This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Farooq Rafi Sahib's book Qurbani, Aqiqa, and Ashra Zil-Hijjah.
It is not permissible to offer as sacrifice an animal whose half or more of the horn is broken or whose half or more of the ear is cut.
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that:
نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يضحى بأعضب القرن والأذن
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade the sacrifice of an animal whose half or more of the horn is broken or (to that extent) the ear is cut.”
Reference: Hasan: Sunan Abi Dawood, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on disliked sacrifices: 2805 - Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Chapters on Sacrifices, Chapter on the sacrifice of an animal with a broken horn: 1504. Sunan an-Nasa’i, Chapters on Sacrifices, Chapter on the broken horn: 4382. Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapters on Sacrifices, Chapter on disliked sacrifices: 3145, Musnad Ahmad, 127/1, Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 2913, Mustadrak Hakim, 224/4 - Narrated by Jari bin Kulaib Nahdi, a trustworthy and reliable narrator.
Benefits:
Ali bin Abdullah Madani has declared Jari bin Kulaib as unknown, and Abu Hatim has considered him unreliable,
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa Ta'dil: 527/2)
but Hafiz Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Kitab al-Thiqat, and Imam Tirmidhi, Imam Hakim have authenticated his hadith, and Diya al-Maqdisi has classified the hadith of Jari bin Kulaib as Hasan in Al-Ahadith al-Mukhtarah, which removes the ignorance. Ajli wrote in Ma'rifat al-Thiqat: "Jari bin Kulaib al-Basri is a trustworthy Tabi'i," therefore he is not unreliable but a truthful narrator.أعضب القرن Explanation:
① Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
فذكرت ذلك لسعيد بن المسيب فقال: العضب ما بلغ النصف فما فوق ذلك
"I asked Saeed bin Musayyib (may Allah be pleased with him) (a famous Tabi'i) about the interpretation of 'أعضب القرن والأذن' and he said: 'Adhab is an animal whose half or more of its horn is broken or its ear is cut.'"
Reference: Authentic: Jami' Tirmidhi: 1505. Sunan Nasai: 4382, Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 2913. Musnad Ahmad: 127/1.
In Al-Qamus al-Muheet it is stated:
إن العصباء الشاة المكسورة القرن الداخل
"Adhba is a goat whose horn is broken from the inside."
Reference: U'un al-Ma'bud: 21/8. Tuhfat al-Ahwazi: 67/5
Benefits:
① The hadith of the chapter is evidence that an animal whose horn is broken half or more than half, or whose ear is cut to that extent, its sacrifice is not valid. Also, the horn being broken from the inside is a defect in the sacrifice, and the horn being broken from the outside while the inside remains intact, or a slight break in the horn's sheath, the marks of rubbing or injury on it are insufficient to invalidate the sacrifice animal. At least half or more of the horn must be broken.
② Qadi Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
فيه دليل على أنها لا تجزئ التضحية بأعضب القرن والأذن وهو ما ذهب نصف قرنه أو أذنه، وذهب أبو حنيفة، والشافعي والجمهور إلى أنها تجزئ التضحية بمكسور القرن مطلقا وكرهه مالك إذا كان يدمي وجعله عيبا
"This hadith is evidence that the sacrifice of an animal whose horn is broken half or more, or whose ear is cut to that extent, is not valid. (A'dhab is) when half of the horn or half of the ear is lost. However, Abu Hanifa, Shafi'i, and the majority of scholars hold the position that the sacrifice of an animal with a broken horn is absolutely permissible (whether half, less than half, or more than half of the horn is broken). Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, considered the sacrifice of an animal with a broken horn disliked only when blood flows from the horn and it has taken the form of a defect."
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 123/5. 'Awn al-Ma'bud: 21/8. Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 67/5
Dominant Position:
Imam Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, writes after mentioning the above discussion:
فالظاهر أن المكسورة لا تجوز التضحية بها إلا أن يكون الذاهب من القرن مقدارا يسيرا بحيث لا يقال عضباء لأجله، أو يكون دون النصف إن صح التقدير بالنصف المروي عن سعيد بن المسيب لغوي وشرعي، كذلك لا تجزئ التضحية بأعضب الأذن وهو ما صدق عليه اسم العضب لغة أو شرعا
"The dominant position is that sacrificing an animal with a broken horn is not permissible; however, if the animal has a horn broken in a minor amount such that the definition of 'Udhabā' (half or more of the horn broken) does not apply, or if less than half of the horn is broken, then sacrificing such an animal is permissible, provided that the interpretation of 'Udhab' narrated from Saeed bin Musayyib, may Allah have mercy on him, is correct (since the interpretation narrated from Saeed bin Musayyib is correct, this reasoning is valid). Similarly, sacrificing an animal with one or both ears cut off by half or more is also not valid."
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 123/5. 'Awn al-Ma'bud: 21/8. Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 67/5
A horn broken from the outside is not a defect:
If the horn of the sacrificial animal is intact from the inside but broken from the outside, then in such a case, the sacrifice of such an animal is permissible, because if the horn is broken from the inside, it is considered defective.
Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
قال فى الفائق: العضب فى القرن داخل الانكسار، ويقال فى الخارج القصم، وكذلك فى القاموس كما عرفت، وقال فيه القصماء المعزى المكسورة القرن الخارج انتهى، فالظاهر عندي أن المكسورة القرن الخارج تجوز التضحية بها، وأما المكسورة القرن الداخل، فكما قال الشوكاني من أنها لا تجوز التضحية بها إلا أن يكون الذاهب من القرن الداخل مقدارا يسيرا
"In Al-Fa'iq fi Gharib al-Hadith wal-Athar it is mentioned that a horn broken from the inside is called 'Adhab' and a horn broken from the outside is called 'Qasm'. The same is reported in Al-Qamus Al-Muheet, and Qasama is the goat whose outer edges of the horns are broken. Therefore, in my view, it is established that the sacrifice of an animal with horns broken from the outside is permissible, and the sacrifice of an animal with horns broken from the inside is not permissible, except if the horn is broken slightly from the inside, then its sacrifice is permissible, as stated by Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him."
Reference: Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: 67/5
Therefore, if the edges of the animal's horn are broken or the horn's sheath has come off, the sacrifice of such an animal is still permissible, provided the inner part of the horn is intact.
