Tafsir of Al-Hajj 22:33

"For you in them," meaning in the sha'a'ir (symbols/rites) according to the aforementioned meaning, "are benefits," which are their milk, their offspring, their wool, and riding upon their backs until a specified term. This term is the time when one designates them and makes them obligatory as an offering (hady). At that point, one has no right to any of their benefits. This was stated by Ibn Abbas in a narration from Miqsam, as well as by Mujahid, Qatadah, and al-Dahhak.

This is also the position of Imam Abu Hanifah, for according to him, the owner of the offering, after the designation and obligatory commitment, does not possess the benefits of the offering at all. For if he possessed them, he would be permitted to rent it out for riding, and this is impermissible by consensus. Yes, it is permissible for him to benefit from it in cases of necessity. Upon this is interpreted the narration regarding Abu Hurayrah: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a man driving his offering while he was in a state of jihad, so he said, "Ride it." The man replied, "O Messenger of Allah, it is an offering." He said, "Ride it, woe to you."

'Ata said: The benefits of offerings after they have been made obligatory and designated as offerings are that they may be ridden and their milk may be drunk when there is a need, until a specified term, which is the time of their slaughter. Al-Shafi'i held this view; it is narrated from Jabir that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ride the offerings in a reasonable manner until you find a mount." An objection was raised against the aforementioned [view of Abu Hanifah] that the master of an umm al-walad (a slave woman who has borne her master's child) possesses the right to benefit from her even though he is not permitted to sell her, so why is it not possible for the offering to be the same: that the owner does not possess the right to sell or rent it, yet possesses the right to benefit from it otherwise? It was also said: The specified term is the time of ish'ar (marking the animal), and at that point, it is not to be ridden except in cases of necessity.

Abu Razin narrated from Ibn Abbas: The specified term is the time of exiting Makkah. In another narration from him: The time of exiting and moving from these rites to others. It was also said that the specified term is the Day of Resurrection, but the weakness of this is not hidden.

"Then their place of sacrifice" — meaning the obligation of their slaughter, if "place" (mahall) is taken as a verbal noun (masdar mim) meaning obligation, derived from the settlement of a debt (hull al-dayn) when it becomes due; or the time of their slaughter if it is a noun of time. On both possibilities, it is conjoined to "benefits," and the speech assumes an omitted adjunct.

"To the Ancient House" — is in the position of a state (hal), meaning terminating at the House. The intent is what is adjacent to it by the relationship of proximity, for they do not terminate at the House itself, but rather terminate near it. Mina has been designated as a place of slaughter; in the Hadith: "Every pass of Makkah is a place of slaughter, and every pass of Mina is a place of slaughter." Al-Qaffal said: This is regarding the offerings that reach Mina, whereas for a voluntary offering, if it is incapacitated before reaching Makkah, its place of slaughter is its location. The Imami school said: The place of slaughter for the Hajj offering is Mina, and for the single ‘Umrah offering, it is Makkah opposite the Ka’bah at al-Hazwarah.

"Then" (thumma) is for sequence in time or in status. That is: you have worldly benefits in them until a specified term, and after that, you have a religious benefit requiring reward in the hereafter, which is the obligation of their slaughter or the time of their slaughter. In this is an exaggeration in the fact that the act of slaughtering itself is a benefit. The sequence in status is apparent, while the sequence in time is regarding the initial time of their establishment; so do not be heedless.

The meaning, according to the view that the sha'a'ir refers to the sites of Hajj, is: "For you in those sites are benefits" through the reward and recompense attained by performing what is necessary to be performed in them until a specified term, which is the end of the days of Hajj. "Then their place of sacrifice"—that is, the place where the people exit their ihram—"to the Ancient House," meaning terminating there by performing the tawaf al-ziyarah on the Day of Sacrifice after performing what is necessary in those sites. Attributing the place to it is by the slightest association. Something similar was narrated from Malik in al-Muwatta'.

Or: "For you in them are benefits" of trade in the markets until the time of departure, "then the time of exiting them," terminating at the Ka’bah through the tahalul (exiting ihram) by the tawaf al-ziyarah. Or: "For you are worldly and otherworldly benefits" until the time of departure, and so on. Such is said regarding what was narrated from Zayd ibn Aslam restricting them to six.

And according to the view that they refer to the laws of the religion: "For you in observing them are worldly and otherworldly benefits" until the end of obligation, "then their place of sacrifice" which one reaches if they are observed, is terminating at the Ancient House, which is Paradise. Or, the place of observing them terminates at the Ancient House, which is a place of worship for the angels, peace be upon them, and its being a termination point is because deeds are raised to it. It was said that its being a termination point at the Ancient House, meaning the Ka’bah, is as is apparent, considering that the place of some of them, like prayer and Hajj, terminates there. Other things were said, all of which are what the speech of the lowest of people should not be based upon, let alone the speech of the Lord of the Worlds. The mildest thing said is that the speech regarding those narrations is connected to His saying: "And the cattle have been made lawful for you," and the pronoun "in them" refers to them.