1179 – ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to inspect the animal’s eyes and ears, and not to offer in sacrifice an ʿawāʾ (one-eyed animal), nor a muqābalah (one whose ear is slit at the front and left hanging), nor a mudābarah (one whose ear is slit at the back), nor a kharqāʾ (one that has a round hole in its ear), nor a tharmāʾ (one that is missing a front tooth).”
Reported by Aḥmad and the four compilers; al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Ḥibbān, and al-Ḥākim graded it authentic (1).

Degree of authenticity:
The ḥadīth is ṣaḥīḥ. It was recorded by Imām Aḥmad and the authors of the four Sunan collections, declared sound by al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Ḥibbān, and al-Ḥākim, and neither Abū Dāwūd nor al-Mundhirī voiced any objection, which outwardly indicates its soundness.

Glossary of terms:
• “that we inspect the eye…” Derived from istishrāf, meaning to raise one’s sight in order to examine something closely and verify that it is free of defect.
• Muqābalah: a sheep whose ear has been cut from the front and left dangling like a tassel.
• Mudābarah: an animal whose ear has been cut on the back side.
• Kharqāʾ: as defined in al-Nihāyah, one that has a circular perforation in its ear.
• Tharmāʾ: from tharm, the loss of an incisor (front tooth).