How many times did the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offer the udhiyah?
Question

                How many times did the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
him) offer the udhiyah?
Praise be to Allah.
	Imam Ahmad 
	(4955) and at-Tirmidhi (1507) narrated via Hajjaaj ibn Artaah, via Naafi‘, 
	that Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be 
	upon him) stayed in Madinah for ten years, and offered the udhiyah every 
	year.

	This hadith was 
	classed as hasan by Imam at-Tirmidhi.

	But there is 
	some weakness in its isnaad; Hajjaaj ibn Artah is sadooq (sincere), but he 
	is also mudallis [i.e., he engaged in tadlees, which is when a narrator 
	narrates a hadith that he did not hear directly from his shaykh, without 
	mentioning the name of the third party from whom he did hear it, using 
	wording that may or may not give the impression that he heard it directly]. 
	al-‘Ajli said: People criticised him for tadlees. Abu Zar‘ah said: He is 
	sadooq but he engaged in tadlees. Abu Haatim said: He is sadooq but engaged 
	in tadlees, narrating from da‘eef (weak) narrators. But if he says “[so and 
	so] told us”, then the hadith is sound, and there is no doubt about its 
	authenticity, if he makes it clear that he heard the hadith directly. Ibn 
	al-Mubaarak said: Hajjaaj used to engage in tadlees. Ibn ‘Adiy said: Rather 
	people criticised him for his tadlees in narrating from az-Zuhri and others. 
	He was also described as engaging in tadlees by Muhammad ibn Nasr, Ismaa‘eel 
	al-Qaadi, as-Saaji, Ibn Khuzaymah, al-Bazzaar, and others.

	See: Tahdheeb 
	at-Tahdheeb (2/196-19 8)

	The hadith was 
	classed as da‘eef by al-Albaani in Da‘eef at-Tirmidhi and by the 
	commentators on al-Musnad.

	But it seems 
	from the practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
	that he was keen to offer the udhiyah, to the extent that he even offered 
	the udhiyah when Eid al-Adha coincided with his travel.

	Muslim (1975) 
	narrated that Thawbaan said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of 
	Allah be upon him) slaughtered his udhiyah then he said: “O Thawbaan, 
	prepare this meat for us.” And he kept giving it to him to eat until he came 
	to Madinah.

	An-Nawawi (may Allah have 
	mercy on him) said:

	This indicates that offering 
	the 
	udhiyah is prescribed for the traveller just as it is 
	prescribed for the one who is not travelling. This is our view and is the 
	view of the majority of scholars. End quote.

	This indicates 
	that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) regarded the 
	matter of the udhiyah as being of great importance, and obviously his 
	eagerness and concern to do it when not travelling would be even greater.

	Ibn Maajah 
	(3123) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and 
	peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever can afford it but does not offer 
	an udhiyah, let him not come near our prayer-place.”

	Classed as hasan 
	by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

	Abu Dawood 
	(2788) narrated from Mikhnaf ibn Sulaym (may Allah be pleased with him) that 
	the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “O 
	people, verily the people of every household must offer an udhiyah every 
	year…”

	Classed as hasan 
	by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood

	See also the 
	answer to question no. 36432

	More than one of 
	the scholars has stated that he used to offer an udhiyah every year.

	Shaykh Ibn Baaz 
	(may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	The Prophet 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to offer an udhiyah every 
	year of two horned rams that were white speckled with black, one on behalf 
	of himself and on behalf of the members of his household, and the other on 
	behalf of all those among his ummah who affirmed the Oneness of Allah.

	End quote from
	Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (18/38)

	Shaykh Ibn 
	‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	What is 
	prescribed for the pilgrim is to offer the hadiy and not the udhiyah. Hence 
	the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not offer an 
	udhiyah during his Farewell Pilgrimage, even though he used to offer an 
	udhiyah every year. During the Farewell Pilgrimage he offered a hadiy of one 
	hundred camels, sixty-three of which he slaughtered with his own hand, and 
	the rest he gave to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: 
	“Slaughter them.” And he did not offer an udhiyah.

	End quote from
	Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (25/42)

	If that is 
	correct, then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offered 
	the udhiyah nine times. Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The 
	Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stayed for 
	nine years during which he did not do Hajj, then in the tenth year he 
	announced to the people that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of 
	Allah be upon him) was going for Hajj. Narrated by Muslim (1218)

	So he stayed for 
	nine years, and every year he offered an udhiyah, then in the tenth year he 
	went for Hajj, during which he offered a hadiy and not an udhiyah.

	The hadith of 
	Ibn ‘Umar – assuming that it is proven – may be understood as meaning that 
	the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offered an udhiyah 
	every year except the year in which he performed Hajj.

	And Allah knows 
	best.