Can the slaughtering of 'Eid-ul-Adhaa be done by proxy in a distant country. If so, what are the conditions for its validity? Please site references, Inshaa Allaah.

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

It is better for whoever wants to offer a sacrifice to slaughter the animal himself in his country unless there is a greater benefit to appoint someone to slaughter on his behalf in another country.

The conditions that the appointed person should meet are:

·        The person that should be appointed must be a religious    trustworthy person.

·        He should be of the people whom we are allowed to eat the meat of the animal slaughtered by them: i.e. a Muslim or a person from the people of the book. However, it is better if he is a Muslim. The majority of scholars consider that it is dislikeable to appoint a person of the people of the book to do the slaughtering.

·        The agent appointed to slaughter must have finished his 'Eed prayer. If the appointed person slaughters after 'Eed prayer in his country, then it is acceptable as a sacrifice and if he slaughters before 'Eed prayer, then it does not suffice him and it is considered as meat only.

Allaah knows best.