Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (7/484)

Second: Whatever is made obligatory as an expression of gratitude for a blessing—such as the hady of tamattuʿ and qirān—one may eat from it, as established by the sunnah. As for a voluntary offering, there is no question that one may eat from it, give some in charity, and give some as a gift.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words also indicates that if the sacrificial offering belongs to an orphan, one may eat from it, give some as a gift, and give some in charity.

Some scholars said: If it belongs to an orphan, one may not eat from it, give any of it as a gift, or give it in charity, except for the minimum obligatory amount—the least amount to which the term “meat” may be applied—because it is not permissible to make voluntary donations from an orphan’s wealth.

However, the correct view is that whenever we hold that it is permissible to offer a sacrifice from an orphan’s wealth, it should be handled in the manner prescribed by the sacred law: some is eaten, some is given as a gift, and some is given in charity.

Question: Is it prescribed to offer a sacrifice from an orphan’s wealth? There is some detail to this:

If it is customary for sacrifices to be offered from the wealth of orphans, and if their hearts would be saddened were a sacrifice not offered from their wealth, then a sacrifice should be offered from his wealth. This is like buying him new clothes for Eid even though he has clothes sufficient for him; nevertheless, we buy him new clothes so that he may be on a par with other people.

Thus, the sacrificial offering falls under the category of maintenance according to what is customary. If it is customary among people to offer sacrifices for orphans, then one should offer a sacrifice for him, even from his own wealth. This does occur.

For example, there may be orphans in a household who have no one but their mother, and their mother is poor, while the orphans possess wealth which they inherited from their siblings, their paternal uncles, or anyone else. The point is that they have wealth. Should we offer a sacrifice

ثانياً: ما وجب لشكر النعمة كهدي التمتع والقران، فإنه يأكل منه، كما جاءت بذلك السنة، أما التطوع فلا إشكال أنه يأكل منه ويتصدق ويهدي. وظاهر كلام المؤلف ـ أيضاً ـ أنه لو كانت الأضحية ليتيم فإنه يأكل منها ويهدي ويتصدق. وقال بعض العلماء: إذا كانت ليتيم فإنه لا يأكل منها، ولا يهدي، ولا يتصدق إلا مقدار الواجب فقط، وهو أقل ما يقع عليه اسم اللحم؛ لأن مال اليتيم لا يجوز التبرع به. ولكن الصحيح أنه متى قلنا بجواز الأضحية في مال اليتيم فإنه يعمل فيها ما جاءت به الشريعة، فيؤكل منها، ويهدى، ويتصدق. مسألة: هل يشرع أن يُضحى من مال اليتيم؟ في هذا تفصيل: إن جرت العادة بأنه يضحي من أموال اليتامى، وأنه لو لم يضح من أموالهم لانكسرت قلوبهم، فهنا ينبغي أن يضحى من ماله، كما أننا نشتري له ثوباً جديداً للعيد مع أن عنده ثوباً يكفيه، لكن نشتري له الثوب الجديد من أجل أن يوازي غيره من الناس. فهي إذاً ـ أعني الأضحية ـ من باب النفقة بالمعروف، فإذا كان من المعروف عند الناس أنه يضحى للأيتام فإنه يضحي ولو من ماله، وهذا يقع. مثال ذلك: أن يكون في هذا البيت أيتام ليس عندهم إلا أمهم، وأمهم فقيرة، ولكن الأيتام لهم أموال ورثوها من إخوانهم أو أعمامهم، أو من أي أنسان، المهم عنده مال، فهل نضحي