The Principle of Udhiyah (Qurbani)
Sacrifice is required at an appointed time from one who is alive, on behalf of himself or on behalf of his householdDeceased person - if he has bequeathed up to one third of his wealth for the purpose of sacrifice or included it in his Waqf (endowment), then his wishes must be carried out. Otherwise, offering sacrifice on behalf of the deceased is considered to be giving charity on behalf of the deadAnimals prescribed for Udhiyah are camels, cattle and sheep.A camel or a cow can be shared by seven people, this is based on the narration of Jabir (radhi allahu anhu), who said: "The Messenger of Allâh (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) commanded us to share camels and cattle, each seven men sharing one animal." [Sahîh Muslim v: 2, p. 662, no. 3024]Sheep, a goat or a ram - sharing is not allowedSacrificing an animal and giving its meat in charity is better than giving its value in charity.Animal offered for sacrifice must have reached the required age, one year for a goat, two years for a cow and five years for a camel.The animal should be completely free of any faults because sacrifice is an act of worship and Allah is Tayyib and He only accepts that which is TayyibThe Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "There are four that will not be accepted for sacrifice: a one-eyed animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose limp is obvious and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones." [(Sahîh) by Shaikh al-Albanî in Sahîh al-Jamî no. 886]”Milder defects do not disqualify an animal, but it is Makrooh to sacrifice such animals, for e.g. animal with a horn or ear missing, or an animal with slits in its ears, etc.The Sacrificial animal is not for sale. It is forbidden to sell the animal chosen for sacrifice, except for a better exchange. If it gives birth to an offspring, the offspring must be sacrificed along with it.It is permissible to ride the animal. Narrated Abu Hurayrah (radhi allahu anhu), [Sahîh Muslim}
