5. Its rulings:  

1- Its age: The sacrifice of the sheep should not be other than an ewe, which has completed a year, or so. A goat should have completed one year and entered in the second year. The camels should have completed four years and entered in the fifth. The cows should have  completed  two years and entered in the third year.  As to the Prophet’s saying:  “ Do not slaughter but an old (sacrifice), If it is difficult to find it, then you may slaughter a six month old ewe.” (narrated by Muslim)  

2-    Its safety: It is not sufficient to sacrifice but the healthy ( the devoid of defects ). The one-eyed , the lame or that the horn of which is broken in its origin is not sufficient.  Neither  the sick nor the thin that has no flesh are sufficient, either. That is for his saying (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him): “The sacrifice of these four is not permissible: the one-eyed whose defect is obvious,  the sick whose sickness is clear, the lame whose limping is apparent and the weak that has no flesh”.

3-   The best of it: The best of the sacrifices is that which is a white male, horned ram which  has blackness mixing around its eyes and legs.  That is the description that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) liked most for his sacrifice.  Aa`isha (May Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Noble Prophet (may blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) had sacrificed a horned ram, trampling in blackness, walking in blackness, and looking in blackness”.

4-   The time of its slaughtering: The time of slaughtering the sacrifices is in the morning of the Eid day after the  Eid prayer.  It is not legal to do it before Eid prayer.  As to his saying (may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him):  “That who slaughters before the prayer, then he is slaughtering for himself, and that who slaughters after the prayer then his sacrifice is complete, and has attained the tradition of the Muslims”.  But after the Eid day,  it is  permissible to delay it to the second day or the third day. That is what was narrated: “All the days of At-Tashriq are days of slaughtering.”