A:
Slaughtering animals at graves is an act of Bid`ah (innovation in religion) and one of the means leading to major Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship). Thus, it is not permissible for a Muslim who vowed to slaughter an animal at a grave to fulfill his vow, because he vowed to disobey Allah and such a form of vow must not be kept. It was authentically narrated in
Sahih (authentic) Book of
Al-Bukhari
on the authority of
`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said,
Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him; and whoever makes a vow that he will disobey Allah, should not (Part No. 23; Page No. 230) disobey Him.
Related by
Al-Bukhari.
Also, it was
related by
Abu Dawud
(may Allah be merciful to him) through a sound Sanad (chain of narrators) on the authority of
Thabit ibn Al-Dahhak (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said,
A man vowed to sacrifice camels in Buwanah during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). So he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, ‘I have vowed to sacrifice camels in Buwanah.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, ‘Was there any of the idols of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) worshipped?’ They said, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Was there any of their feasts (celebrated)?’ They said, ‘No.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, ‘Fulfill your vow, for there is no fulfillment of a vow which involves disobedience to Allah, or with regard to a thing the son of Adam does not own.’
However, if an animal is slaughtered for the sake of the dead, it will be major Shirk, since Allah (Glorified be He) says,
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
"He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims."
It was authentically narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) cursed whoever slaughters an animal for the sake of anyone other than AllahMay Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.