Should I give Sadaqah for mistakenly killing an Animal?
Question
Asalamaulaikum,
Hope you are well. I ran over an animal yesterday while on my way from work. I felt really bad. Should I give Sadaqah for killing it.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Your respect and feelings for the life of an animal is commendable.
If you could have avoided running over the animal by driving cautiously at a reduced speed, but failed to do so, then you should make Istighfar for your negligence.
You may give Sadaqah as an atonement for harming the animal without cause.
See the following Hadith:
Translation: Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: And follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it (the sin) out. (Al Arba’een Nawawi-18)
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hasan Ahmed Razzak
Student – Darul Iftaa
Paterson, New Jersey, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
(2021)
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
وَأَتْبِعْ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا
- Answered by
- Hasan Ahmed Razzak
- Checked & approved by
- Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.
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Source: Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah — https://askimam.org/public/question_detail/47301
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/askimam-47301
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