the Quran and the sunnah. Nevertheless, if people customarily exchange gifts from their sacrificial offerings, this is recommended, since it falls under the general exhortation to do that which fosters affection and love among people. There is no doubt that if, during the days of sacrifice, you give some sacrificial meat as a gift to a wealthy person, it will have a greater impact on him than if you gave him an equivalent amount of food, such as dates, wheat, or the like. If there is benefit in this, then it is sought after; however, specifying one-third requires evidence from the sunnah.

The Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, gave all the meat of the sacrificial camels in charity, except for the pieces which he chose to have collected in a cooking pot and cooked. (1)

His statement: “It is recommended that he eat, give as a gift, and give in charity.” The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this ruling applies to every sacrificial offering, even one made obligatory by a vow: he may eat from it, give from it as a gift, and give from it in charity. This is correct, unlike an obligatory sacrificial animal offered as hady: one does not eat from it if it is expiatory, but one eats from it if it is offered in gratitude. Thus, one may eat from the blood-offering of hady required for tamattuʿ or qirān, whereas one may not eat from the blood-offering required for omitting an obligatory rite or committing a prohibited act. The difference is that the latter is an expiation, while the former is an act of gratitude. This is why the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, ate from his hady, even though it was obligatory due to qirān.

Thus, one may eat from the sacrificial offering, whether it is obligatory by virtue of a vow or not. As for the hady, it is subject to the following detail:

First: Whatever becomes obligatory due to committing a prohibited act or omitting an obligatory duty, one may not eat from it, because it serves as an expiation.