On the authority of Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Do not slaughter except a mature animal, unless it is difficult for you, then slaughter a young one-year-old sheep."

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(1) Its chain of transmission meets the conditions of Muslim; its narrators are trustworthy, except that Abu al-Zubayr — namely Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Tadrus al-Makki — is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in transmission), and he narrated it using 'an'anah (ambiguous phrasing). Nevertheless, 'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili declared it authentic in his "Al-Ahkam al-Wusta" 4/129, as did al-Hafiz in "Al-Fath" 10/15, while Ibn Hazm declared it weak in "Al-Muhalla" 7/364, and Ibn al-Qattan in "Bayan al-Wahm wa al-Iham" 4/298 and 301, in response to 'Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili's silence in declaring it authentic.

Muslim (1963), Ibn Majah (3141), and al-Nasa'i (4378) also narrated it via the path of Zuhayr ibn Mu'awiyah, from him. It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (14348).

On this topic, there is a hadith from Mujashi' ibn Mas'ud al-Sulami that will follow at number (2799).

And from 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir in al-Bukhari (2300), Muslim (1965), Ibn Majah (3138), al-Tirmidhi (1576) and (1577), and al-Nasa'i (4379), (4380), and (4381), the wording of most of them being: that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, gave him sheep to distribute among his companions, and a young goat remained — and in some versions, a young one-year-old sheep — so he mentioned it to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said: "Sacrifice it yourself." It will also follow from the author afterward in the hadith of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani.

Ahmad (14927), Ibn Hibban (5909), and others also narrated via the path of Hammad ibn Salamah, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir: that a man slaughtered a young goat before the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had prayed, so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "It will not suffice for anyone after you," and he forbade them from slaughtering until they had prayed. This also contains Abu al-Zubayr's 'an'anah.

However, it is supported by the hadith of al-Bara' ibn 'Azib in al-Bukhari (5545) and Muslim (1961): that his maternal uncle Abu Burdah ibn Niyar slaughtered before the prayer, and when he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbidding that, he said: O Messenger of Allah, I have a young one-year-old sheep better than a mature one. He said: "Make it in its place, and it will not suffice for anyone after you."

Al-Nawawi said in "Sharh Sahih Muslim" at hadith (1963): The majority permit the young one-year-old sheep whether other animals are available or not, while Ibn 'Umar and al-Zuhri prohibit it whether other animals are available or not. Thus the interpretation of the hadith must be as we have mentioned, namely that it indicates recommendation, and Allah knows best. Ibn al-Mulaqqin said something similar in "Al-Badr al-Munir" 9/306.