Question
I save a small amount of my salary for the purpose of giving it in charity without specifying where it should be given and distributed according to people's need. Is it permissible to use an amount of this money to buy a sacrificial animal to be slaughtered on ‘Eed Al-Adh’aa? May Allah reward you.
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.
Slaughtering a sacrificial animal (on ’Eed Al-Adh’aa) is a confirmed act of Sunnah, and some scholars even considered it obligatory. Slaughtering a sacrificial animal is superior to giving its price in charity. Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said, “Slaughtering a sacrificial animal [on ’Eed Al-Adh’haa] is superior to giving its price in charity, so if a Muslim has money that he wants to use as a means of drawing nearer to Allah, then he should slaughter a sacrificial animal [on ’Eed Al-Adh-ha].” Therefore, it is permissible to spend the amount of money which you save from your salary for the purpose of charity on buying a sacrificial animal (on ’Eed Al-Adh’aa), rather, this is preferable, if Allah wills.
And Allah knows best.