Is it permissible to buy Udhiyah (sacrificial animals) with severed tails in South Africa?

A distinction must be made between an animal whose tail is severed and one whose rump (fat tail) is severed in sacrificial animals. An animal with a severed tail is permissible because it does not affect the meat. This is in contrast to an animal whose rump is severed, which is not permissible, because the rump itself has value and is intended (as part of the sacrifice).

A Muslim should strive to find a sacrificial animal that is free from defects. If this is not possible, they should move to another type of livestock, such as goats, cattle, or camels.

If it is impossible to find a sound sacrificial animal, and all the sheep in the country have severed rumps, and it is not possible to sacrifice anything else, then sacrificing such an animal is permissible in this case. This is because prohibiting it would lead to the suspension of the ritual of sacrifice. In such a situation, the rule "What is easy does not fall by what is difficult" applies, meaning that what cannot be done completely does not fall, but rather what is possible of it should be performed.