The ruling on the time for slaughtering the sacrifice is related to the determination of the start of the month of Dhu al-Ḥijjah and the time of the ῾Iīd prayer. There are three methods to determine this:
- Using astronomical calculations to establish the lunar months.
- Considering the moonsighting to be unified across different locations.
- Considering the moonsighting to be different in various locations.
In the cases of using calculations or unified moonsighting, there would generally be no disagreement between the participants if they both follow the same method. The difference would only be in the location and time of the ῾Iīd prayer on the same day, as the sacrifice is only considered valid after the prayer for those present, or at the time of the prayer for travelers, nomads, and those who miss the congregation.
For those present, they should slaughter after the latest ῾Iīd prayer so that everyone’s sacrifice would be valid after the prayer. For travelers, nomads, and similar cases, they should slaughter after the sun rises, allowing enough time for two rak῾ahs (units of prayer) and a brief sermon.
In the case of different moonsighting:
If the moon observers agree on the day of ῾Iīd, the situation would be as previously mentioned. However, if each follows their respective day of ῾Iīd, the issue arises: The one whose ῾Iīd is earlier should delay the slaughter until the ῾Iīd and prayer of the other if he is among those who pray, so the sacrifice is valid for everyone, especially since the time for slaughter extends until the end of the days of Tashrīq (the three days following ῾Iīd).
This is the ruling if the specific scenario in the question has not occurred.
If the scenario in the question has already occurred, we say by way of fatwā:
If the sacrifice was slaughtered according to the earliest ῾Iīd, it remains valid for everyone. The first person’s sacrifice is valid as it was on the proper time, and the second person’s is also valid by considering the separation between the ῾Iīd day and the ῾Iīd prayer. The day of ῾Iīd is the day the first person slaughtered, while the ῾Iīd prayer can be postponed to the following day if there is a benefit in doing so, such as praying with his community, group, or nearby mosque. There is no harm in postponing the ῾Iīd prayer to the next day.
It is mentioned in Al-Shalabī’s commentary on Tabyīn Al-Zayla῾ī: “Al-Sarūjī – may Allāh have mercy on him – said in Al-Ghāyah: Similarly, if the imam did not perform the ῾Iīd prayer on the day of ῾Iīd without excuse, he should perform it on the next day at its time. If he did not perform it the next day, whether with an excuse or without, he should perform it the following day before sunset. He should not perform it after that as the days of sacrifice, which are the days of ῾Iīd, have ended).
Thus, the first person aligns with the ῾Iīd day even if he delays the prayer due to his circumstance (joining his community), and his sacrifice is considered valid after the prayer on the ῾Iīd day.
This is from a jurisprudential perspective.
However, the correct approach is:
The day the pilgrims stand at ῾Arafat is the day of ῾Arafah, even if there is an error in determining it. ῾Iīd is the tenth day, even if there is an error in determining it, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in the ḥadīth narrated by Abū Hurayrah: “The fast is the day you all fast, the breaking of fast is the day you all break, and the sacrifice is the day you all sacrifice.”
So, what the people at the standing of ῾Arafah agree upon is the correct and true time.
Al-Khaṭṭābī explained the meaning of the ḥadīth by saying: “Errors are forgiven in matters of ᾽ijtihād (independent reasoning), so if people exerted their reasoning and did not see the crescent until after completing thirty days, and they did not stop fasting unless the due monthly number is full, then they found out that the month was only twenty-nine days, their fasting and stopping are valid with no sin or fault upon them. Similarly, in Ḥajj, if they make an error regarding the determination of the day of ῾Arafah, they do not need to repeat it.”
Imam Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan and others like Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and ῾Aṭā᾽ stated: An individual who sees the new moon should follow the ruling of the community in fasting and Ḥajj, even if it contradicts his personal sighting.
Therefore, whoever slaughters on the tenth day as observed by the pilgrims, his sacrifice is acceptable, even if his ῾Iīd is after that based on his own sighting.
Fatwā issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr
