1. The hady or sacrificial animal must be a domesticated quadruped, such as a camel, cow, sheep, or goat.
2. Seven or fewer pilgrims may share in a camel or cow. There is no provision for sharing in a goat or sheep. Pilgrims may slaughter more than one hady and may even offer more than one sacrifice, because during the Farewell Hajj, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, slaughtered one hundred camels on his own behalf.[1]
3. A camel must be five years old, a cow two years old, and a goat one year old. However, a sheep may be six months old.
4. At the time of slaughter, the following du‘a should be recited:
«بِسْمِ اللَّهِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ، اللَّهُمَّ مِنْكَ وَلَكَ ، اللَّهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي».
(Bismillahi wallahu akbar, Allahumma minka wa laka, Allahumma taqabbal minni.)
‘In the name of Allah; Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, this is from You and for You. O Allah, accept it from me.’[2]
5. When slaughtering or performing nahr on a hady or sacrificial animal, it is Sunnah to slaughter cattle and goats while they are positioned on their left side facing the qiblah. In the case of a camel, it is Sunnah to perform nahr while it is standing with its left leg tied.[3]
6. It is preferable for a pilgrim to slaughter his hady with his own hands. However, at present this is often not possible, because the place of slaughter is very far away. Moreover, the roads there are unfamiliar. Therefore, care must be taken that attempting this difficult task personally does not interfere with the other obligatory acts of Hajj. Hence, adopt any one of the following methods for slaughtering the hady.
Arrange for the hady to be slaughtered through a bank. In this case, before Hajj, you may deposit the cost of the hady through a bank authorised by the government of Saudi Arabia and appoint them as your agent. Under government supervision, they will properly carry out the slaughter of your hady according to the guidance of the scholars. In this case, it is not necessary to observe the prescribed order or sequence of that day’s acts, because by appointing an agent you have discharged your responsibility. Therefore, after stoning, you may shave your head or shorten your hair and exit the restrictions of ihram without any delay or hesitation. This method is especially suitable for you if you are a ballotee pilgrim, because the money allocated for the hady is returned to each ballotee pilgrim. Taking advantage of this, many dishonest people offer various inducements to seize the pilgrims’ money. As a result, many pilgrims suffer losses.
Non-ballotee pilgrims travel under various Hajj groups. In most cases, the group leaders take responsibility for slaughtering the hady. To ensure that it is done properly, several trustworthy young pilgrims should accompany the group leader. They should personally witness the purchase and slaughter of the hady and inform the other pilgrims about it.
If someone has trustworthy relatives in Makkah, the hady may also be slaughtered through them. However, in this case, it must be ensured that the person arranging the slaughter has sufficient time. This is because during the Hajj season, residents of Makkah remain busy with various businesses and commercial activities.
7. According to the hadith, the time for slaughtering the hady is four days: the Day of Sacrifice, namely the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, and the three days thereafter.
8. It is preferable to slaughter in Mina. However, slaughtering anywhere within the Haram area of Makkah is permissible, because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
«وَكُلُّ مِنًى مَنْحَرٌ وَكُلُّ فِجَاجِ مَكَّةَ طَرِيقٌ وَمَنْحَرٌ»
‘All of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and every street and path of Makkah is a place of sacrifice.’[4]
9. It is Sunnah for the person offering the sacrifice to eat from the meat of his own hady. This is because the hadith narrated by Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, states:
«ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ إِلَى الْمَنْحَرِ فَنَحَرَ ثَلاَثًا وَسِتِّينَ بِيَدِهِ ثُمَّ أَعْطَى عَلِيًّا فَنَحَرَ مَا غَبَرَ وَأَشْرَكَهُ فِي هَدْيِهِ ثُمَّ أَمَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ بَدَنَةٍ بِبَضْعَةٍ فَجُعِلَتْ فِي قِدْرٍ فَطُبِخَتْ فَأَكَلاَ مِنْ لَحْمِهَا وَشَرِبَا مِنْ مَرَقِهَا»
‘Then the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, went to the place of slaughter and slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hands. He then gave the task of slaughtering to ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him. ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, slaughtered the remaining camels, and the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, made ‘Ali a partner in his hady. Thereafter, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, ordered that a portion be taken from each camel. All the portions were then cooked together. He ate some of the meat and drank some of the broth.’[5]
10. The meat may be distributed among the residents of the Haram and the poor who live within the Haram area. However, the butcher may not be given this meat as payment for his work. Rather, he must be paid for his work with something else. But if the butcher is poor, he may be given some of this meat independently of his payment.
11. If a person performing Tamattu‘ or Qiran Hajj cannot find a hady or cannot afford to purchase one, he must fast for three days during the days of Hajj and seven days after returning home, making a total of ten days. Allah Most High says:
﴿فَمَن تَمَتَّعَ بِٱلۡعُمۡرَةِ إِلَى ٱلۡحَجِّ فَمَا ٱسۡتَيۡسَرَ مِنَ ٱلۡهَدۡيِۚ فَمَن لَّمۡ يَجِدۡ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَٰثَةِ أَيَّامٖ فِي ٱلۡحَجِّ وَسَبۡعَةٍ إِذَا رَجَعۡتُمۡۗ تِلۡكَ عَشَرَةٞ كَامِلَةٞۗ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن لَّمۡ يَكُنۡ أَهۡلُهُۥ حَاضِرِي ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِۚ ﴾ [البقرة: ١٩٦]
‘Then whoever performs ‘Umrah followed by Hajj, thereby performing Tamattu‘, shall offer whatever hady is easy for him. But whoever cannot find one shall fast for three days during Hajj and seven days when you return. These make ten complete days. This ruling is for one whose family does not reside in the vicinity of al-Masjid al-Haram.’[6]
The three days during the days of Hajj means during the period of Hajj or in the months of Hajj, such as the 6th, 7th, and 8th of Dhul-Hijjah; the 7th, 8th, and 9th; or the 11th, 12th, and 13th. However, fasting is not permissible on the Day of Sacrifice. He must fast for seven days after returning home. It is not obligatory to observe these seven fasts consecutively. If the fasts are delayed due to illness or a valid excuse, no compensatory sacrifice will become obligatory.
[1]. He slaughtered 63 with his own hands and the others through ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him. Muslim: 1217.
[2]. Muslim: 3/1557; Bayhaqi: 9/287.
[3]. Bukhari: 3/553; Muslim: 2/956.
[4]. Abu Dawud: 2324.
[5]. Muslim: 3009.
[6]. Al-Baqarah: 196.