Question
I have performed the obligation of Hajj many years ago. I paid in advance the price of the Udh’hiyah (the ‘Eed sacrifice) along with the Hajj expenses. Mistakenly and ignorantly, however, I received the receipt for the Udh’hiyah after the end of the rituals. I do not know whether I indeed offered the Udh’hiyah or not. It is most likely that I did not offer it. Am I required to make up for Hajj or just to offer the Udh’hiyah again along with the expiation? What should I do? It should be taken into consideration that I am unable to perform Hajj again because I do not have enough money. Would you please advise?
Answer
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.
A pilgrim is not required to offer the Udh’hiyah regardless of whether he performs the Tamattu‘, the Qiraan or the Ifraad Hajj. Rather, a pilgrim who performs the Tamattu‘ or the Qiraan Hajj is required to offer Hady (the Hajj sacrificial animal).
It is not clear to us what the questioner means by the statement, "I received the receipt for the Udh’hiyah after the end of the rituals." In any case, the sacrificial animal for one who performs the Tamattu’ or the Qiraan Hajj is one of the obligatory actions of the Hajj and not one of its pillars. Failing to offer the sacrificial animal does not invalidate Hajj. Consequently, your Hajj is valid and you are not required to make up for Hajj, according to the consensus of scholars.
If you performed the Tamattu’ or the Qiraan Hajj and you paid the price of the sacrificial animal to a trusted authority in order to slaughter on your behalf, then you have fulfilled this duty. You are blameless for the delay in receiving the receipt as long as this does not mean that the slaughtering was not performed. But if this means that the authorized authority did not slaughter on your behalf until the days of Tashreeq (11th, 12th and 13th of Thu’l-Hijjah) ended, you can slaughter later. A person who did not slaughter in the prescribed fixed time can slaughter later or send someone to Makkah in order to buy the sacrificial animal and slaughter it.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said
A person who did not slaughter during the days (of Tashreeq) because he was unable to do so, or did not have money except after Hajj, or lost his animal and then found it later, or borrowed money and then bought it, should slaughter even after these days, as in the case of those making up for a missed slaughter.
Regarding a person who forgot to slaughter the sacrificial animal and then left Makkah, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said
A person who did not (offer the Hady) is required immediately to send money to someone whom he knows in Makkah in order to buy a sheep and slaughter it on his behalf in Makkah.
Allah Knows best.