that—whereas specific prevention is when a single person, or a group of people, is prevented. What should they do?

The author said: “He should offer a sacrifice and then exit ihram.”

His statement, “If he cannot find one, he should fast ten days and then exit ihram,” means that if he cannot find a sacrificial animal, he should fast ten days and then exit ihram. The evidence given is an analogy with the sacrifice required for tamattuʿ pilgrimage. However, this analogy is open to objection on two grounds:

First, the apparent circumstance of the Companions who were with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, at al-Hudaybiyyah—who numbered fourteen hundred (1)—is that there were poor people among them. Yet it has not been reported that the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said to them: “Whoever cannot find a sacrificial animal should fast ten days.” The basic principle is that one is free of liability.

Second, the sacrifice required for tamattuʿ is a sacrifice of gratitude for combining the two rites. This case, however, is the opposite of tamattuʿ, for the person has been prevented from completing even one rite. So how can this be analogized to that? Therefore, the analogy is invalid. We say: whoever cannot find a sacrificial animal when he is prevented may exit ihram, and nothing is due from him.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words here—may Allah have mercy on him—is that shaving the head or shortening the hair is not obligatory, since he did not mention it, but merely said: “He should offer a sacrifice and then exit ihram.” The correct view, however, is that shaving the head or shortening the hair is obligatory, because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded it. Indeed, he became angry when the Companions were slow to shave their heads (2).