Is an animal with a broken or missing horn or ear disqualified from sacrifice?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Sacrifices (Uḍḥiyah)
Primary text
Disqualification occurs if more than half of the ear or horn is missing (*'adhab*). This view is held by An-Nakha'i, Abu Yusuf, and Muhammad. Evidence supporting this strictness comes from the narration attributed to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade sacrificing an animal whose horn or ear was extensively damaged (*'a'dab al-qarn wal-udhun*). The term *'adhab* means loss of half or more of the ear or horn, according to Sa'id bin Al-Musayyab's explanation.
Supporting text
Abu Hanifah and Al-Shafi'i permit sacrifice if the horn is merely broken. Narrations attributed to Ali, Umar, Ammar, Ibn Al-Musayyab, and Al-Hasan suggest permissibility for broken horns. Malik permits it if the horn is not bleeding, otherwise not. Al-Ata' and Malik state that if the entire ear is gone, it is invalid, but if only a small part is gone, it is valid. These dissenting views rely on the principle that the Prophet's specification of four defects implies others are permissible, and that horn/ear damage does not affect the primary objective, which is meat.