Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 33

(Ayah 33) ➊ By benefits are meant riding them, drinking their milk, obtaining offspring and wool from them, and similarly using their dung, etc., as fuel or fertilizer. Just as the polytheists did not eat the meat of the sacrificial animals, they also did not consider it permissible to benefit from the wool, milk, or riding of the sacrificial animals. Some scholars say that it is permissible to benefit from the sacrificial animals until they are designated for sacrifice; after that, it is not permissible to benefit from their riding, milk, or wool. But this is not correct, because Allah Almighty has mentioned here benefiting from the “symbols of Allah” as a favor, and it is obvious that after being designated for sacrifice, the animals are included among the “symbols of Allah.” It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): [ أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَی رَجُلاً يَسُوْقُ بَدَنَةً فَقَالَ ارْكَبْهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّهَا بَدَنَةٌ فَقَالَ ارْكَبْهَا قَالَ إِنَّهَا بَدَنَةٌ قَالَ ارْكَبْهَا وَيْلَكَ ] [ بخاري، الحج، باب رکوب البدن : ۱۶۸۹۔ مسلم، : ۱۳۲۳ ] “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man driving a badnah (a camel going to Makkah for sacrifice), so he said: ‘Ride it.’ He said: ‘It is a badnah.’ He said: ‘Ride it.’ He said: ‘It is a badnah.’ He said: ‘Ride it, woe to you.’” In a hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اِرْكَبْهَا بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ إِذَا أُلْجِئْتَ إِلَيْهَا حَتّٰی تَجِدَ ظَهْرًا ] [ مسلم، الحج، باب جواز رکوب البدنۃ … : ۱۳۲۴ ] “Ride it in such a way that you do not harm it, when you are in need of it, until you find another mount.”
Ibn Kathir has narrated from Shubah, from Zuhair bin Abi Thabit al-A’ma, from Mughira bin Hadhaf, from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), that he saw a man driving a badnah with its calf, and he said: “Drink its milk only as much as is in excess of its calf, and when the Day of Sacrifice comes, slaughter it and its calf.” This is the statement of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and the researcher of Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Hikmat bin Basheer, said: I have not found the circumstances of Mughira bin Hadhaf, and the mention of slaughtering the calf in the text is strange (unusual).
➋ {ثُمَّ مَحِلُّهَاۤ اِلَى الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيْقِ : ’’ مَحِلُّهَاۤ ‘‘} The place of descent. By the place of being made lawful is meant the place where the sacrificial animals are finally to reach and be slaughtered, which is the Ancient House (Ka’bah). In another place, He said: «{ هَدْيًۢا بٰلِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ }» [ المائدۃ : ۹۵ ] that is, a sacrificial animal that is to reach the Ka’bah. In both these verses, by Ka’bah is meant the sanctuary of the Ka’bah, because the sacrifice is not performed inside the Ka’bah itself, but outside it; thus, it is valid to sacrifice anywhere in Makkah or Mina. It is narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كُلُّ عَرَفَةَ مَوْقِفٌ وَكُلُّ مِنًی مَنْحَرٌ وَكُلُّ الْمُزْدَلِفَةِ مَوْقِفٌ وَكُلُّ فِجَاجِ مَكَّةَ طَرِيْقٌ وَ مَنْحَرٌ] [أبوداوٗد، المناسک، باب الصلاۃ بجمع : ۱۹۳۷ ] “All of ‘Arafah is a place of standing, all of Mina is a place of sacrifice, all of Muzdalifah is a place of standing, and all the roads of Makkah are passageways and places of sacrifice.” Our teacher Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: And it is possible that in {’’ مَحِلُّهَاۤ ‘‘ } by the pronoun in {’’هَا‘‘ } is meant all the symbols, so the meaning would be that the conclusion of all these rites should be with the circumambulation of the House of Allah. This meaning is more appropriate, otherwise the benefit of specifically mentioning the “Ancient House” would not be clear. (Qurtubi)

33. 1 That benefit refers to riding, milk, further offspring, and obtaining wool, etc. The appointed time means (slaughtering), that is, until they are slaughtered, you may obtain the aforementioned benefits from them. From this, it is understood that it is permissible to benefit from the sacrificial animal until it is slaughtered. This is also supported by an authentic hadith. A man was driving a sacrificial animal with him. The Prophet ﷺ said to him, "Ride on it." He said, "This is a sacrificial animal for Hajj." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Ride on it." (Sahih Bukhari)

33. 2 Their lawful place of sacrifice means the place where their slaughter is lawful. That is, these animals, after the performance of the rites of Hajj, reach the House of Allah and the Sacred Mosque, and there they are slaughtered in the name of Allah, thus the aforementioned benefits also come to an end. And if they are offered as a sacrifice for the Haram itself, then as soon as they reach the Haram, they are slaughtered and their meat is distributed among the poor of Makkah.

33. You are allowed to benefit from them (the sacrificial animals) for an appointed [51] time, then their place of sacrifice is near the Ancient House (the Ka‘bah).

[51]
Benefiting from the Sacrificial Animal:

The appointed time refers to when the sacrificial animal reaches the boundaries of the Haram or the place of slaughter. From these sacrificial animals, various kinds of benefits can be derived. For example, in case of need, one may ride them, milk them, obtain their wool, breed from them, etc. As is clear from Hadith number 17 mentioned under verse 29 of this Surah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ emphatically commanded a person driving a sacrificial animal to ride it. From this hadith, it is also understood that benefiting from sacrificial animals is not contrary to their reverence; rather, reverence is related to the heart. There should certainly be love and value for these things in the heart. Also, not benefiting from sacrificial animals was the practice of the polytheists, for when they dedicated an animal to an idol, they considered deriving any benefit from it to be sinful. That is why Allah Almighty clarified this matter. Some commentators have interpreted the appointed time to mean until the animal is dedicated to Allah’s name or made a hady. This interpretation is not correct because after dedicating it to Allah’s name, the question of not deriving benefits does not arise; then what is the permission being granted in this verse? Moreover, the aforementioned hadith is sufficient to resolve this difference.