On Slaughtering for other than Allah's Sake

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab

From Kitaab at-Tawheed (Chapters 10 & 11)



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ON SLAUGHTERING FOR OTHER THAN ALLAAH'S SAKE



Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, "Say, 'My salat, my prayer, indeed my whole
life and death are to Allaah, Lord of the universe, to whom there is no
associate.'" (Qur'aan 6:163-164) and "Address therefore your prayers to your
Lord, and slaughter (in His name)" (Qur'aan 108:2).



In his Saheeh, Muslim relates from Alee radiallaahu 'anhu the following: "The
prophet of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam gave four judgements; Admonition
to him who slaughters in the name of anyone other than Allaah! Admonition to him
who curses his parents! Admonition to him who shelters the perpetrators of a
crime incurring a divine sanction! Admonition to him who unjustly alters the
frontiers of personal land properties."



Ahmad reports that Tariq ibn Shihab related that the Prophet of Allaah
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: 'Flies provided the circumstances for a man
to go to paradise and for another to go to hell. When he was asked to explain
how that was possible, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: Two men
passed by a people who had an idol to which they prescribed an oblation for
every person seeking to go through their territory. When the first objected that
he had nothing to sacrifice to the idol, the people told him he had to sacrifice
something even if it were a few flies. So he caught a few flies, sacrificed them
and let through. Naturally he was consigned to hell. When another was required
to sacrifice something, he objected that he would never sacrifice aught to
anyone but Allaah. They killed him, and he of course went to paradise.'



Issues addressed in this chapter:



1.Explanation of the verse 'Say, My salat my prayer, indeed my whole life and
death...' (Qur'aan 108:2)



2. Explanation of the verse 'Address therefore your prayers to your Lord, and
slaughter in His name' (Qur'aan 6:163-164)



3. Cursing whomsoever slaughters in any other name than Allaah's



4. Cursing whomever curses his parents, including the person who invites such
curse by cursing somebody else's parents and thus eliciting a reciprocal cursing
of his own



5. Cursing whoever shelters the muhdith i.e. the perpetrator of a crime
incurring divine sanction, with a view to enable him to escape punishment



6. Cursing whomsoever alters unjustly the frontiers of personal land properties,
and thus continues them to achieve illegitimate advantage



7. Difference between cursing a definite person for a definite crime and cursing
the perpetrators of crimes in general



8. The significant story of the flies



9.That the person who sacrificed flies to the idol to avoid the threat of the
idolaters went to hell though he did not approve of his own deed



10. Assessing the degree of shirk within the hearts of Muslims. Their patient
suffering of martyrdom and resistance to the demand of the idolaters through the
latter only required only the external act.



11. That he who entered hell was a Muslim. Otherwise the Prophet would not have
said that the man entered hell merely for sacrificing flies



12. This story constitutes evidence for another hadith viz 'Paradise is closer
to man than his own soles. And so is hell'



13. That the work of the heart is the greater requirement, even among idolators.




NO SLAUGHTER IN THE NAME OF ALLAAH WHERE SLAUGHTER IN ANOTHER NAME IS PRACTISED




Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala said: 'Do not even stand therein.' (Qur'aan 9:108)




Abu Dawood related that Thabit ibn al Dahhak radiallaahu 'anhu said: 'A man made
a vow to sacrifice a camel at a place called Buwanah, and sought the Prophet's
permission to do so. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam asked, Does this
place have an idol such as those of Jahilliyyah? The man answered, no. The
Prophet asked again, Did the unbelievers hold any of their feasts at that place?
Again the man answered, no. The Prophet then said, Go ahead and fulfil your vow.
The vows which ought not to be fulfilled are those which involve disobedience to
Allaah, or fulfilment of what is beyond man's capacity.'



Issues addressed in this chapter:



1. Explanation of the verse 'Do not stand therein.' (Qur'aan 9:108)



2. That disobedience to Allaah, as well as obedience are without real effects in
the world



3. Reference of the questionable problem to the clear one, for solution by
extrapolation



4. Permissibility of asking the mufti for details wherever there is need



5. Vows specifying the place of fulfilment are legitimate aslong as no legal
hinderances intervene



6. Illegitimacy of fulfilling a vow at a place where an idol stands, or had once
stood



7. Illegitimacy of fulfilling a vow where unbelievers held a celebration, though
the practise is presently extinct



8. Illegitimacy of fulfilling a vow made on such a spot because the vow is ipso
facto illegitimate



9. Caution against imitating the unbelievers in their celebrations, even if
unwittingly



10. No vow is legitimate if its content is illegitimate



11. No vow is legitimate for a man if it demands fulfilment of what he cannot do