Eid ul-Adha: Commemorating Allah’s bounty

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (AS) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stayed in Madinah for 10 years, offering sacrifice (every year on Eid).” -Ahmad, al-Tirmithi; classed as hasan by al-Albani in Mishkat al-Masabih] ‘Eid ul-Adha or the day of an-Nahr (slaughtering, udhiyah, or layya in Hausa), is […]

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (AS) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stayed in Madinah for 10 years, offering sacrifice (every year on Eid).” -Ahmad, al-Tirmithi; classed as hasan by al-Albani in Mishkat al-Masabih]
‘Eid ul-Adha or the day of an-Nahr (slaughtering, udhiyah, or layya in Hausa), is observed on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah (less than three weeks away today).
For those of us at home (not performing  Hajj) the day (10th) and those of Tashriq (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) are days of eating and drinking.
“The day of al-Fitr [i.e. `Eid ul-Fitr], the day of an-Nahr, and the days of Tashriq are `Eid days for us Muslims. They are days of eating and drinking.” -Ahmad, an-Nasa’e, Sahih ul-Jami`.
“The days of tashriq are days of eating, drinking and mentioning Allah.” – Muslim
 For all the ummah (both those on Hajj and at home) the slaughtering of animal (layya) is to commemorate Almighty Allah’s bounty on His Messenger Ibrahim (AS), whom He gave a ram to sacrifice as ransom for his son Isma‘il (AS).
The word udhiyah means an animal of the ‘an’aam class (i.e. camel, cow, sheep or goat) that is slaughtered during the days of Eid ul-Adha because of the Eid and as an act of worship, with the intention of drawing closer to Allah (SWT).
According to Ibn ‘Abbas (RA ) the days of Tashriq are the three days after the Day of Nahr mentioned in the Quranic verse in which Allah (SWT) says: “And remember Allah during [specific] numbered days.” Al-Qurtubi (RA) said that the scholars unanimously agreed that they are the Days of Tashriq.
 They are days of festivity for Muslims, as the Prophet (pbuh) said: “The Day of ‘Arafah, the Day of Nahr and the days of Mina (i.e. the Days of Tashriq) are ‘Eid for us.”
It is forbidden for Muslims to observe fasting on these days. They are days for showing happiness and satisfaction with the great favours of Allah Almighty.
The prophet (pbuh) offered sacrifices, as did his companions (RA). And he said that sacrifice is the way of the Muslims.
So the Muslim scholars are unanimously agreed that the sacrifice (layya) is prescribed in Islam but they differed as to whether it is Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah) or obligatory.  But in the view of al-Shafa’i, Malik and Ahmad, the majority of scholars are of the view that it is Sunnah mu’akkadah.
Others however are of the view that it is obligatory. This is the view of Abu Hanifah and also that favoured by Ibn Taymiyah who said, “this is one of the views narrated in the madhhab of Malik, or it appears to be the view of Malik.”
Sheikh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymin (AS) said: “Udhiyah is Sunnah mu’akkadah for the one who is able to do it, so a person should offer the sacrifice on behalf of himself and the members of his household.”
There are six conditions for Udhiyah:
It should be one of the an’aam class of animals, which are: camels, cattle, sheep and goats, because Allah says: “And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food” -Quran 22:34.
The animal must have reached the age stipulated in the Shari’ah. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Do not sacrifice anything but an adult animal, unless it is difficult for you, in which case you may slaughter a six-month old lamb (jadh’ah).” – Muslim.
An adult, mature, animal, in the case of camels means one that is five years old, for cattle, it means one that is two years old, for sheep one that is a year old.
So it is not correct to sacrifice a camel, cow or goat that has not yet reached maturity, or a sheep that is less than six months old. 
The animal should also be free of any faults that would render it unsuitable for sacrifice. These include:  Obvious defect in one eye, such as when the eye is sunken in its socket, or when it sticks out like a button, or is white and obviously defective. 
Obvious sickness, whose symptoms are clearly apparent in the animal, such as fever that prevents it from grazing and causes loss of appetite; mange that obviously affects its flesh or its health; deep wounds that affect its health; and obvious lameness, which prevents the animal from walking normally, or emaciation that leaves no marrow in its bones.
When  the Prophet (pbuh) was asked about what should be avoided in Udhiyah, he gestured with his hand and said: “Four: a  lame animal which is obviously lame, a one-eyed  animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, and an emaciated animal that no  one would choose.”  -Malik in al-Muwatta’
The following animals are also unsuitable for sacrifice: One that is blind in both eyes; one that has eaten more than it can stand, until the danger has passed; one that has encountered difficulty in giving birth, until all danger has passed; one that has suffered something that could kill it, such as strangulation or a fall from a high place, until the danger has passed; one that is unable to walk because of a defect; or one that has had one of its forelegs or hind legs cut off.
Also, the animal should belong to the person who is offering the sacrifice, or he should have permission for that either on the grounds of Shari’ah or from the owner. The sacrifice is not valid if the animal slaughtered does not belong to the person who is sacrificing it, such as one that has been taken by force, stolen, or taken on the basis of a false claim, etc, because it is not permissible to draw closer to Allah by means of sin.
Similarly, the animal should be slaughtered at the time specified in the Shari’ah, which is from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Sacrifice until sunset on the last of the days of al-Tashriq, which is the 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So the days when the sacrificed may be offered are four: the day of Eid after the prayer, and the three days after that. Whoever slaughters it before the Eid prayer is over, or after sun set on the 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah, his sacrifice is not valid.
It is narrated by al-Bukhari from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (AS), that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever slaughters (his sacrifice) before the prayer, it is meat that he has brought to his family, but that is not the sacrifice.” Also Jundub ibn Sufyan al-Bajali (AS) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying, ‘Whoever slaughters the sacrifice before he prays, let him replace it with another.’”
But where a person delays the sacrifice beyond the days of Tashriq, such as if his animal ran away, without any negligence on his part, and he could not find it until after the time was over, or he appointed someone else to slaughter it and that person forgot until the time was over, then there is nothing wrong with slaughtering it after the appointed time.