ما الفرق بين النحر والذبح؟

Slaughter (Dhabh) differs from Sacrificing (Nahr) in four aspects:

1. Type of Animal: Slaughter (dhabh) is specific to cattle, sheep, and short-necked animals, whereas sacrificing (nahr) is specific to camels. Some scholars have included tame giraffes in the latter category. The majority of scholars permit the inverse method of ritual slaughter (nahr of cattle and sheep or dhabh of camels) because the objective is to let the blood flow. However, the Malikis do not permit the dhabh of camels except out of necessity, and they permit the nahr of cattle, though they prefer their dhabh.

2. Location of Ritual Slaughter: The location for dhabh is between the head and the neck, such that the Adam's apple (jawza) or part of it is towards the head. As for nahr, its location is the hollow (labba) between the neck and the chest.

3. What is Severed: In dhabh, four things are severed: the windpipe (halqum), the gullet (maree'), and the two jugular veins (wadajan). The madhahib differ on the number of things that must be severed. As for nahr, merely stabbing the labba suffices, and severing the jugular veins is not a condition.

4. Legal Posture: The Sunnah for dhabh is to lay the animal on its left side. As for nahr, the Sunnah for camels is for the left foreleg to be hobbled, with the camel standing on its remaining three legs.