Doing Udhiyyah(Sacrifice) on behalf of the dead

Doing Udhiyyah(Sacrifice) on behalf of the dead

By the Noble Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen
source : AlBaseerah.org Specail Eid al Adha Newsletter

Question:

Is it recommended to make the Udhiyyah (sacrifice) on behalf of the dead, as is the case with the living,even if they (the dead) did not order with it (the sacrifice), or is it a special worship limited to the living only, with the exception of the deceased who have ordered us with it?

Answer:

What we see is the Udhiyyah is legislated for the living only because this is what is reported from the
Messenger (Peace be upon him). It is for the living only, with the exception of the dead if they entrusted someone to do it for them. Then it should be done on their behalf because the dead person has ordered with it from his own wealth,

and his wealth is his to spend as he wishes as long as it is not in disobedience to Allah. So do as he ordered.

As for the living, then he sacrifices on his behalf, but there is no objection if he sacrifices and says “this is on behalf of my household” and he intends with that statement the living and the dead, as is apparent from the actions of the Messenger (Peace be upon him) when he used to say “this is on behalf Muhammad, the family of Muhammad and the Ummah of Muhammad,” the apparent meaning is that it includes the living and the dead.

As for sacrificing only on behalf of the dead, then this has not been related on the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Indeed the daughters of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) died -three of his daughters died during his lifetime and he did not sacrifice on their behalf; his wife Khadijah died and she was from the most beloved of his wives yet he did not sacrifice on her behalf, and his uncle Hamzah (radhi Allaahu Anhu) was martyred, and he did not sacrifice on his behalf.

If this was among the legislated matters, then the Messenger (Peace be upon him) would have legalized it for his Ummah either by his statement, action, or approval. As none of that happened, it is known that it is not legislated.

However, we do not say it is forbidden, or it is an innovation, or it is not allowed, because it is similar to a charity as some of the scholars have compared it with sadaqah (charity) on behalf of the dead, and sadaqah on behalf of the dead has been confirmed by the Sunnah.