What is the ruling on charitable organizations providing sacrificial offering vouchers and distributing them among eligible beneficiaries?

The sacrificial offering, the udhiyyah, is one of the rites of Islam. Allah Almighty says,
“And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah” (Quran, 22: 36).
It is a form of worship for which Islamic law has established a clearly defined time. Allah Almighty says,
“That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So, eat of them and feed the miserable and poor” (Quran, 22: 28) and
“So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]” (Quran, 108: 2).

 

Islamic legal adaptation and ruling on sacrificial offering vouchers

The sacrificial offering voucher serves as a means of authorizing someone to perform the sacrifice on one’s behalf, which is permissible under Islamic law. It is permissible for a person to purchase and slaughter the sacrifice themselves or through someone acting on their behalf, since it is financial act of worship in which agency is permissible as in the payment of zakah and zakat al-fitr. Not everyone is able to make the purchase or slaughter the sacrificial animal personally; therefore, prohibiting the appointment of an agent would cause hardship. Therefore, a person who wishes to offer a sacrifice may either perform this Sunnah personally or authorize a charitable organization to purchase and slaughter the sacrificial animal and distribute its meat on their behalf through a voucher or similar arrangement. In turn, the organizations acting as authorized agents of the person offering the sacrifice should take the necessary measures to select the sacrificial animals, slaughter them in accordance with Islamic law, and distribute the meat in accordance with the agreement with the person offering the sacrifice.

The basis for the permissibility of appointing an agent to purchase a sacrificial animal is the hadith recorded by al-Bukhari from the narration of ʿUrwa ibn al-Jaʿd (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him one dinar to buy a sheep. He bought two sheep with it, sold one of them for a dinar, and returned to the Prophet with a dinar and a sheep. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then prayed for him to be blessed in his trade, and he became so successful that he could have made a profit even from buying dust. In another hadith recorded by al-Humaydi, Abu Dawud, and al-Bayhaqi, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave ʿUrwa ibn al-Jaʿd (may Allah be pleased with him) one dinar to buy a sacrificial animal. Jurists have unanimously agreed that deputization is permissible in buying and selling, safekeeping property, collecting and paying financial dues, and similar matters.[1]

 

Charitable organizations providing sacrificial offering vouchers and distributing the meat to eligible beneficiaries

The permissibility of appointing another person to slaughter the sacrificial animal is based on the hadith of Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said, “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hand and then gave ‘Ali the remaining animals to slaughter” (recorded by Ibn Majah, al-Nasa’i, and al-Bayhaqi). This is the position followed by the majority of scholars from the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools of jurisprudence.[2]

 

The ruling

A sacrificial offering voucher authorizes the purchase and slaughter of a sacrificial animal, which is permissible under Islamic law. The person offering the sacrifice may purchase and slaughter the animal themselves or appoint someone to perform them on their behalf. The meat should be distributed according to the agreement between the organization and the person making the sacrifice, in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations.

And Allah Almighty knows best.