Is the recommendation (*sunnah*) to garland sacrificial animals (*hady*) applicable to all types of livestock?

Chapter on Ransom (Fidyah) and Penalty for Hunting

Al-Mughni

Book of Hajj

Book 11 · Issue 1 · Bab 6

Open in Qurani

Primary text

It is recommended (*sunnah*) to garland sacrificial animals (*hady*) by placing sandals, water-skin ears, straps, or a water-skin tie around their necks, regardless of whether they are camels, cattle, or sheep. The evidence for this is the statement of Aisha, peace be upon her, who said, "I used to twist the garlands for the Prophet, peace be upon him, and he would garland the sheep, remaining in a state of Ihram while at home." Another narration states, "I used to twist garlands of sheep for the Prophet, peace be upon him." These narrations are recorded by Al-Bukhari. Furthermore, since it is a sacrifice (*hady*), it is recommended to garland it, similar to camels. Since garlanding is recommended for camels even though they can be identified by markings (*ash'ar*), it is more fitting for sheep. Also, the requirement for equal transmission (*naql*) is not a condition for the validity of a Hadith, and the lack of abundant transmission regarding sheep is because camels were more frequently offered as sacrifices, leading to more frequent transmission concerning them.

Supporting text

Malik and Abu Hanifa hold that garlanding sheep is not recommended because if it were a Sunnah, it would have been transmitted as widely as it was for camels.