BELOW ARE IMPORTANT RULES AND CONDITIONS FOR SLAUGHTERING AN ANIMAL FOR SACRIFICE ON EID UL AD'HA* Minimum age for sacrificial animals

*BELOW ARE IMPORTANT RULES AND CONDITIONS FOR SLAUGHTERING AN ANIMAL FOR SACRIFICE ON EID UL AD'HA*

Minimum age for sacrificial animals:

-a. Cows: 2 years

-b. Camels: 5 years

-c. Goats: 12 months

-d. Sheep: 12 months

1. *Every sane adult male and female Muslim who can afford to sacrifice an animal should sacrifice one as an act of worship*

2. *The animals can be sacrificed starting from after the Eid Salaah on the 10th Dhul-Hijjah until 13th DhulHijjah*

3. *Eligible animals are: goats, sheep, cows, camels*

4. *Goats and sheep must be at least 12 months old*

5. *Cows and camels also have a minimum age of 2 years and 5 years respectively.*

6. *A goat/sheep may be slaughtered only as a single sacrifice i.e. it forms only a single share.*

7. *A maximum of seven people can jointly sacrifice one cow or one camel i.e. a cow/camel can have up to seven sharers.*

8. *A sacrificial animal should be free of any physical defect: injury, wound, deformity, etc.*

9. *The animal must be slaughtered in the Islamic manner:*

*-a. Place the animal on its left side facing qiblah*

*-b. Slaughter it using a very sharp knife, slide the knife two and a half times across the throat slicing the jugular vein and draining all the blood*

*-c. Slaughter it out of sight of other sacrificial animals*

*-d. Say BISMILLAHI WALLAAHU AKBAR at the time of slaughtering*

*10. The slaughtered animal's meat should be shared in three lots: but not necessarily equally*

*-a. One third to the poor and needy.*

*-b. One third to friends and relatives.*

*-c. One third for self.*

*11. The skin, intestines, head, hooves etc CANNOT be given as payment to the slaughterer.*

*12. The Muslim who intends to slaughter SHOULD NOT clip his/her nails or trim any hair from the time of the new crescent of Dhul-Hijjah UNTIL AFTER offering the sacrifice.*

*JAZAKUMULLAHU KHAYRAN*