This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Farooq Rafi's book Qurbani, Aqiqah, and Ashra Zil-Hijjah.
It is established that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, performed sacrifice on behalf of those living individuals in the Ummah who did not have the means to offer sacrifice themselves.
Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى للناس يوم النحر فلما فرغ من خطبته و صلاته دعا بكبش فذبحه بنفسه و قال: بسم الله، الله أكبر، اللهم عني و عمن لم يضح من أمتي
"Indeed, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, led the people in the Eid prayer on the Day of Nahr (the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah), and when he finished the sermon and the prayer, he brought a ram, slaughtered it himself, and while slaughtering said these words: Bismillah Allahu Akbar, O Allah! This (sacrifice) is on my behalf and on behalf of those in my Ummah who could not offer sacrifice."
Reference: Hasan: Sunan al-Bayhaqi 264/9. Mustadrak Hakim 229/4. Dar Qutni 544, 545. Matlub bin Abdullah bin Matlub bin Hantab are considered truthful fabricators, but in this narration, the chain of transmission is clarified, the concealment is removed, and due to the removal of the cause of concealment, the narration is Hasan.
Benefits:
This hadith is evidence that the Prophet ﷺ included those members of the Ummah who were unable to offer sacrifice in the act of sacrifice. Therefore, proving from the absolute narration that the Prophet ﷺ included the deceased members of the Ummah in the sacrifice is completely false. Rather, the hadith of the chapter is a clear text that only those living members of the Ummah who were incapable of offering sacrifice were included in the sacrifice.
② When not all living members of the Ummah were included in the sacrifice given by the Prophet ﷺ, how can it be proven that the deceased were included in the sacrifice?
Including the living members of the Ummah in the sacrifice is a special characteristic and distinction of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, because it is established that the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) included their family members in the sacrifice, but it is not established from any companion that they included the Ummah in the sacrifice.
Abdur Rahman Mubarakpuri (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
تضحية رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن أمته وإشراكهم فى أضحيته مخصوص به صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأما تضحيته عن نفسه و آله فليس مخصوصا به صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا منسوخا، والدليل على ذلك أن الصحابة رضي الله عنهم كانوا يضحون الشاة الواحدة يذبحها الرجل عنه و عن أهل بيته كما عرفت، ولم يثبت عن أحد من الصحابة التضحية عن الأمة، و إشراكهم فى أضحيته البتة.
“Sacrificing on behalf of the Ummah and including them in one’s sacrifice is a special attribute of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but sacrificing on one’s own behalf and on behalf of one’s family is neither exclusive to the Prophet ﷺ nor is this practice abrogated. The evidence for this is that the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) continued to sacrifice a goat on their own behalf and on behalf of their family, but it is not established from any companion that he sacrificed on behalf of the Ummah or ever included members of the Ummah in the sacrifice.”
Reference: Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi 69/5.
