By: Imaam Muhammad bin Saalih Al-‘Uthaimeen
There
are certain etiquettes one must abide by when slaughtering an animal for a
sacrificial offering. However, these etiquettes are not conditional for the validity
of a sacrifice. So the sacrifice is still valid even in their absence. Among
these etiquette are:
1.
He should face the Qiblah with the animal at the time of slaughtering.
2.
He must slaughter the animal in a good manner, which is by quickly and firmly
passing a sharpened blade over the neck area.
Some
scholars hold the view that this etiquette is obligatory based on the
implication found in the Prophet’s saying:
“Verily Allaah has prescribed
proficiency in everything. So when you kill, kill proficiently. And when you
sacrifice, sacrifice proficiently. Each of you should sharpen his blade and
lessen the pain inflicted on his sacrificial offering.”
(Muslim)
This
opinion is the correct view.
3.
The slaughter of a camel must be done by cutting the area just below the neck
and above the chest. This is known as nahr. As for all other types of animals,
their necks should be sliced.
