What is the ruling on making supplications at the time of slaughtering animals? The supplication we recite at that time is, “O Allah, send peace and blessings upon our master and prophet, Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him and upon his family). O Allah, accept this from us as you accepted the ransom of our master Isma’il by our master Ibrahim (may peace be upon them). O Allah, make this act of ours and all that is with us and from us purely for Your honorable sake and make it a key to all gates of goodness and a seal upon all gates of evil.” Then we say, “May we and they receive the same measure of reward and blessings —those who have rights over us and those upon whom we hold rights, the forgotten, the deprived, all of Allah’s servants, and the souls of our parents and grandparents throughout time from the creation of the world until the Day of Meeting. In the name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest, glory be to Him Who made slaughter [of animals] lawful for you.” What is the ruling of Islamic law on this?

 

The prayers, supplications, and dedications of reward uttered at the time of slaughtering an animal, as described in the question, are permissible. There is no objection to them and they earn rewards and blessings.

The merit of slaughtering animals and giving them in charity

Slaughtering animals and giving them in charity is one of the rites of Islam. It is also one of the greatest acts of worship because it involves the spending of money to gain the pleasure of Allah Almighty Who says, “And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good. So, mention the name of Allah upon them when lined up [for sacrifice]; and when they are [lifeless] on their sides, then eat from them and feed the needy and the beggar. Thus, have We subjected them to you that you may be grateful” (Quran, 22:36). Imam Ibn ʿAjiba (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in Al-Bahr Al-Madid fi Tafsir Al-Quran al-Majid (3:534), “[The words of Allah] ‘And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah,’ mean that they are signs that point to the religion of Allah. Allah attributed them to Himself to honor them. The [Arabic] word budn is the plural of badanah in reference to their body size, and it includes camels, cows, and sheep. The words ‘There is good for you in them’ mean they bring religious and worldly benefit — practical use in this life and reward in the next.”

Making supplications at the time of slaughtering animals in the manner described in the question

The supplications mentioned in the question appear, on the whole, to consist of sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), prayers for acceptance, hopes for sincerity and goodness, and dedication of the reward both for oneself and for others. This is followed at the end by invoking the name of Allah Almighty and proclaiming His greatness by saying BismIllah wa Allahu Akbar.

Sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet at the time of slaughtering animals

It is permissible to send peace and blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) before slaughtering an animal; some jurists even considered it recommended, therefore, earning rewards and blessings. The hadith scholar, Ibn Hajar, wrote in Fath Al-Bari (11:169), “Among the instances in which scholars differed over the obligation to send peace and blessings upon him is: the first testification of faith [in prayer], the Friday sermon and other sermons, and the funeral prayer. Among the occasions in which sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet is strongly encouraged, and for which specific narrations have been reported (most with reliable chains), are: after responding to the call of the muezzin; at the beginning, middle, and end of supplications … at the time of making the talbiyyah (declaration by pilgrims, expressing their response to Allah's call to perform pilgrimage); at the end of ablution; at the time of slaughtering [an animal] … and it has been reported that it is enjoined to recite it in abundance on Fridays.” Imam al-Qadi Abu Shuja’, the Shafi’i scholar, also said in Al-Ghaya wa Al-Taqrib (p. 43), “There are five things which are recommended to be said at the time of slaughtering [an animal]:  saying Bismillah, sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him), facing the direction of prayer, saying Allahu Akbar, and supplicating Allah to accept this deed.”

 

Praying for acceptance

It is permissible to pray to Allah Almighty for acceptance, sincerity, goodness, and similar intentions after sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) and before saying Bismillah. Jabir Ibn Abdallah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sacrificed two rams on the day of ‘Eid, and said when he turned them to face the direction of prayer, ‘I have turned my face towards the Creator of the heavens and earth as one upright in faith, and I am not among those who associate partners Him. Verily, my prayers and worship, life and death, are for the Lord of the worlds, He has no partner, with this I have been commanded and I am the first of Muslims. O Allah, this is from You and for You on behalf of Muhammad and his Ummah’” (recorded by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, and al-Hakem who said that this hadith is authentic according to the criteria of Muslim, although it was no recorded by him).

 

Dedicating the reward to oneself and others

Dedicating the reward for slaughtering an animal to oneself and others is permissible in Islamic law as every act of worship that is permissible to perform on behalf of another allows gifting its reward to anyone, living or deceased. See al-Kasani’s Bada`i’ Al-Sana`i’ (2:212), al-Dardir’s Al-Sharh Al-Kabir (2:10), al-Mawardi’s Al-Hawi Al-Kabir (15:313), and al-Bahuti’s Kashf Al-Qina’ (2:147).

 

Uttering the name of Allah at the time of slaughter

The chosen opinion for fatwa is that mentioning the name of Allah at the time of slaughter is a Sunnah according to Shafi’i jurisprudence. See Mughni Al-Muhtaj (6:105). It is permissible for one to say Bismillah along with Allahu Alkkar as its permissibility has been reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). Al-Marghanani, the Hanafi scholar, mentioned in Al-Hidaya (4:348), “The phrase commonly uttered at the time of slaughter, ‘In the name of Allah, and Allahu Akbar,’ was transmitted from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) in his explanation of the verse, ‘So mention the name of Allah upon them when lined up [for sacrifice]’ (Quran, 22:36).”

There should be no objection to the actions of the individuals mentioned in the question regarding the slaughtering of an animal simply because these actions have not been explicitly established in this exact form. These acts of worship performed at the time of slaughter are expressions of gratitude to Allah and means of seeking His pleasure, all of which are fundamentally permissible.

The ruling

Based on the above, the supplications mentioned at the time of slaughter as described in the question are permissible in Islamic law and entail rewards and blessings.

And Allah