Authorizing Butcher to Slaughter Sacrifice

31-3-2002 | IslamWeb

Question:

Can one authorize a butcher to slaughter one's sacrifice without seeing it?
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is permissible to authorize someone to buy an Udh-hiyyah (sacrificial animal) to slaughter and to distribute on your behalf.
So, it is not a condition to see your Udh-hiyyah. In other words, you can authorize someone to buy your Udh-hiyyah, slaughter and even distribute it in another country. Such a method is usually carried out by charitable societies, which transfer the Udh-hiyyah to other poor countries. But, the charitable societies are not allowed to pay the value of the Udh-hiyyah (cash money) to the poor instead of the Udh-hiyyah.

Moreover, it is better and favorable to slaughter your Udh-hiyyah where you live and by your own hand, since this is the exact Sunnah of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ).

Here, we draw to your attention that a butcher (a deputy or not) is not allowed to take any part from the Udh-hiyyah for his services. His pay must be given to him separately.

In Sahih Muslim that 'Ali may Allaah be pleased with him said: “The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) ordered me to supervise slaughtering of his camels, to give their meat, hides and packsaddles as charity and to avoid giving a butcher from them (as wages).” He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) also said: “We give (the wages to) the butcher ourselves (i.e. from our wealth).”

Anyway, we can give the butcher from the Udh-hiyyah as a charity only.

Allah knows best.

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