Mandatory Conditions for Performing Adhiya Sacred Rituals
- Intention to offer sacred of Adhiya to Allah Subhanahu Wataala Any believer intending to offer sacred sacrifice of Adhiya to Allah Subhanahu Wataala Must make that intention and take decision before Special Eid Al-adhiya Prayer has been performed. This is the time when you look for eligible animal to slaughter and get ready for the sacred sacrifice. As every community of Muslims in the world celebrate this Eid Al-Adhiya day on the same day is celebrated in Mecca, believers begin celebration of this special of Eid-Al-Adhiya by Performing this Special Eid Prayer called Eid Al Adhiya ( Prayer of sacrifice) and there after slaughtering animals for sacred rituals called Dhihiya begins and takes four days including Eid day the 10th of Dhil Hijj as first day of slaughtering, the last day falls on the 13th of Dhil Hijj as the fourth day of slaughtering before sun set according to Sharia of Islam.
- Slaughtering of Adhiya must be with in four days period of slaughtering that begins on 10th day of dhil Hijj immediately after Salatul Eid Al-Adhiya until before sunset of the 13th day of dhil Hajj, that is after Asri Salah BUT before sunset.
- The person offering sacrifice must be Muslim.
- The animal for sacrifice must be health and good looking without any damage caused naturally or artificially. naturally damage means born blind, limping, small and short sickly, while artificially damaged ,means accidentally broken by any means, either transportation or falling , hurt by beating ,became sickly, now days there is chemically feeding or injection of animals to grow big quickly , such animals are not permissible for Sacred offering of Adhiya sacrifice.
- The animal must be owned in lawful means,not grabbed , stolen, ransomed, if bought,the money to buy this kind of animal must be earned in rightful means.
- At the time of slaughtering Must say : “Bismillah Rahman Raheem, inni wajahu wajhiya liladhe fatara samawati wal-Arda Hanifa Musliman wama ana minal Mushrikeen,inna salaat wa nuski wama hayaya wa mamaati lillahi Rabil Alameen,la Sharika lahu Wabidhaalika Umiritu wa ana minal mushrikeen Bismillah Allah Akbar (Bismillah Allah Akbar is said three times)”. Meaning In the name of Allah Most Merciful the Compassionate, i have indeed convicted my self in devotion facing the only one who sustains the heavens and earth in Submission totally to Him in Islam and am not among those who associate Him with other gods. Indeed my mandatory prayers,my sacrifice,my life and my death is for Him Master of the Worlds,i do not associate any other god with Him,that is what i was ordered and i am the first to submit to Him in Islam, in the name of Allah the Greatest. (is the last verse of Surat Al-Ana’am chapter 6 of Holy Quran Al-Karim. This prayer was prayed by prophet Ibrahim aleih salaam the founder of Islamic Religion,builder of the Kaaba,initiator of Hajj Rituals,and initiator of this same ritual of Adhiya slaughtering by trying to slaughter his own son Prophet Ismael when he was young for the sake of Allah Subhanahu Wataala, When Allah accepted his slaughtering, He saved the son by send a sheep from heaven brought by Sayidina Jabrael aleih salaamas revealed in Quran which he slaughtered. Since then Allah Subhanahu Wataala made Mandatory to believers to follow footsteps of prophet Ibrahim aleih salaam,peace be upon him, thus we face in the Holy Kaaba for performing Mandatory prayer, and we also perform Hajj rituals including this slaughtering called Adhiya facing the holy Kaaba of Macca.
- Must distribute the meat to the poor, family and friends even if they are rich, Adhiya meat is not charity, its a gift from Allah (God) to believers.
- Must not sale the meat in any form for any reason. Must make separate payments to workers who may help to clean animals after slaughtering, transporting, storage, distribution which does not make part of the sacrifice itself. You can not compensate meat into payment of any kind of work in connection to sacrifice, instead separate ways of paying workers and other costs must be included in the budget while planning to slaughter Adhiya.
- Must be distributed only to Muslims ,its not permissible to distribute this meat directly to non Muslims. But after distribution, a Muslim is allowed to share with His or her neighbor as he or she wishes,because its meat for an Islamic celebration not charity.