The Meaning of “Musinna” and Its Validity for Sacrifice

Question

Question: In the hadith of Sahih Muslim: [ar]لَا تَذْبَحُوا إِلَّا مُسِنَّةً[/ar] “Do not slaughter [for sacrifice] except a musinna (a mature animal)” — what is the legal (shar‘i) and lexical meaning of the word musinna? Some scholars say that musinna means an animal with two [permanent] teeth, without any restriction to one or two years of age; others say it means [an animal] that has completed two years and entered its third, regardless of whether it has [permanent] teeth or not.

Answer

In [Arabic] lexicon, «sinn» means both “tooth” and “age.” The plural «asnan» is formed as «asinna», like «qinn» → «aqnan», «aqinna». In the hadith: [ar]إِذَا سَافَرْتُمْ فِي الْخِصْبِ فَأَعْطُوا الرِّكَابَ أَسِنَّتَهَا[/ar] “When you travel in a season of abundance [of pasture], give the riding animals their due [rest for grazing]” — that is, let them graze.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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