Part 1 : From The Glorious Qur’an
Part 2 : From the Prophet ﷺ & His ﷺ Companions
Part 3 : From The Sunni Scholars
Part 4 : The weak narration used as evidence
Welcome to our Blog! This article is about the negation of offering castrated animals for Qurbani from the books of Ahl al-Sunnah, In the meanwhile here is a gem from the Shi’i literature, a treasure from Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq ع :
عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله…فَالْخَصِيُّ يُضَحَّى بِهِ قَالَ لا إِلاَّ أَنْ لا يَكُونَ غَيْرُهُ
On the authority of Abu Baseer that He asked Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq ع about sacrificing a castrated (Khassi) animal, He ع replied : “No, unless you can’t find anything else.”
~Kitab al-Kafi vol 4, Kitab al-Hajj, Chapter 181, Hadith no.5
https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/4/3/181/5
Part 1 : From The Glorious Qur’an
وَلَـَٔامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ وَلَـَٔامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ
Shaytaan said : and I will command them so they will strike the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.
~Surah an-Nisa’a 4:119
• Allamah Abu Ja’far at-Tabari
ﻋﻦ ﻋﻤﺎﺭ ﺑﻦ ﺃﺑﻲ ﻋﻤﺎﺭ، ﻋﻦ اﺑﻦ ﻋﺒﺎﺱ: ﺃﻧﻪ ﻛﺮﻩ اﻹﺧﺼﺎء ﻭﻗﺎﻝ: ﻓﻴﻪ ﻧﺰﻟﺖ:”ﻭﻵﻣﺮﻧﻬﻢ ﻓﻠﻴﻐﻴﺮﻥ ﺧﻠﻖ اﻟﻠﻪ
Ammar Ibn Abi Ammar said : Abd-Allah Ibn Abbas رضي used to dislike castration and he used to recite this ayah (Surah Nisa’a 4:119)
~Tafsir at-Tabari vol 7:494
• The same has also been narrated from Anas Ibn Malik, Ikrimah, Abu Saleh and etc in its Tafsir
Part 2 : From the Prophet ﷺ & His ﷺ Companions
1) Allamah Abu Ja’far at-Tahawi mentioned :
ﻗﺎﻝ ﺃﺑﻮ ﺟﻌﻔﺮ ﺭﻭﻯ ﻋﺒﺪ اﻟﻠﻪ ﺑﻦ ﻧﺎﻓﻊ ﻋﻦ ﺃﺑﻴﻪ ﻋﻦ اﺑﻦ ﻋﻤﺮ ﺃﻥ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ اﻟﻠﻪ ﺻﻠﻰ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ﻧﻬﻰ ﺃﻥ ﻳﺨﺼﻰ اﻹﺑﻞ ﻭاﻟﺒﻘﺮ ﻭاﻟﻐﻨﻢ ﻭاﻟﺨﻴﻞ ﻭﻋﺒﺪ اﻟﻠﻪ ﺑﻦ ﻧﺎﻓﻊ ﻻ ﻳﺤﺘﺞ ﺑﺤﺪﻳﺜﻪ
ﻭﺭﻭاﻩ ﻣﺎﻟﻚ ﻋﻦ ﻧﺎﻓﻊ ﻋﻦ اﺑﻦ ﻋﻤﺮ ﻣﻮﻗﻮﻑ
It’s narrated from Abd-Allah Ibn Nafee’ from his father that Ibn Umar said that Rasul-Allah ﷺ forbade the castration of camel, cattle, sheep and horse.
Then at-Tahawi said : Abd-Allah Ibn Nafee’ is not an authority in hadith but this is narrated in its Maukoof form on the authority from Malik from Nafee’ that Ibn Umar said it
~Mukhtasar Ikhtilaf al-Ullema, vol 3:443
2) Abd al-Razzaq al-Sinani :
ﻋﻦ ﺳﺎﻟﻢ، ﻋﻦ اﺑﻦ ﻋﻤﺮ، ﺃﻥ ﻋﻤﺮ ﻧﻬﻰ ﻋﻦ ﺧﺼﺎء اﻟﻐﻨﻢ؟ ﻗﺎﻝ: ﻭﻫﻞ اﻟﻨﻤﺎء ﺇﻻ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺬﻛﻮﺭ
Saalim (Grandson of Umar) asked the son of Umar that : ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab forbade castration of animal?’ He replied ‘who breeds except the male?’
~Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 8441
3) Imam Malik Ibn Anas :
عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَكْرَهُ الإِخْصَاءَ وَيَقُولُ فِيهِ تَمَامُ الْخَلْقِ .”
From Nafee’ that Abd-Allah Ibn Umar disapproved castration.
~Muwatta Malik, Book 51:4, Riwayah Yahya ibn Yahya.
Part 3 : From The Sunni Scholars
1) Ibn al-Mundhir mentioned :
ﻭﻳﻜﺮﻩ ﺇﺧﺼﺎء اﻟﺪﻭاﺏ، ﻛﺎﻥ اﺑﻦ ﻋﻤﺮ ﻳﻜﺮﻫﻪ، ﻭﻫﻮ ﻗﻮﻝ: ﺃﺣﻤﺪ، ﻭﺇﺳﺤﺎﻕ، ﻭﻗﺪ ﺭﻭﻳﻨﺎ ﻋﻦ اﻟﻨﺒﻲ ﷺ: ﺃﻧﻪ ﻧﻬﻰ ﻋﻦ ﺻﺒﺮ ﺫاﺕ اﻟﺮﻭﺡ ﻭﺧﺼﺎء اﻟﺒﻬﺎﺋﻢ
Ibn Umar found it makhrooh to castrate animal and this is the saying of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal & Ishaq Ibn Rahway. We have a narration from the Prophet ﷺ that He ﷺ forbade the castration of animals.
~al-Iqna’ vol 2:618
2) Abd al-Razzaq al-Sinani mentioned :
ﻗﺎﻝ: ﺳﺄﻟﺖ اﻷﻭﺯاﻋﻲ ﻋﻦ اﻟﺨﺼﺎء، ﻓﻘﺎﻝ: ﻛﺎﻧﻮا ﻳﻜﺮﻫﻮﻥ ﺧﺼﺎء ﻛﻞ ﺷﻲء ﻟﻪ ﻧﺴﻞ
al-Awzai’i was asked about castration, He replied ‘I dislike anything to be castrated which can have offspring.’
~Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 8447
3) Allamah Ibn Abd al-Barr mentioned :
ﻭﻛﺮﻩ ﺟﻤﺎﻋﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻓﻘﻬﺎء اﻟﺤﺠﺎﺯﻳﻴﻦ ﻭاﻟﻜﻮﻓﻴﻴﻦ ﺷﺮاء اﻟﺨﺼﻲ
And the group of jurists from al-Hejaz & al-Kufah disliked the buying of castrated animals.
~al-Istidihkar vol 8:433
Part 4 : The weak narration used as evidence
، أَنْبَأَنَا سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَقِيلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُضَحِّيَ اشْتَرَى كَبْشَيْنِ عَظِيمَيْنِ سَمِينَيْنِ أَقْرَنَيْنِ أَمْلَحَيْنِ مَوْجُوءَيْنِ
It was narrated by Sufyan ath-Thawri from Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Aqeel on the authority of Abu Salma that : It was narrated from A’isha and Abu Hurairah :
That when Rasul-Allah ﷺ wanted to offer a sacrifice, he brought two large, fat, horned, black-and-white, castrated (khassi) rams.
~Sunan Ibn Majah 3122
• Shaykh Shuayb al-Arnaut said :
وهذا إسناد ضعيف لاضطراب عبد الله بن محمَّد بن عقيل فيه
This chain is weak due to the confusion of Abd-Allah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Aqeel.
Defects :
1) The mention of ‘Castration (khassi)’ is an addition to this text, the original hadith is mentioned without castration in Sahih Muslim 1967
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1967
2) Sufyan ath-Thawri the narrator himself disliked castration :
ﻭﻛﺮﻩ اﻟﺜﻮﺭﻱ ﺇﺧﺼﺎء ﺷﻲء ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺇﻧﻬﺎ ﻣﺜﻠﺔ
And Sufyan ath-Thawri disliked all kind of castration and said it’s mutilation.
~Mukhtasar Ikhtilaf al-Ullema, vol 3:443
3) Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad Ibn Aqeel Ibn Abi Talib is weak in hadith due to bad memorization :
ﻋﻦ ﻳﺤﻴﻰ اﺑﻦ ﻣﻌﻴﻦ ﺃﻧﻪ ﻗﺎﻝ: ﻋﺒﺪ اﻟﻠﻪ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻋﻘﻴﻞ ﺿﻌﻴﻒ ﻓﻲ ﻛﻞ ﺃﻣﺮﻩ
Yahya Ibn Ma’in said about him that he is weak in all matters.
~al-Jarah wa at-Ta’deel vol 5:154
• Ibn al-Kayyal mentioned :
وقال ابن خزيمة: لا أحتج به لسوء حفظه
Ibn Khuzayma said : ‘I don’t use him as an authority due to his bad memory.’
~al-Kawakib al-Niyrat page 484
4) The statement of Abu Haatim al-Raazi :
قلتُ لأبي: فما الصَّحيحُ؟
قَالَ أَبِي: ابنُ عَقِيل لا يضبطُ حديثه
I asked my father (Abu Haatim al-Raazi) about the Sanad of this Hadith, which one of it is Sahih? My father replied : ‘Ibn Aqeel is not correct in his Hadith.’
~al-Ilal vol 4:497-499
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