What is the ruling on giving Zakat al-Fitr in cash?
The default ruling is that Zakat al-Fitr should be given as the staple food of the land. In Jordan, for example, the staple food is wheat or rice, and the amount of Zakat al-Fitr is 2,500 grams per person. It is easy to give this amount of rice to the poor and needy, and this is the correct ruling according to all Islamic schools of thought.
However, Hanafi scholars have permitted giving Zakat al-Fitr as monetary value, considering it more beneficial for the poor and easier for the giver.
What is the ruling on sacrificing a castrated animal or one with a missing tail?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is permissible to sacrifice a castrated sheep; as it has been established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed:
"...two large, fat, horned, white-and-black, castrated rams (Mawju'ayn—meaning having crushed testicles)." [Narrated by Ibn Majah in his Sunan].
It is not permissible to sacrifice an animal that is missing its tail, rump, or udder due to being cut off. This is in contrast to an animal that was naturally born without a tail, rump, or udder; such an animal is valid for sacrifice. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
What is the ruling on eating from one`s Udhiyah?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Sacrifices (Udhiyah) are categorized into two types: the Vowed Sacrifice (Al-Mandhurah) and the Voluntary Sacrifice (Al-Tatawwu').
1. The Vowed Sacrifice (Al-Mandhurah)
The vowed sacrifice is obligatory due to the person’s specific oath. It is not permissible for the person offering the sacrifice, nor for those they are legally responsible for financially supporting (dependents), to consume any part of its meat or fat. Furthermore, it is not permissible to benefit from its hide, hair, or any other part.
If they do consume any part of it, they are required to give in charity an equivalent amount of meat or its market value [Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (9/364)].
2. The Voluntary Sacrifice (Al-Tatawwu’)
Regarding the voluntary sacrifice, it is permissible for the one offering it to eat from its meat, distribute it as gifts to the wealthy, and give it as charity to the poor.
The Obligatory Portion: It is mandatory to give at least a small portion of it in charity to the poor; this portion should not be less than approximately half a kilogram of raw meat. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
What are the legal and religious consequences for a charitable organization in the event that a sacrificial animal is damaged or spoiled after slaughter?
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Charitable organizations entrusted with slaughtering sacrificial animals (uḍḥiyyah) and distributing their meat on behalf of their owners are obligated to safeguard the meat from spoilage, damage, theft, and any other harm. This is because such organizations act as agents (wukalā') on behalf of those offering the sacrifice, and an agent holds what is entrusted to them in trust (amānah) — whether they receive a wage for their work or act on a voluntary basis.
If the sacrificial animal is damaged after slaughter during the processes of packaging, transportation, or storage due to negligence or oversight — whether on the part of the organization's own staff overseeing the operation, or on the part of third parties contracted by the organization such as transport or shipping companies — then liability falls upon the negligent party, who is required to compensate for the value of the sacrifice. It is not permissible to cover such compensation from the organization's other donor funds.
However, if the damage to the sacrificial animal occurs without any negligence in its preservation and storage on the part of any party involved in the transportation, shipping, or storage process, and is instead attributable to force majeure circumstances beyond their control, then no financial liability is borne by any party in such a case. And Allah Almighty knows best.
