The matter of partnership in offering sacrifices is detailed as follows:

Firstly, scholars unanimously agree that partnership in the price of a sheep or its equivalent is not permissible, and it does not suffice for more than one person’s ritual, whether it is performed individually or on behalf of others.

Secondly, scholars have differed regarding the permissibility of sharing in the price of large livestock such as cows, camels, and buffaloes. The majority of scholars consider it permissible based on the narration of Jābir ibn ῾Abdullāh who said: “We sacrificed with the Messenger of Allah (PPBUH) in Ḥudaybiyah, a cow for seven people, and a camel for seven people.” This is the opinion of the majority of Ḥanafī, Shāfi῾ī, and Ḥanbalī scholars, and it is the view of most of the Companions.

However, the Mālikī school holds the view that sharing in the price [of the ᾽uḍḥiyah] is not permissible, based on a narration from Ibn ῾Umar as reported by Ibn Qudāmah: “One soul [i.e., sacrificial offering] does not suffice for seven [people].”

Thirdly, it is necessary to distinguish between two matters concerning ᾽uḍḥiyah: involvement and partnership:

• Involvement: This refers to involving others in the reward of the act without sharing in the actual sacrifice.
• Partnership: This involves multiple individuals contributing to the known sacrifice and sharing in the anticipated reward.

Regarding the first type, it is permissible based on several ḥadīths:

• Narrated from ῾Aṭā᾽ ibn Yasār that he said: “I asked Abu Ayyub al-Ansari: ‘How were the sacrificial animals slaughtered during the time of the Messenger of Allāh (PPBUH)?’ He replied: ‘A man would sacrifice a sheep on behalf of himself and his family, and they would eat from it and give some as charity.'” [Reported by Mālik, At-Tirmidhī, and Ibn Mājah].
• Narrated from ῾Aā᾽ishah that she said: “The Messenger of Allah (PPBUH) commanded that a ram with black legs, black belly and black (circles) round the eyes should be brought to him, so that he should sacrifice it. He said to ῾Aā᾽ishah:Give me the large knife, and then said: Sharpen it on a stone. She did that. He then took it (the knife) and then the ram; he placed it on the ground and then sacrificed it, saying: Bismillāh, Allāh-humma Taqabbal min Muḥammadin wa Aāl-i-Muḥammadin, wa min ᾽Ummati Muḥammadin (In the name of Allāh,” O Allāh, accept [this sacrifice] on behalf of Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad and the Ummah of Muḥammad.)” [Reported by Muslim)

All of this pertains to sharing in the reward without sharing in the price.

The majority of scholars of fiqh did not stipulate conditions for this type, while the Mālikī school has set forth four conditions for sharing in the reward, which are:

1. The sharing must occur before the sacrifice, not after it.
2. The involved person must be a relative, either by blood or through marriage, such as parents, children, or spouses.
3. Involvement in expenses, whether obligatory, like for children and spouses, or voluntary, like for other relatives or donations, such as siblings.
4. Involvement in residence, whether actual or in terms of rights, such as those who share the same household or workspace, or in terms of marital relationships where one spouse may be traveling or a child studying away from home.

As for the second type, which is sharing in the price, we have discussed the different opinions of the schools of Islamic thought. However, it should be noted that even among those who permit sharing in the price, there is disagreement regarding whether each participant intends the sacrifice and the reward, or other objectives.

The Ḥanafīs, except for Ẓufar ibn al-Hudhayl, require the intention of seeking nearness to Allāh for the sacrifice, meaning that it is not valid for any participant to intend solely the meat for themselves or for sale.

Ẓufar, along with the Shāfi῾īs and Ḥanbalīs, permit each participant to have their own intention.

Therefore, it is important for the gentle reader to understand the distinctions between important matters concerning sacrificial offerings that may be confused due to the mixing of terms, including:

• Involvement (i.e., sharing in reward) and partnership (i.e., sharing in price).
• Reward and price.
• Intention of the participant regarding the ritual and benefits.
• Type of animal in terms of weight.

Fatwa issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr