Sacrifice by the Pilgrim and the Traveler
It is established from the pure Sunnah that both the pilgrim and the traveler can offer a sacrifice. By the grace of Allah, three hadiths on this subject are presented below:
➊ Imam Muslim narrated from Hazrat Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
”ذبح رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ضحيته ثم قال: يا ثوبان أصلح لحم هذه.
فلم أزل أطعمه منها حتى قدم المدينة“
“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) slaughtered his sacrificial animal. Then he said: O Thawban! Cook its meat. I continued to feed you with this [meat] until you came to Medina.”
In another narration in Sahih Muslim:
”قال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى حجة الوداع: أصلح هذا اللحم“
“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me during the Farewell Pilgrimage: Cook this meat.”
From this noble hadith, it is understood that it is established from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that it is permissible for a traveler to offer a sacrifice. Imam Abu Dawood has titled this hadith: [باب فى المسافر يضحي] “Chapter concerning the sacrifice of a traveler.”
Imam Nawawi writes in the explanation of this hadith: It is understood from this that just as offering a sacrifice is prescribed for a resident, it is likewise prescribed for a traveler.
Moreover, this noble hadith also establishes that offering the Eid al-Adha sacrifice is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for the pilgrim.
Imam Bukhari narrated from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said:
”فلما كنا بمنى أتيت بلحم بقر فقلت: ما هذا؟
قالوا: ضحى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن أزواجه بالبقر“
“So when we were in Mina, meat of a cow was brought to me, and I asked: What kind of meat is this?
They replied: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sacrificed a cow on behalf of his wives.”
Imam Bukhari titled this hadith:
[باب الأضحية للمسافر والنساء] “Chapter concerning the sacrifice for a traveler and a woman.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar writes that from this hadith it becomes clear that the slaughtering of the cow by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was for the Eid al-Adha sacrifice.
➌ Imam Tirmidhi narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that he said:
”كنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى سفر فحضر الأضحى فاشتركنا فى البقرة سبعة وفي البعير عشرة“
“We were traveling with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when Eid al-Adha came, so seven men shared in the sacrifice of a cow and ten men shared in the sacrifice of a camel.”
Sheikh Albani declared it authentic. (See:
)
From this noble hadith, it is also clear that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) offered sacrifice while traveling in the company of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
