Is it permissible for a woman who can afford it to offer the udhiyah on behalf of her husband who cannot afford to offer the udhiyah?
Praise
be to Allah
The udhiyah is prescribed for both men and women. If a
woman can afford to offer the udhiyah it is prescribed for her to do so,
and if a woman offers the udhiyah, she should do it on her own behalf
and on behalf of the members of her household, which includes her
husband.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Is
the udhiyah for the family as a whole or is it for each adult family member?
And when should it be slaughtered? Is it stipulated that the one who is
going to offer it should not remove anything from his nails or hair before
slaughtering it? If it is being offered by a woman and she is menstruating,
what should she do? What is the difference between udhiyah and charity in
this regard?
He replied:
Offering the udhiyah is a confirmed Sunnah which is
prescribed for men and women alike. One udhiyah is acceptable on behalf of a
man and the members of his household, and on behalf of a woman and the
members of her household, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) used to offer udhiyah every year, sacrificing two horned rams
that were white speckled with black, one on behalf of himself and the
members of his household, and the second on behalf of all those who affirmed
the Oneness of Allah among his ummah. The time for offering the udhiyah is
the Day of Sacrifice and the days of at-Tashreeq every year. The Sunnah for
the one who offers an udhiyah is to eat some of it, give some of it as a
gift to his relatives and neighbours, and to give some of it in charity. It
is not permissible for the one who wants to offer an udhiyah to remove
anything from his hair, nails or skin after the beginning of the month of
Dhu’l-Hijjah until he offers his udhiyah, because the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah has begun,
if one of you wants to offer an udhiyah, let him not remove anything from
his hair, nails or skin until he has offered his udhiyah.” Narrated by Imam
Muslim in his Saheeh, from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with
her). With regard to someone who has been delegated to offer the udhiyah, or
someone who is in a waqf (charitable organisation established to offer the
udhiyah on behalf of anyone who wants to offer udhiyah), such a person does
not have to refrain from removing anything from his hair, nails or skin,
because he is not the one who is offering the udhiyah; Rather this is
required of the one who is offering the udhiyah and appointed him to
slaughter the animal on his behalf. The same applies for one who works for a
charitable organisation that offers the udhiyah on behalf of others. He is a
deputy acting on behalf of someone else, and is not the one who is offering
the udhiyah. And Allah is the Source of strength.
End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa by Ibn Baaz (18/38)
But if you want to offer the udhiyah on his behalf, in the
sense that the udhiyah is done for him, then it is essential to have his
permission, because it is not permissible to do an act of worship on behalf
of someone else except with his permission, regardless of whether the one
who is doing it on his behalf is a man or a woman, because the udhiyah is an
act of worship, and in all acts of worship there must be an intention.
And Allah knows best.
