Ruling on offering udhiyah on behalf of the dead and on behalf of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
Question

                I have seen some people, during Eid al-Adha, offering udhiyahs on behalf of their parents and on behalf of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Is this permissible or is it an innovation?
Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
	
	It is not 
	prescribed to offer or give the udhiyah on behalf of the Prophet (blessings 
	and peace of Allah be upon him), because that was not narrated from any of 
	the Sahaabah, despite their perfect love for him and their perfect eagerness 
	to do good, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did 
	not instruct his ummah to do that, as he instructed them to send blessings 
	upon him and to pray for al-waseelah (a station in Paradise) and al-fadeelah 
	(a rank above the rest of creation) for him after the adhaan. If it were 
	something good, he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would have 
	directed them to do it. Moreover, whatever good his ummah does, he is 
	rewarded for it, because he was the one who guided, taught and called people 
	to it. So for the doer to dedicate the reward of the deed to the Prophet 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is pointless; rather it means 
	that the doer is deflecting the reward from himself without that benefiting 
	anyone else.

	This has been 
	explained in detail in the answer to question no. 52772

	Secondly:

	Offering udhiyah 
	on behalf of the dead may occur in one of three ways:

	1.

	Where the 
	udhiyah is offered on their behalf along with the living, such as if a man 
	offers an udhiyah on behalf of himself and on behalf of the members of his 
	family, intending it to include both the living and the dead. This is 
	permissible, and the evidence for that is the fact that the Prophet 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to offer the udhiyah on 
	behalf of himself and on behalf of the members of his family, including 
	those who had previously died, such as Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with 
	her).

	2.

	Where the 
	udhiyah is offered on behalf of the dead in fulfilment of their wishes and 
	instructions given before their death (bequests). This is obligatory, except 
	in cases where one is not able to do that. The evidence for that is the 
	verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says concerning the changing of 
	bequests (interpretation of the meaning):

	“Then 
	whoever changes the bequest after hearing it, the sin shall be on those who 
	make the change. Truly, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower”

	[al-Baqarah 
	2:181].

	3.

	Where the 
	udhiyah is offered on behalf of the dead voluntarily and independently of 
	the living (such as when a person offers a separate udhiyah on behalf of his 
	father, or a separate udhiyah on behalf of his mother). This is permissible, 
	and the Hanbali fuqaha’ stated that the reward thereof will reach the 
	deceased and benefit him, by analogy with giving charity on his behalf. But 
	it is preferable not to do that, because there is no report to that effect. 
	The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not offer an 
	udhiyah specifically on behalf of any of his deceased loved ones. He did not 
	offer an udhiyah on behalf of his paternal uncle Hamzah, who was one of the 
	dearest of his relatives to him, or on behalf of his children who died 
	during his lifetime, or on behalf of his wife Khadeejah, who was one of the 
	dearest of his wives to him. And there is no report from any of his 
	companions during his lifetime that any of them offered an udhiyah on behalf 
	of one of his deceased loved ones.

	See also the 
	answer to question no. 36596.

	And Allah knows 
	best.