Pooling the meat of all the sacrifices and then distributing it

Question

Question: Suppose all the Muslims of some village, in order to preserve unity, divided the meat of the sacrifice into three parts in accordance with the mustahabb method, and gathered in one place the one part that belongs to relatives and kin; but some people objected, saying: “We will not gather the share of relatives and kin; we will gather the share of the poor and needy.

Answer

Designating the meat of the sacrifice as three parts — one for one’s own household, one for relatives and kin, one for the poor and needy — is merely a sunna, not wajib. If the household members are many, it is also correct to keep it all at home; and if one wishes, it is also correct to distribute it all among the poor and needy.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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