Are there any characteristics of animals that are prohibited for sacrifice? Are camels, buffaloes, cows, goats and sheep allowed to be sacrificed? Eits … Friends, don’t let you choose the wrong sacrificial animal! In addition to the type of animal, there are also more detailed characteristics of the sacrificial animal you choose. One of them is that the camel/goat/sheep/cow that you will sacrifice must not have a thin body or limp legs. If you sacrifice such an animal, your sacrifice will be invalid. So, what are the characteristics of animals that are prohibited for qurbani? Check out the following explanation.

Must the animal be male?

There is nothing in the Qur’an or hadith that states that the animal slaughtered for sacrifice must be of a certain sex. However, scholars have compared the issue of the sex of the sacrificial animal to that of the animal for akikah.

Imam Al-Nawawi, a great Islamic intellectual and scholar of the 13th century, once explained about this. According to him, the rules regarding the sex of sacrificial animals, we as Muslims can refer to the hadith that explains the sex of akikah animals.

“And it is permissible to sacrifice with both male and female animals. As referring to a hadith narrated by Ummu Kuraz from the Messenger of Allah (saw) that he once said, ‘(akikah) for a boy is two goats and for a girl one goat. Whether it is male or female, it does not matter’.”

Read also: This is the Correct Time to Slaughter Sacrificial Animals, Don’t Let Your Sacrifice Be Invalid

According to An-Nawawi, if the sex of the animal is not an issue in the case of akikah, then this can also be applied to qurbani. There is no requirement regarding the sex of male or female sacrificial animals.

“If it is permissible in the case of akikah alone on the basis of this Hadīth, then this indicates that it is permissible to use both male and female animals in the sacrifice. This is because the meat of males is more delicious than that of females, and the meat of females is more moist.” (An-Nawawi’s opinion in al-Majmū’ Syarḥ Muhazzab, Beirut, Dār al-Fikr)

Dompet Dhuafa has its own considerations and reasons why it prioritizes male animals over females for sacrifice. There are three reasons, first because male meat has a stronger texture than female meat. Second, as a form of caution for female animals that may be pregnant, so that they can continue to breed, as well as so that the farm can be sustainable. Thirdly, because it follows the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, who is known to have never slaughtered a female animal during a sacrifice.

Characteristics of Animals Prohibited for Sacrifice

In a hadith, the Prophet mentioned that there are a number of characteristics of animals that are prohibited for sacrifice, these characteristics must be avoided.

“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) once stood among us, my hand (in another narration: my finger) was shorter than his hand (it appears when the Messenger of Allah gestured the number four with his finger), and he said, ‘There are four defects that are not allowed in sacrificial animals: (1) blindness and obvious blindness, (2) sickness and obvious sickness, (3) limping and obvious limping, (4) very weak or thin (such as having no bone marrow)’.” (Narrated by five Imams (four writers of the Sunnah plus Imam Ahmad), authenticated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban)

Read also: Spreading Qurbani Animals to Palestine

Some scholars say that the gesture of the Prophet’s hand when he mentioned the four types of defects indicates that he limited the defects to these four types. So, if the animal we choose does not have any of the four defects mentioned by the Prophet, then it can be used for sacrifice. Beyond that, we should not forbid something that the Prophet did not mention.

“Al-Barra’ ibn ‘Azib said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in addition to what was mentioned: ‘I dislike the animal that has a defect in its teeth, a defect in its ears, and a defect in its horns.’ The Prophet replied, ‘What you do not like, leave it. Do not forbid it to others’.” (HR Ahmad and Abu Dawud)

According to Dompet Dhuafa’s Book on Qurbani, the types of animal defects that are prohibited for qurbani are divided into two groups:

1. Defects that make it invalid to be used as sacrificial animals, such as: blindness, severe illness, limping, very thin or weak, to the point that it looks like it has no bone marrow.
2. Defects that make it makrooh to sacrifice the animal, such as cutting off part or all of its ears, breaking or breaking its horns, breaking or breaking its teeth.

However, if the types of defects are broken down by the scholars of the madhhabs’ understanding of the traditions that explain the types of defects of sacrificial animals, they will find about 18 types of defects in the characteristics of animals that are prohibited for sacrifice, among others:

1. Al-‘Amya, which is total blindness in both eyes
2. Al-‘Aura al-Bayyin ‘Uruha, i.e. total blindness in one eye
3. Maqthu’ah al-Lisan Kulliha, i.e. severed tongue
4. Maqthu’ah Ba’dh al-Lisan, i.e. partial severing of the tongue
5. Al-Jad’a, i.e. a cut on the nose
6. Maqthu’ah al-Udzunain aw Ihdahuma, a break in one ear, even if it is one ear, including congenital ear defects.
7. Maqthu’ah Ba’dh al-Udzun, i.e. partially cut off ear
8. Al-‘Arja’ al-Bayyin ‘Urjuha, i.e. not being able to walk, such as walking from the starting place to the slaughtering place.
9. Al-Jadzma’: lacking forelegs and hindlimbs, in whole or in part, either later or congenital.
10. Al-Jadzza’, which is a female sacrificial animal whose milking end is cut off or dried up because she cannot produce milk.
11. Maqthu’ah al-Ilyah, an animal that has its tail cut off unless it was born with a congenital defect.
12. Maqthu’ah al-Miqdar al-Katsir Min al-Ilyah, which means that most of the tail is cut off.
13. Maqthu’ah al-Dzanab, which is an animal that has no or broken at the lower/most rear end of its backbone
14. Maqthu’ah al-Miqdar al-Katsir Min al-Dzanab, i.e. most of its dzanab is missing
15. Al-Maridhah al-Bayyin Maradhuha, i.e. an animal whose sickness is obvious
16. Al-‘Ajfa’ Ghair al-Munqiyah, i.e. an animal that is severely ill on the inside of its bones or marrow, so that it can be characterized by being unable to walk or other signs of weakness
17. Musharramah al-Athibba’, which is an animal that has been treated for illness and is no longer able to produce milk.
18. Al-Jallalah, which is an animal that eats dung due to long confinement.

Read also: Delaying the Distribution of Qurbani Meat After the Day of Tasyrik? Here’s the ruling

Qurbani with 3 Certainty at Dompet Dhuafa

In the Tebar Hewan Kurban (THK) Program 1445 H/2024 M, Dompet Dhuafa provides 3 definite services in its implementation. Among other things, it must be male, must pass quality control, and must be distributed to remote areas of the country. Dompet Dhuafa is committed to ensuring that the sacrificial animals used are male animals, so that the supply of meat for the next life is maintained.

Dompet Dhuafa also guarantees that the selected sacrificial animals have passed Quality Control. This point is very important, so that the selected animals are suitable in terms of health quality, optimal weight, and age. Thus, the characteristics of animals prohibited for qurbani will not be present in the animals that Dompet Dhuafa chooses to be sacrificial animals.

As for the point of distribution to all corners of the country, this is Dompet Dhuafa’s commitment in equalizing the consumption of qurbani meat in areas with a lack of qurbani meat supply every year. Dompet Dhuafa also made various efforts to distribute qurbani meat to Palestine. This is done by sending packaged meat whose sacrificial animals are slaughtered in Brazil.

QURBANI WITH WALLET DHUAFA