Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dhakah

Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dhakah (The Rulings of Sacrificial Slaughter and Ritual Slaughter) is a treatise in Islamic jurisprudence by the Saudi scholar Ibn Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE), dedicated to the legal rulings governing the sacrificial offering (udhiyah) during Eid al-Adha and the rules of ritual slaughter (dhakah) Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh…+1.

Purpose and Structure

Ibn Uthaymin authored the work to elucidate the rulings of the udhiyah as an established Islamic rite paired in scripture with prayer, subsequently appending the legal rulings, conditions, and etiquettes of ritual slaughter Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh…. The original extended work spanned ninety-three pages, featuring detailed examinations of juristic disagreements and evidence Mukhtasar Ahkam al-Udhiya…. The book is organized into ten chapters:

1. Chapter One: The definition of the udhiyah and its legal ruling (hukm) Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
2. Chapter Two: The prescribed time window for the sacrifice Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
3. Chapter Three: The permissible species of sacrificial animals and on whose behalf the sacrifice suffices Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
4. Chapter Four: The validity conditions of the sacrificial animal and the disqualifying defects Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
5. Chapter Five: Disliked defects in the sacrificial animal Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
6. Chapter Six: How an animal becomes formally designated as an udhiyah and the subsequent legal consequences Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
7. Chapter Seven: The distribution of the meat and what may be consumed from it Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
8. Chapter Eight: What the person intending to offer a sacrifice must avoid Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
9. Chapter Nine: Ritual slaughter (dhakah) and its mandatory conditions Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….
10. Chapter Ten: Etiquette and disliked practices during slaughter Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dh….

Method and Content

The author examines the consensus of scholars on the legitimacy of the udhiyah and evaluates the classic dispute over whether it constitutes an obligatory duty (wajib) or an emphasized Sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah), citing textual proofs from the Quran, prophetic hadiths, and opinions across the legal schools Mawqi al-Islam Su'al wa J…+1. The treatise addresses specific legal topics including:

• The prescribed timeframe of slaughter, starting after the Eid prayer on the Day of Immolation (10 Dhu al-Hijjah) until sunset on the final Day of Tashriq (13 Dhu al-Hijjah) Mawqi al-Islam Su'al wa J….
• The categorization of physical imperfections, identifying four severe defects that render the animal invalid as well as fourteen disliked defects, such as having parts of the tail, buttocks, or teeth missing Mawqi al-Islam Su'al wa J…+1.
• The legal liability incurred if an animal designated for sacrifice develops a defect, differentiating between cases of personal negligence and unavoidable circumstances Durus Fiqhiyya - al-Luhay….
• The status of meat slaughtered by Muslims and the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab), concluding that one is not required to investigate whether the slaughterer pronounced the name of God, provided the slaughterer belongs to an eligible category Mawqi al-Islam Su'al wa J….

Abridgment and Editions

Owing to the extensive debates and scholastic disputations in the primary text, Ibn Uthaymin prepared an abridgment entitled Mukhtasar Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa al-Dhakah, wherein he removed tangential debates while retaining necessary legal points Mukhtasar Ahkam al-Udhiya…. The original treatise was published in print, including an edition funded by Sulayman ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Duwayyan Salat al-Mumin.