Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:28

"That they may witness benefits for themselves..."

The phrase li-yashhadu (that they may witness) is linked to ya'tuka (that they may come to you). Abu al-Baqa' permitted linking it to adhdhin (proclaim), meaning: so that they may attend.

Manafi' (benefits) are of great significance and numerous in quantity. Their use in the indefinite form—even though there is no tanween—is for the purpose of magnification and multiplication. It is also permissible that it is for categorization, meaning: various types of religious and worldly benefits. The generalization of "benefits" to include both types is the view of a group of scholars, and it is narrated from Ibn Abbas. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from him regarding this verse: "Benefits in the world and benefits in the Hereafter." As for the benefits of the Hereafter, it is the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted. As for worldly benefits, it is what they obtain from the meat of the sacrificial animals on that day, the offerings, and trade. Mujahid restricted worldly benefits to trade; it is permissible for the pilgrim without dislike, provided it is not the primary intention of the journey. This was objected to on the grounds that calling and inviting them for such a purpose is far-fetched, but there is room for consideration here, especially as it only holds true based on the interpretation permitted by Abu al-Baqa'.

From al-Baqir, may Allah be pleased with him, is the restriction of benefits to those of the Hereafter; and in a narration from Ibn Abbas, the restriction to worldly ones. Generalization is more appropriate.

"For themselves" (lahum) is in the position of an adjective for "benefits," meaning: benefits that exist for them.

"...and mention the name of Allah..."

...at the time of slaughtering...

"...on known days..."

...meaning specific days. These are the days of Nahr (slaughter), as held by a group, among them Abu Yusuf and Muhammad—may Allah have mercy upon them. Their count is three days: the Day of Sacrifice and the two days following it, according to us, as well as al-Thawri, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, and Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib. This is due to what is narrated from Umar, Ali, Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Anas, and Abu Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with them—that they said: "The days of slaughter are three, the best of which is the first." They stated this based on transmission (sama'), for human reason does not guide one to such measurements. There is a contradiction in the reports relied upon, so we have adopted the most certain, which is the lesser number.

Al-Shafi'i, al-Hasan, and 'Ata' said: four days—the Day of Sacrifice and the three days following it, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "All the days of Tashreeq are days of slaughter." According to al-Nakha'i, the time for slaughter is two days; according to Ibn Sirin, one day; and according to Abu Salamah and Sulayman ibn Yasar, the time for Adha lasts until the crescent of Muharram. We have found no evidence for these that can be relied upon.

Some argued from the mention of "days" that slaughtering at night is not permissible. Abu Hayyan stated: "This is the school of Malik and the people of opinion." However, what is mentioned in the books of the [Hanafi] companions is that slaughtering at night is permissible, though disliked due to the possibility of error in the darkness of the night. As for using the mention of "days" as evidence for impermissibility, it is as you see [i.e., not a decisive proof]. It has been said that the "known days" are the ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah, a view held by Abu Hanifah—may Allah have mercy upon him—and narrated from Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, Ibrahim, and Qatadah. Perhaps the meaning of "mentioning the name of Allah, the Exalted" according to this view is praising and thanking Him, the Almighty. According to the first view, it is the statement of the slaughterer: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is Greatest" (Bismillahi wa-Allahu Akbar), as narrated from Qatadah. He mentioned that it is also said: "O Allah, this is from You and for You, on behalf of [so-and-so]." Another opinion will come, Allah willing. The preference for it being in the sense of "gratitude" is that it aligns better with His saying: "...over what He has provided for them of the cattle."

Al-Zamakhshari chose the view that the mention over the bahimat al-an'am (cattle)—or, more generally, whatever the literal text of some implies—is a metonym for the slaughter itself. He mentioned that this is for the primary purpose of the sacrifice and what distinguishes it from mere customs. He alluded to the fact that all acts of Hajj were ordained for the sake of remembrance, and that the saying "over what He has provided for them..." is intended to encourage seeking closeness to the Provider through the bahimat al-an'am (meant here as camels, cattle, sheep, and goats), and to make spending easy for them, while combining both brevity and explanation. The temporal nature of "known days" on the view that they are the ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah relates to the slaughter because the Day of Sacrifice is among them. One might say the same if the mention is kept to its more immediate literal meaning.

"So eat from them..."

This is a shift to address the reader. The "fa" (so) is fasiha (eloquent), meaning: "So mention the name of Allah over your sacrifices, then eat from their meat." The command is for permissibility, based on the fact that eating [the sacrificial meat] was once religiously prohibited. They have said that a command following a prohibition implies permissibility. The prohibition mentioned earlier is proven by his saying (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "I used to forbid you from eating the meat of the sacrifices, so eat from them and store [some]." It is also said it was because the people of the Pre-Islamic era felt uneasy about it, or that the command is for recommendation (nadb) to ensure equality with the poor, or equality in eating from it. This—according to what al-Khafaji said—is the school of Abu Hanifah, may Allah be pleased with him.

"...and feed the ba'is..."

...meaning the one who has been afflicted with bu's, i.e., hardship. From Mujahid and 'Ikrimah is the interpretation that it is the one who extends his hands to people to beg.

"...the poor..."

...meaning the needy. The command is for recommendation according to the Imam, as al-Khafaji also mentioned. It is recommended—as is in al-Hidayah—that what is fed should not be less than a third, because the aspects of eating, feeding, and storing (the latter being established by the Hadith) mean the sacrifice is divided into thirds. Some said: there is no determination regarding what is eaten or fed due to the generality of the verse. The Shafi'is made feeding obligatory, and a group held that eating from the sacrifice is also obligatory. Restricting the feeding to the ba'is and the poor does not negate the permissibility of feeding the rich. One might argue for its permissibility based on the first command, as it indicates the permissibility of the slaughterer eating; and since it is permissible for him to eat—even if he is rich—it is permissible for him to feed it to a rich person.