Chapter on Sacrificial Animals
Introduction
The term aḍḥāḥī—with a double yāʾ—is the plural of uḍḥiyyah, in which the hamzah carries ḍammah, though pronouncing it with kasrah is also permissible. It is likewise said: ḍaḥiyyah, plural ḍaḥāyā. The name is derived from the time at which the animal is first legislated to be slaughtered, and for this reason the festival is called ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā and Yawm al-Aḍḥā.

Its legitimacy is established by the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus.
Allah the Exalted says, “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice” (al-Kawthar 108:2).

As for the Sunnah, the proofs are numerous. Al-Bukhārī (5564) and Muslim (1966) report that the Prophet ﷺ “used to sacrifice two white, horned rams.” In the Musnad (8074) he ﷺ said, “Whoever has the means and does not offer a sacrifice, let him not approach our place of prayer.”

The scholars unanimously agree on its legitimacy, but they differ regarding its obligatoriness. Abū Ḥanīfah held that it is compulsory, and this is also narrated from Mālik. The majority—including al-Shāfiʿī and Aḥmad—maintain that it is a highly-emphasized sunnah for every Muslim who can afford it. The well-known view of Mālik is that it is not obligatory for pilgrims, for the pilgrimage offering (hady) suffices; this opinion was likewise preferred by Shaykh al-Islām.

If one intends to offer a full sacrifice, the optimal order is: camels, then cattle, then sheep and goats.