Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

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

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear brother

assalamualaikum.
i have a doubt regarding qurbani for people who are deceased.i have read the replies you have given for question no:1199(abt qurbani for deceased).

but you have not supported your reply with hadith or quran. also you have said in reply for question no;3010 that qurbani in our prophets name will be a bidah.

please justify the correct thing.

thankyou.

(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:

Qurbani for deceased

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.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.418 Narrated by Ibn Abbas

A woman came to the Prophet (saws) and said, "My mother vowed to perform the Hajj but she died before performing it. Should I perform the Hajj on her behalf?" He (saws) said, "Yes! Perform the Hajj on her behalf. See, if your mother had been in debt, would you have paid her debt?" She said, "Yes." He (saws) said, "So you should pay what is for Him, as Allah has more right that one should fulfill one's obligations to Him."

Although there is absolutely no evidence in the authentic traditions of the Prophet (saws) or in the traditions of the noble companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) that they would offer a sacrifice in the name of their deceased parents or loved ones, in light of the above permission where the Prophet (saws) allowed the woman to go to Hajj (which obviously includes the performing of a sacrifice) for her deceased mother, some scholars have opined that there is no harm if one wishes to offer a sacrifice for their deceased parents or loved ones.

On the other hand, some scholars have opined from the same hadith that the permission the Prophet (saws) gave the woman was specific as the deceased mother had made a vow to perform the Hajj; and the Prophet (saws) merely permitted the woman to fulfill the vow of her deceased mother.

In our humble opinion if one’s parents or loved ones had vowed to perform a sacrifice and subsequently death overtook them before they could fulfill their vow, it would be permissible for their children or loved ones to fulfill their vow and offer the sacrifice. But to make it a custom or a rite or ritual to regularly offer a sacrifice for their deceased loved ones every year is not something which has been sanctioned by the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) or his noble companions.

To make a specific sacrifice for the Prophet (saws) would indeed be considered and deemed an innovation in the deen of Islam, for there is absolutely no evidence in the established traditions of his noble family or companions that they ever offered a sacrifice in the name of their noble Prophet (saws)!

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan