated from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as reported by the
group apart from al-Bukhaari from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased
with her), according to which the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him
refrain from (removing anything) from his hair or nails." According to
a version narrated by Abu Dawood – which was also narrated by Muslim
and al-Nasaa'i – "Whoever has a sacrifice to offer, when the new moon
of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, let him not remove anything from his hair or
nails until he has offered the sacrifice." This hadeeth indicates that
it is not allowed to remove anything from the hair or nails after the
first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah begin, for the one who wants to offer a
sacrifice. The first report includes a command to refrain, which
basically implies that refraining is obligatory, and we do not know of
any reason to interpret it otherwise. The second report includes the
prohibition on removing anything, which basically implies that it is
haraam, and we do not know of any reason to interpret it otherwise.
Thus it is clear that this hadeeth applies only to the one who wants
to offer the sacrifice. As for the one on whose behalf the sacrifice
is being offered, whether he is old or young he is not forbidden to
remove anything from his hair, skin or nails, based on the basic
principle, which is that these actions are permitted. We do not know
of any evidence to the contrary. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-'Daa'imah, 11/426, 427
Secondly:
None of these things are haraam for the one who does not intend to
offer a sacrifice because he is unable to. Whoever removes anything
from his hair or nails although he plans to offer a sacrifice does not
have to offer any fidyah (ransom), but he has to repent and seek
forgiveness.
Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever wants to offer a sacrifice, it is obligatory for him, once the
month of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, not to remove anything from his hair or
nails until he has offered the sacrifice, whether that is by shaving,
trimming or any other means. Whoever does not plan to offer a
sacrifice is not obliged to adhere to that.
Al-Muhallah, 6/3
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Once this is established, then he should forego cutting his hair or
clipping his nails. If he does that, he should ask Allaah for
forgiveness, but he does not have to offer any fidyah, according to
scholarly consensus, whether he did that deliberately or out of
forgetfulness.
Al-Mughni, 9/346
Note:
Al-Shawkaani said:
The reason behind this prohibition is so that all parts will remain to
be ransomed from the Fire, or it was said that it is so that he will
resemble the one who is in ihraam. Both views were narrated by
al-Nawawi, but he narrated from the companions of al-Shaafa'i that the
second view is a mistake, because (the person who wants to offer a
sacrifice) does not keep away from women or stop putting on perfume or
wearing regular clothes, and other things which the person in ihraam
refrains from.
Nayl al-Awtaar, 5/133
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Sacrifices, - Ruling on sacrificing camels other than an’aam animals.

A person lives at the North Pole and wants to offer a sacrifice. Is it
permissible for him to sacrifice a fish?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not valid to sacrifice a fish, horse, deer or chicken, because
one of the conditions of sacrifice is that it must be one of the
an'aam animals, which are camels, cattle and sheep of all kinds,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that
they may mention the Name of Allaah over the beast of cattle [an'aam]
that He has given them for food"
[al-Hajj 22:34]
It is not reported that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) or any of his companions sacrificed any other kind of
animal.
See:Fath al-Qadeer(9/97).
Al-Nawawi said inal-Majmoo'(8/364-366):
The conditions of a sacrifice being valid include that it should be
one of the an'aam animals, which are camels, cattle and sheep. All
kinds of camels, cattle and sheep, including goats, are acceptable.
Other kinds of animals, such as wild cattle, donkeys etc are not
acceptable, and there is no difference of scholarly opinion on this
point, whether male or female of all kinds, there is no difference of
opinion on any of that in our view.
A cross between a deer and sheep is not acceptable, because it is not
an an'aam animal. End quote.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said something similar
inal-Mughni(368).
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said in his essayAhkaam al-Udhiyah wa'l-Zakaah(rulings on
sacrifice and zakaah):
The type (of animal) that may be sacrificed is an'aam animals only,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that
they may mention the Name of Allaah over the beast of cattle [an'aam]
that He has given them for food"
[al-Hajj 22:34]
The an'aam animals are camels, cattle, sheep and goats. This was
stated by Ibn Katheer who said: This was the view of al-Hasan,
Qataadah and others. Ibn Jareer said: This is how it is among the
Arabs. End quote.
And the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do
not sacrifice anything but a musinnah; if one is not available then
sacrifice a jadh'ah sheep (one that is over a year old)." Narrated by
Muslim (1963). A musinnah is a camel, cow or sheep that is two years
old or older. This was the view of the scholars (may Allaah have mercy
on them).
The sacrifice is an act of worship, and it should not be done except
in the manner narrated from the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is not narrated that he(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sacrificed anything but a camel,
cow or sheep.

Dawah (Inviting to the way of submission and surrender to Allah)

Every Friday afternoon, after the Jummah service at the Central
Mosque, the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their
town and hand out "Path to Paradise" and other Islamic literature.
This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for
the Imam and his eleven year old son to go to the streets with their
booklets, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK,
dad, I am ready!' His 'Al Mualim' dad asked, 'Ready for what?'
'Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out.' Dad
responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's also pouring rain.'
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, are not
people still going to hell, even though it's raining?' Dad answers,
'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'
Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?' His father
hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the
booklets. Be careful son.' 'Thanks, Dad!'
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old
boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing
everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.
After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone chilled
wet and down to his very last booklet. He stopped on a corner and
looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally
deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the
sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell,
but nobody answered. He rang it again and again, but still no one
answered. He waited but still no answer.
Finally, this eleven year old Dawah (Inviting to the way of submission
and surrender to Allah) expert turned to leave, but something stopped
him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly
on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on
the front porch!
He rang again and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the
doorway was a very sad looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What
can I do for you, son?'
With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy
said, "Ma'am, I am sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell
you that 'Allah really loves and cares for you' and I came to give you
my very last booklet which will tell you all about God, the real
purpose of creation, and how to achieve His pleasure."
With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave. She
called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'
Well, the following Friday afternoon after Jummah service the Imam was
giving some lectures. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, 'Does
anybody have questions or want to say anything?'
Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly voice was heard
over the speaker. As the voice went on, a hint of glorious gaiety and
contentment was plainly evident in it even though she was not to be
seen, "No one in this gathering knows me. I have never been here
before. You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim. My husband
passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last
Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so
in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had
any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic
of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then
stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my
neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about
to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs
startled me. I thought, I will wait a minute and whoever it is will go
away.
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and
more insistent and then the person ringing also started knocking
loudly. I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody
ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my
neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang
louder and louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for
there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I
had ever seen in my life. His smile, oh, I could never describe it to
you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long
been dead to leap to life as he exclaimed with a cherub like voice,
'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that Allah really loves and cares for
you!' Then he gave me this booklet, 'Path to Paradise' that I now hold
in my hand.
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I
closed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up
to my attic to get my rope and chair. I would not be needing them any
more.
You see, I am now a happy vicegerent of the One True God. Since the
address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet,
I have come here to personally say Thank You to God's little angel who
came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an
eternity in hell.
There was not a dry eye in the mosque. And as shouts of Takbir! Allahu
Akbar (God is the greatest)! rented the air, even among the ladies.
The Imam (dad) descended from the pulpit to the front row where the
little angel was seated. He took his son in his arms and sobbed
uncontrollably.
Probably no Jamaat (Assembly) has had a more glorious moment and
probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with
love and honor for his son, except for one, this very one.
You are the best community evolved for mankind; you enjoin the right
conduct and forbid indecency and you believe in Allah. Noble Qur'an
(3:110)
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and
argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. Noble Qur'an
(16:125)

Worth and Significance of Bismillah: Ring in the Stomach of the Fish

There was once a lady who always said Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the
name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful) before she did anything.
She knew that Allah would then always be with her. One day, she put
her ring in the cupboard and as usual she said
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the name of Allah, the beneficent the
merciful) before she put it away. She knew that it would be safe.
Her husband took the ring and threw it in the river. He wanted to
prove to her that only saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the name of
Allah, the beneficent the merciful) would not keep it safe. He thought
that in the evening he would ask her where the ring was and it would
not be there.
Later that morning, the lady went to the market to buy some fish. When
she was cleaning the fish at home she found her ring inside the
stomach of the fish. She wondered how it got there but then put it
back in its place in the cupboard saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In
the name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful).
When her husband came back from work, he asked her where the ring was.
She brought it from the cupboard. He was so surprised!
He told her what he had done and apologized to her. He also truly
believed that Allah is with the person who says
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the name of Allah, the beneficent the
merciful) before he/she does anything.