Mu'meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother Burhan:

Assalamu Aalikum

I highly appreciate your efforts to guiding our brothers and sisters in accordance with the teachings of the Noble Qur’an and Suunah. May Allah Subhana reward you for this service. I have a problem and seek your urgent help.

A charitable organization collects money for Qurbani (sacrifice) and offers lamb/goat, cow or a share in a cow at a fixed amount. My questions are:

1. Is it compulsory that ALL those who share a cow for Qurbani should have earned their money through halal means?
2. Since I do not know about others who will share cow for Qurbani, I also do not know their sources of income. Say if one of us has NOT earned money through halal means, will Qurbani requirements for the other six be fulfilled?
3. Even if I know a person and his source of income, he may also have hidden means of income which may not be halal. If you share a cow with such a person, will Qurbani ritual be fulfilled in accordance with our Islamic obligations?
4. In such situation, where one does not know about others taking share in Qurbani, should one participate? Will that Qurbani be acceptable before Allah Subhana?

Please reply at the earliest as Eid al-Adha, Insha Allah, will be celebrated in just a couple of weeks.

May Allah Subhana guide all of us to the right path (Aameen!).

Your brother

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Share in the Qurbani

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. We humbly hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Q-1: Is it compulsory that ALL those who share a cow for Qurbani should have earned their money through halal means?
Fiqh-us-Sunnah 3.101a

Allah does not accept sadaqah if it is from what is unlawful: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "O people! Allah is Good and accepts only good, and He has instructed the believers through the Messengers. Allah, the Mighty and the Majestic, says: 'O Messengers! Consume what is good and work righteously. I am well-acquainted with what you do' [al-Mu'minum 51]." He also calls upon [you]: 'O you who believe! Consume of the good that We have provided for you' [al-Baqarah 172]. Then [the Messenger] mentioned a man who had traveled for a long time, unkempt and covered in dust, he raised his hands to the heavens (and cried): 'O my Lord! O my Lord!' His food was unlawful, his drink was unlawful, his clothing was unlawful, and what he had provided to sustain himself with was also unlawful. How could his invocation be accepted?"

Related by Muslim.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "If one gives a date bought from honestly earned money (and Allah accepts only good), Allah accepts it in His Right Hand, and enlarges [its rewards] for its owner until it becomes as big as a mountain."

Related by al-Bukhari.

Allah is Good, and He accepts only that is good; therefore it is obligatory upon the believers who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day, that whatever they spend in the Way of Allah or even on themselves, must be from halaal means.

Q-2: Since I do not know about others who will share cow for Qurbani, I also do not know their sources of income. Say if one of us has NOT earned money through halal means, will Qurbani requirements for the other six be fulfilled?
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.1 Narrated by Umar bin Al Khattab

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended."

In the Just Court of Allah Subhanah, every person will be judged according to his intentions and his own deeds. Thus, if one or more amongst the people who share in the sacrifice of the Cow, has not earned his wealth through Halaal means, the responsibility of the wrong will be on the person who earned his wealth using haraam means and not on the whole group. The deeds or the source of income of the one who used haraam means, will in no way invalidate or reduce the rewards due to the person who used his halaal wealth in the Cause of Allah Subhanah.

Q-3: Even if I know a person and his source of income, he may also have hidden means of income which may not be halal. If you share a cow with such a person, will Qurbani ritual be fulfilled in accordance with our Islamic obligations?
If one knows for sure that the income of the participating brother is of haraam means, it would be best not to share in this noble deed of Qurbani with him. But if one does share the Qurbani with a person who has used his wealth derived of haraam means, his rewards will not be reduced or diminished in any way.

Q-4: In such situation, where one does not know about others taking share in Qurbani, should one participate? Will that Qurbani be acceptable before Allah Subhana?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 37:It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them (the animal) subject to you that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: and proclaim the Good News to all who do right.

The believers must participate in any good and noble deed in the Cause of Allah Subhanah. Allah Subhanah is Good, and only accepts the good; so as long as your own share of the participation is from the halaal means, and your one and only intention is to earn the Pleasure and Good Will of the Merciful Lord, it is expected that Allah Subhanah will accept and reward you generously for your piety and sacrifice in His Cause.

Allah Subhanah has not made it the responsibility of every person to check whether the brother who is spending in the Cause of Allah Subhanah is spending of halaal or haraam means; it is expected that every believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, would abstain from earning any of his wealth from haraam means! Allah is the All-Knowing and He Knows Well the intentions of each and every one of His slaves.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan