❀ Rulings on Sacrificial Animals: Buffalo, Chicken, and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ ❀
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – Qurbānī aur ʿAqīqah ke Masā’il, Vol. 1, p. 434
❖ Question (1):
What is the ruling on sacrificing a buffalo (jāmūs, bhaisā or kaṭā) in light of Qur’an and ḥadīth?
Answer:
There is no direct mention of sacrificing buffalo in any ḥadīth. The narrations of the Prophet ﷺ do not explicitly mention this animal.
❖ Question (2):
What does the wording “قَرَّبَ دَجَاجَةً” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Jumuʿah) mean? Can it be used as proof for sacrifice?
Answer:
The phrase قَرَّبَ دَجَاجَةً means: “He presented a chicken as an offering.”
However, this cannot be taken as evidence for the ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā sacrifice, which is a specific act of worship tied to specific animals. Sharʿī qurbānī is only valid with animals such as camels, cows, sheep, and goats.
The reference to a chicken here relates to general charity or voluntary offering, not to the prescribed sacrifice of ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā.
❖ Question (3):
Which animals did the Prophet ﷺ sacrifice?
Answer:
From the authentic aḥādīth, the Prophet ﷺ sacrificed the following animals:
◈ Camels (جنس الإبل)
◈ Cows (جنس البقر)
◈ Sheep (جنس الضأن)
◈ Goats (جنس المعز)
These are the only animals established in Qur’an and Sunnah as valid for sacrifice.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
