shed its two central incisors as well, which happens when the camel is five lunar years old—others said six.

According to Mālik, the most meritorious animals for the udḥiyah are: first un-castrated rams, then castrated rams, then ewes; next come un-castrated male goats, then castrated male goats, then does, followed by cattle and camels. As for the sacrificial offerings (hady) sent to the Sacred Precinct, camels are best, then cattle, then goats, then sheep.

Mālik said, “Among the hady, the camel is the finest thing with which one may draw near to Allah.” Other jurists hold that the same order applies to both hady and udḥiyah: camels have pride of place, followed by cattle, then sheep, then goats. A light-coloured (ʿafraʾ) animal is preferable to a black one so long as they are equal in price and fatness. There is no disagreement that a thani sheep is superior to a jadhʿ.

When choosing a sacrificial animal one must avoid any with the following defects: clear blindness in one eye; obvious lameness—that is, lameness so severe that the animal cannot keep up with the flock; manifest illness; and extreme emaciation such that the animal has no fat or marrow in its bones. A slight imperfection in the eye, however, is overlooked.

It is permissible to sacrifice an animal whose ears are simply small, but an animal born without ears at all is invalid. A slight split in the ear is excused, as is a small notch caused by branding and the like; a split is less serious than a cut. If most of the ear is missing, the sacrifice is invalid. Mālik’s companions consider half an ear to constitute “most of it,” though they do not quote an explicit limit from Mālik himself. In keeping with his general principles, anything beyond one-third of the ear is deemed substantial; indeed, one may infer that even one-third itself is substantial, and its ruling is the same as anything greater.

In his view there is no harm in a pierced ear provided the hole is small, and the same applies to a slight cut or missing tip. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sacrificing an animal whose ear is split (sharqāʾ), whose ear has a round hole (kharqāʾ), or whose horn is partially severed (muʿḍab al-qarn). The sharqāʾ is the one with a split ear