Question:

What is the ruling of sacrifice, if all the members of the family is earning and all live together. They have to offer sacrifice separately or one is enough for all family.

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions

According to the view of the majority of the scholars 'Eed sacrifice is desirable but not an obligation for any Muslim who is able to do it.

As regards the members of the family who live together, if each one of them spends on himself whether he lives in a separate accommodation or shares the house with the others, then each one of them should slaughter for himself and he should not join others in his sacrifice, as stated by An-Nafraawi from the Maaliki School of jurisprudence, He also said: 'Each one who offers a sacrifice separately from the others should intend the reward for his young children and his wife. In case everyone is avaricious to sacrifice a sheep for himself, then they may act according to the view of Imaams Ash-Shaafi'ee and Abu Haneefah who are of the view that one sheep is sufficient, and so, slaughter only one sheep for all of them.'

In case the father spends on all the members of the family for instance, then, in this case, the sacrifice of their father is sufficient for them if he intends the reward for them as well.

Allah knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb