All praises are due to Allah the Lord of all the worlds, who accepts from His slaves deeds that are intended sincerely for His sake. I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah the uniquely One, who has no partners in His one-ness. And I testify that the Prophet Muhammad is the slave of Allah and His Messenger.

O servants of Allah! Fear Allah Your Lord, and thank Him on account of the favor He endowed upon you by ordaining you to offer sacrificial animals. This act of sacrifice is the tradition of our father Ibraaheem, peace be upon him, and the Prophet Muhammad SAW. You are promised by your Lord, reward for each part of the body of your offering, even its hair or wool. The Prophet SAW said, “On the day of sacrifice, no one does a deed more pleasing to Allah than the shedding of blood. The sacrificial animal will come on the Day of Resurrection with its horns, hair and hooves (and its owner will be rewarded on that basis); and (its) blood finds acceptance with Allah (for its owner) before it falls on the ground, so be glad about it.”  (Tirmidhi)   Purchasing a sacrifice and slaughtering it is better than giving its monetary value in charity. The deed of sacrificing an animal is a stressed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu’akkadah) to be emulated by the financially able persons. So, slaughter on behalf of yourselves and your households, including your wives, children and parents, so that all of them will gain its reward and you will thus follow the practice of the Prophet SAW, who slayed for himself and his family. In accordance with the conduct of the Prophet SAW, moreover, if one sacrifices the animal even with only the intention, without mentioning the name of its owner, it will be sufficient. The sacrifice should be one of the following kinds of animals: camels, cows, sheep or goats. It cannot be valid unless it meets two conditions: that it is of the specified age and is free from certain defects that invalidate it.

As far as age is concerned, it is specified as follows:

Camels should be five years old　　　Cows should be two years old

Goats should be one year old　　　　 Sheep should be six months old

Regarding the defects that invalidate the sacrifice, they were explained by the Prophet SAW in the followingHadeeth: Four (types of animals) should be avoided in sacrifice: A lame animal whose lameness is evident, a one-eyed animal which is clearly one-eyed, an animal which is clearly ill and an emaciated animal with no fat on it.  (Ahmad)   

There are other imperfections which can be overlooked, such as slit ears, broken horns and missing teeth. However, the better the condition of the sacrificial animal, the more acceptable it is. The male animal, whether castrated or not, is accepted as a sacrifice as the Prophet SAW offered both. However, the fleshier the animal, the more satisfactory it is. It is better to slaughter a goat or a sheep than one-seventh of a camel or cow, even though both are basically equivalent. One may share a cow or camel with six other persons, in the hope of all of them attaining the reward.

O Muslims! If a person is able, he should slaughter his sacrifice himself; however, if he cannot, he may hire someone to do it and should attend the slaughtering. All the same, if he is not present, the sacrifice is still valid. Furthermore, if a person slaughters an animal thinking it is his, but later discovers that it belongs to someone else, then the sacrifice will suffice for its owner, that is he (the owner) receives the reward for it and takes the meat. For instance, if there is a yard with several sacrificial animals in it and a person takes one of them, assuming it is his and slaughters it, but later discovers that it did not belong to him, then although the sacrifice is valid, the one who mistakenly slaughtered the animal does not receive the credit or reward for it, rather, his position is like that of someone appointed to slaughter on behalf of the owner. Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah Al Kawthur:

“Indeed, We have granted you, (O Muhammad), Al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise).”  “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him alone).”  (S.108  V.1—2)

May the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon prophet Muhammad SAW, his family and all of his Companions. May Allah be pleased with the Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and all those who will follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.

O Allah! Please accept all of us for Your obedience and bless us with obedience towards Your Messenger SAW.

O Allah! Guide us to the right path and make us of those on whom You bestows Your mercy.

O Allah! Accept our prayers and all our ibada.  

O Allah! Accept all of our good deeds and forgive us for our sins.

O Allah! Accept us for Your service and for the service of Islam and Muslims.

O Allah! Grant safety and security to everyone here in Japan as well as all over the world. Aamin ya Rabbil Aalamin.