This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Farooq Rafi Sahib's book Qurbani, Aqiqah, and Ashra Zil-Hijjah.
Properly raising the sacrificial animals and feeding them well to make them fat and healthy is a recommended act and a superior deed. The evidences are as follows:
Sayyiduna Abu Imamah bin Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
كنا نسمن الأضحية بالمدينة وكان المسلمون يسمنون
"We used to fatten our sacrificial animals in Madinah, and all the Muslims also used to fatten their sacrificial animals well."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter: The Prophet’s Sacrifice with Two Rams of Equal Age in the Chapter’s Title
This narration in Sahih Bukhari is reported as suspended (without chain), but in Mustakhraj Abi Nu'aim it is narrated with an uninterrupted authentic chain that Yahya bin Saeed (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
كان المسلمون يشتري أحدهم الأضحية فيسمنها، ويذبحها فى آخر ذي الحجة
"Muslims used to buy their sacrificial animals, fatten them well, and slaughter them at the end of Dhu al-Hijjah."
Reference: Fath al-Bari: 14/10
Benefits:
① Qazi Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, states: "This hadith is evidence that it is recommended to fatten the sacrificial animal well, because the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was aware of this practice among the companions, may Allah be pleased with them."
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 126/5
② Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
وأجمع العلماء على استحباب سمينها وطيبها، واختلفوا فى تسمينها فمذهبنا ومذهب الجمهور استحبابه
"The scholars have consensus on the recommendation of offering a fat and fine sacrifice. Then, scholars differ on the issue of fattening the sacrificial animals, and our (Shafi'i) and the majority of scholars' view is that fattening the sacrificial animals is preferable (and this is the stronger opinion)."
Reference: Sharh al-Nawawi: 118/13
③ Ibn Qudamah Hanbali, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
ويسن استسمان الأضحية واستحسانها لقول الله تعالى: قال ابن عباس: تعظيمها استسمانها واستعظامها واستحسانها ولأن ذلك أعظم لأجرها وأكثر لنفعها
"Fattening and beautifying the sacrificial animal is a Sunnah act, because Allah Almighty says: 'And whoever honors the symbols of Allah - indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.'
Reference: (Al-Hajj: 32)
. Our master Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, explains this verse as meaning that honoring the symbols of Allah refers to fattening and enlarging the sacrificial animals and making them beautiful. Also, fattening the sacrificial animal is preferable because the reward and benefit of sacrificing fat animals is greater."
Reference: Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah and Al-Sharh Al-Kabir: 99/11
﴿ذَٰلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ﴾
Traditions of Fattening Sacrificial Animals:
The following narrations regarding the virtue of fattening sacrificial animals are weak. Therefore, preachers and orators should avoid narrating such weak traditions because no legal recommendation is established from weak and unreliable narrations. Rather, there is a severe warning against narrating weak and fabricated traditions. Hence, in preaching and guidance, authentic and good narrations should be presented, as authentic and good narrations are the source of proof in religion.
① It is a mursal narration from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him):
استفرهوا ضحاياكم فإنها مطاياكم على الصراط
"Make your sacrifices fat, for they will be your mounts on the Sirat (bridge)."
Reference: Very weak: Musnad al-Firdaws: Talkhis al-Habeer: 138/4: al-Da'ifah: 1255. (In the chain of this hadith, Yahya ibn Ubaidullah ibn Abdullah ibn Wahb is a neglected narrator, so much so that Imam Hakim declared him a fabricator (Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: 594), and his father Ubaidullah ibn Abdullah ibn Wahb is an unknown narrator.)
② The hadith is:
عظموا ضحاياكم، فإنها على الصراط مطاياكم
"Make your sacrifices fat, for they will be your mounts on the Sirat."
Reference: Very weak: Kashf al-Khafa: 75/2 - Talkhis al-Habeer: 138/4 - al-Da'ifah: 74 - Ibn Salah says this hadith is unknown among the muhaddithin and, to our knowledge, is not established. Talkhis al-Habeer: 138/4 - Kashf al-Khafa: 75/2. Allama Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) states: "This narration reported with these words is completely without chain." [al-Da'ifah: 173/1]
③ Sayyiduna Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with both) states:
أمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى العيدين أن نلبس أجود ما نجد، وأن نتطيب بأجود ما نجد، وأن نضحي بأسمن ما نجد
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded us to wear the best clothes available on the two Eids, to use the best available perfume, and to sacrifice the fattest animal as much as possible."
Reference: Weak: Mustadrak Hakim: 330/4 - Kabir al-Tabarani: 2690. Ishaq ibn Bazraj is a weak narrator.
④ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Rafi' ibn Makith (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إن أفضل الضحايا أغلاها وأسمنها
"Indeed, the most expensive and fattest animals are the best for sacrifice."
Reference: Weak: Mustadrak Hakim: 231/4 - Musnad Ahmad: 424/3 - Sunan Bayhaqi: 9/268. In the chain of this hadith, Uthman ibn Zafar al-Juhani and Harith ibn Rafi' ibn Makith are unknown narrators.
Summary of the Research:
The purpose of presenting these narrations here is not to imply that slaughtering fat and plump animals in sacrifice is not preferable; undoubtedly, slaughtering well-fed, fresh, and fat animals in sacrifice is a superior act. However, the reason for presenting these weak narrations is to caution against relying on weak narrations to prove this virtue. Instead, the virtue should be established based on authentic and good (hasan) hadiths, and only the virtue that is proven for a particular issue should be stated. This is because the standard for proving the virtue of any matter is only the Holy Quran and authentic and good hadiths.
