Ruling on going to the butcher to arrange Qurbani
30 حزيران 2024
السؤال :
Question
When doing Qurbani in the UK we would usually arrange this via a Butcher. When collecting the Qurbani you only receive the meat. The skin, fur and parts of the animal that is not consumed is not given to us and more than likely is left at the slaughterhouse and we have no knowledge what happens to it nor does the butcher. Is my Qurbani valid?
Is it also permitted for me to arrange a qurbani of one animal such as a sheep on mine and my families behalf and do they fulfil the criteria of meeting the conditions of having performed a Qurbani?
الجواب :
Answer
All praise is due to Allah.
It is permissible to have the butcher act as an agent on your behalf for the purpose of carrying out the Udhiyah, there is no problem with this. However, there are some matters that Muslims should be aware of when doing so.
1) When you go to the butcher to be an agent for you in terms of sacrificing the animal, you must pay for the meat up front and not after they slaughter it and bring it to you on the day of Eid. The purchase must be made prior to the slaughtering and based on them being an agent for you.
2) The sacrifice must be done for you specifically. So the butcher [or the individual at the slaughterhouse] slaughters with your name and when he returns, he gives you the same meat as that which was slaughtered on your behalf.
3) When the butcher cuts the animal, there are parts that are of no benefit [to us] and are either thrown away or taken away and benefited from by others such as the skin of the animal. There is no problem if they choose to either throw it away or use it in another capacity. If you are happy with this, then it is fine and would be classed as a donation on your part to them.
4) There shouldn't be a wage stipulated for the butcher from within the price of the Udhiyah but rather it must be separate. For example, if they say the price of the Udhiyah is £180, you would ask the butcher how much they would take [for the service]? Let's say they said £20, then the total is £200. You would pay the money for your Udhiyah and then the butcher an amount of money that is known. It is not allowed to say for instance "Slaughter for me and I will pay £200" and the price of the butcher is included here [without knowing exactly how much]. Rather you must ask how much the Udhiyah is and then the wage of the butcher separately and then confirm you will pay the total amount for the Udhiyah and the butcher.
As for the price of the Udhiyah then this must be given upfront whereas the wage of the butcher can be given at a later time such as when the animal has been slaughtered and the meat delivered. This is because the wage is not for the Udhiyah itself but rather his job/efforts so this amount may be deferred. However, the amount for the meat must be given beforehand so that the animal can be bought prior to being slaughtered on your behalf.
As for your statement about whether or not the sacrifice is valid on behalf of yourself and your family, then yes because you're the head of the family and these are your dependents within your family. The members of a family, one individual slaughters on their behalf such as how the Prophet ﷺ used to do whereby he would sacrifice on behalf of himself and his family. Every single one of them doesn't need to perform their own Udhiyah but rather one will suffice for them all even if they are a large sized family.
We ask Allah to accept from us all.
And Allah knows best.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the 'Ālamīn.
Transcript of Sheikh AbdulHaqq Turkmāni's answer
29 Dhul-Qa'dah 1445 | 6 June 2024
