This excerpt is taken from Dr. Tariq Humayun Sheikh's book Eid ul-Adha.
Method and Etiquettes of Slaughtering the Sacrificial Animal
Ibn Jurayj, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated from Sayyiduna Ata, may Allah have mercy on him, that the place of slaughtering (Nahr) can only be the upper part of the chest, and the place of slaughtering (Dhabh) is the throat. Allah, the Exalted, mentioned the slaughtering of the cow in Surah Al-Baqarah. Sayyiduna Ata, may Allah have mercy on him, further said that slaughtering means cutting the veins of the neck. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, forbade cutting the forbidden marrow.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: Only the veins up to the neck bone should be cut and then left so that the animal cools down. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said that slaughtering can be done either in the throat or in the upper part of the chest. Sayyiduna Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, and Anas, may Allah be pleased with them, said that if (due to the sharpness of the knife) the neck is cut, there is no harm.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on Slaughtering and Slaughtering before the Hadith: 5510)
Explanation:
Slaughter: Cutting the throat and veins of animals permitted by Allah is called slaughter.
Nahr: Stabbing a knife/spear into the upper chest area (Labbah) is called nahr.
Labbah is the deep depression located between the root of the neck and the chest. Camels are subjected to nahr, and other animals are slaughtered.
Slaughtering Sacrifice at the Eidgah
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنهما said that the Prophet of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم used to slaughter his sacrifice at the Eidgah. And Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما also used to do the same.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 5552, 5551 Sunan Abu Dawood: 2811, Sunan Ibn Majah: 3161, Sunan Nasai: 1590)
Tool for Slaughtering Animals
❀ The command of the Noble Prophet ﷺ is:
"When you slaughter, then slaughter well. The one who slaughters should sharpen his knife and provide comfort to his animal."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 1955, Sunan Abu Dawood: 2814)
❀ If a knife is not available, slaughter can be done with a sharp stone, sharp wooden splinters, or a sharp broken stick. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Be swift or quick; whatever causes the animal's blood to flow and Allah's name is taken over it, eat it, but do not use teeth or nails (for slaughter)."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 5498, Sahih Muslim: 1968, Sunan Abu Dawood: 2821)
Placing the foot on the animal's neck while slaughtering
The Prophet of Allah ﷺ used to place his foot on the animal's neck while slaughtering a sheep/goat so that it would not move during slaughter.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 5565, Sunan Abu Dawood: 2794, Sunan Tirmidhi: 1494)
Facing the animal towards the Qibla while slaughtering
At the time of slaughtering, the sacrificial animal should face the Qibla.
Reference: (Sunan Abu Dawood: 2795, Sunan Ibn Majah: 3121, Musnad Ahmad: 3/375)
Reciting Takbeer and Supplication at the Time of Slaughtering
When slaughtering the sacrificial animal, one should recite Bismillah, Takbeer, and the Sunnah supplication.
بِسْمِ اللهِ، اَللَّهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْ مِنْ (Here the name of the person performing the sacrifice should be mentioned)
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 1967, Sunan Abu Dawood: 2792)
بِسْمِ اللهِ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 5565, Sunan Abu Dawood: 2794, Sunan Tirmidhi: 1494)
إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ عَلَى مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ، إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، اَللَّهُمَّ مِنْكَ وَلَكَ عَنْ[Here the name of the person performing the sacrifice should be mentioned] بِسْمِ اللهِ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ
Reference: (Sunan Abu Dawood: 2795, Sunan Ibn Majah: 3121, Musnad Ahmad: 3/375)
