Qurbani of cattle under two years?

Question

Q. I have one very serious question about zabiha on yawm al-adha. Here in Russia we breed cows and bulls that are genetically modified and grown by selection methods, so that by the age of 1,5 years they’re grown enough and look like 2-3 years old. Because that we don’t have natural pastures on the most time of the year (winter and snow are very long lasting) and farms are mostly of closed type, the breeding of cattle by ordinary methods is extremely expensive and people can’t afford waitng much, so they slaughter them not waiting until they reach 2 years.

The question is – is there any fatwa permitting to slaughter cattle for yawm al-adha that not reached the limit of 2 years.

Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed · Accepted Answer

It is not permissible to slaughter cattle that are under two years old even though they may appear to be older than two years. The words of the Hadith are specific that cattle should be two years of age.

All four schools of thoughts (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’ee and Hanbali) are unanimous that cattle under the age of two years are not suitable for Udh’hiyyah (Qurbani). If cattle that are under two years are slaughtered, Udh’hiyyah will not be valid. (al-Mawsu’ah, al-Fiqhiyyah, Vol: 5, Pg: 82)

If it is difficult to find cattle that are of suitable age to slaughter for Udh’hiyyah, the people in this region should opt to slaughter Sheep or goats that meet the requirements of Udh’hiyyah. This is the appropriate alternative which has also been recommended in the Hadith.

And Allah Knows Best

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