Is it permissible to hold a feast for relatives from a vow to slaughter a sheep for the sake of Allah, and is it permissible to eat from it, or must the vow be for the poor only?
If a specific recipient for a votive offering (dhabīḥah al-nadhr) is not designated, it is to be given to the poor and needy only, and relatives who are not poor should not partake of it. Ibn Taymiyyah reported that a vow of charity with money is to be disbursed in the same manner as zakat. Al-Buhuti mentioned in "Kashshāf al-Qināʿ" that an unrestricted votive offering (nadhr muṭlaq) is for the needy, similar to general charity. Al-Mawardi clarified in "Al-Ḥāwī al-Kabīr" that an unrestricted vow is exclusively for the poor and needy, not the wealthy. It is permissible to disburse it among six categories of zakat recipients (the poor, the needy, those in bondage, the indebted, in the path of Allah, and the wayfarer), excluding those employed to collect it and those whose hearts are to be reconciled. As for the one who made the vow eating from the vowed sacrificial animal, there is a difference of opinion among jurists, and the more cautious approach is not to eat from it.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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