Offering a sacrifice on behalf of children on whom one does not spend

7-9-2015 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is slaughtering a sacrificial animal on behalf of one's household sufficient for them no matter how many they may be? If my mother sacrificed a ram and, when slaughtering it, said that she offers it on behalf of herself and her dead husband, would this be sufficient for her children as well? Kindly note that her children are married, each of whom lives in a separate dwelling. My mother lives with my brother.

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Answer:

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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

It is sufficient for the head of a household to slaughter one sacrificial animal on behalf of himself and the members of his family upon whom he spends. So the sacrificial animal offered by your mother does not include her children mentioned in the question, for she does not spend on them and they do not live with her. As for offering one sacrificial animal on behalf of herself and her dead husband or offering one for herself and another one for him, this is permissible.

Allaah Knows best.