or a debtor, then the udhiyah is not required of him. Rather, if he owes a debt, he should give priority to paying the debt before offering the udhiyah.

Question: Is the udhiyah prescribed on behalf of the deceased or the living?

Answer: It is prescribed for the living. For, to the best of my knowledge, neither the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—nor the Companions ever offered an udhiyah independently on behalf of the deceased. During his lifetime, the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—lost sons and daughters, as well as wives and relatives whom he loved, yet he did not offer an udhiyah on behalf of any one of them. He did not offer one for his uncle Hamzah, his wife Khadijah, his wife Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, his three daughters, or his sons—may Allah be pleased with them. Had this been among the prescribed matters, the Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—would have clarified it in his sunnah, whether by word or deed. Rather, a person offers the udhiyah for himself and his household.

As for including the deceased incidentally, evidence for this may be inferred from the fact that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—“offered an udhiyah for himself and his household” (1). His household includes both his wives who had died and those who were still alive. Likewise, he offered an udhiyah for his ummah, among whom were those who had died and those who had not yet come into existence. However, as for offering an udhiyah specifically and independently on their behalf, I know of no basis for it in the sunnah.

For this reason, some scholars said that offering an udhiyah independently on their behalf is an innovation.