Where should Damm and Sadaqa for Ihram violation be paid?
The question, as received
If a person commits an action which results in a penalty in Ihram, where should such payments be made? Can we pay it to our local charity? [Question Published as Received]
The answer
In the event that a Damm penalty becomes binding, it must be discharged within the sacred confines of the Haram and ideally upon becoming due. The expiation payment cannot be discharged by way of donation to a local charity. If a person has departed the sacred lands and is no longer able to discharge this in the Haram, then it is permissible to delegate (Wakala) someone to discharge the penalty on one’s behalf in the Haram. The Damm payment should be discharged straightaway.
Fiqh basis
Imām Husām al-Dīn Sughnāqī (d.714 AH), in his commentary on the celebrated Hidayah highlights the discussion of the penalty incurred due to the Ihram violations. He confirms that the expiation payment must be made within the sacred precincts of the Haram. The Damm (penalty payment) is given as compensation for engaging in prohibited acts during Ihram, such as using perfume or shaving one’s head without a valid excuse.
The slaughtering of an animal is specifically designated to take place within the Haram, as only in this manner can the religious offerings related to hajj and umrah be acknowledged.
This constriction of location is essential by consensus, as the act of shedding blood can only be considered an act of worship at specific times or places. Examples of this include the udhiyyah sacrifice, which occurs at a designated time known as ayām an-nahr, or the expiatory blood offerings, which must be performed within the Haram. These religious guidelines are dictated by either time or location, referred to as muwaqqat bi al-zaman or makan. The Damm payment is not constrained by time as it can happen all year round, so it is primarily subject to the location restriction of the Haram in order to achieve the essence of qurbah(religious act) and to qualify the offering as an expiation.
In reference to the penalty for hunting, Almighty Allah mentions that a sacrificial animal must reach the Ka’bah, indicating that the location restriction is a fundamental principle for every offering required as expiation, specifying that it must be carried out within the boundaries of the Haram. However, the purpose of this restriction is not merely to shed blood, which would desecrate the sacred area; rather, the intention is to donate the meat amongst the needy after the animal has been slaughtered. Consequently, the meat of the animal must be given to the poor and needy, and in every instance where shedding blood is mandated for expiation during Hajj or Umrah, the offering is only valid if discharged within the sacred precinct of the Haram. The aforementioned line of reasoning adopted by Sughnāqī was championed by a remarkable cohort of early Hanafī Fuqahā, notably Imam al-Jaṣṣās (d. 370 AH) and Imām al-Sarakhsī (d. 483 AH).
And Allah knows best.
Maulana Ammar Y Badat
Reviewed and approved by Mufti Faraz Adam
References
ثُمَّ المراد هنا به الهدي الذي يذبحه في الحرم بطريق الجزاء عما باشره من محظورات الإحرام كالتطيب، والحلق في حالة العذر، وذلك مخصوص بالحرم بالاتفاق؛ لأن إراقة الدم لا يكون قربة إلا في وقت مخصوص كالتضحية، وهدي المتعة، والقران في أيام النحر، أو مكان مخصوص، وهو الحرم كما في دماء الكفارات، وهذا الدم غير مؤقت بالزمان، فيكون مختصًا بالمكان، وهو الحرم؛ ليتحقق في معنى القربة فيه، فيكون كفارة لفعله كما قال تعالى: {إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ} (١٠)، ولأن الله تعالى قال في جزاء الصيد: {هَدْيًا بَالِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ} (١١)، وذلك وجب بطريق الكفارة، فصار أصلًا في كل هدي وجب بطريق الكفارة في اختصاصه بالحرم، ثُمَّ ليس المراد من الاختصاص بالحرم عين إراقة الدم؛ لأن فيها تلويث الحرم إنما المقصود التصدق باللحم بعد الذبح، فعليه أن يتصدق بلحمه فكذلك كل دم وجب عليه بطريق الكفارة في شيء من أمر الحجّ والعمرة، فإنه لا يجزيه ذبحه إلا في الحرم، وعليه التصدق بلحمه بعد الذبح على فقراء الحرم، وإن تصدق على غيرهم من [الفقراء] (١٢) أجزأه عندنا؛ لأن الصدقة على كل فقير قربة (النهاية في شرح الهداية السغناقي).
(والدم يذبح بمكة) لا يجزيه في غيرها، والأصل فيه أن كل دم تعلق وجوبه بالإحرام: لم يجز ذبحه إلا بمكة، لقول الله تعالى: {هديًا بالغ الكعبة}، ولقوله تعالى: {ثم محلها إلى البيت العتيق}. ولاتفاق الفقهاء على أن هدي جزاء الصيد والمتعة لا يجزيان إلا في الحرم. والمعنى فيه أن وجوبه متعلق بالإحرام، وكذلك كل هدي هذا وصفه. (شرح مختصر الطحاوي للجصاص)
وَكَذَلِكَ كُلُّ دَمٍ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ بِطَرِيقِ الْكَفَّارَةِ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْحَجِّ أَوْ الْعُمْرَةِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُجْزِئُهُ ذَبْحُهُ إلَّا فِي الْحَرَمِ، وَعَلَيْهِ التَّصَدُّقُ بِلَحْمِهِ بَعْدَ الذَّبْحِ عَلَى فُقَرَاءِ الْحَرَمِ، وَإِنْ تَصَدَّقَ عَلَى غَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ الْفُقَرَاءِ أَجْزَأَهُ عِنْدَنَا؛ لِأَنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ عَلَى كُلِّ فَقِيرٍ قُرْبَةٌ. (المبسوط للسرخسي)
(قَوْلُهُ وَلَا يَجُوزُ ذَبْحُ الْهَدَايَا إلَّا فِي الْحَرَمِ) سَوَاءٌ كَانَ تَطَوُّعًا أَوْ غَيْرَهُ، قَالَ تَعَالَى فِي جَزَاءِ الصَّيْدِ {هَدْيًا بَالِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ} [المائدة: ٩٥] فَكَانَ أَصْلًا فِي كُلِّ دَمٍ وَجَبَ كَفَّارَةً، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى فِي دَمِ الْإِحْصَارِ {وَلا تَحْلِقُوا رُءُوسَكُمْ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ الْهَدْيُ مَحِلَّهُ} [البقرة: ١٩٦] وَقَالَ فِي الْهَدَايَا مُطْلَقًا {ثُمَّ مَحِلُّهَا إِلَى الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ} [الحج: ٣٣] وَلِأَنَّ الْهَدْيَ اسْمٌ لِمَا يُهْدَى إلَى مَكَان فَالْإِضَافَةُ ثَابِتَةٌ فِي مَفْهُومِهِ وَهُوَ الْحَرَمُ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ، وَيَجُوزُ الذَّبْحُ فِي أَيِّ مَوْضِعٍ شَاءَ مِنْ الْحَرَمِ وَلَا يَخْتَصُّ بِمِنًى. (فتح القدير لابن الهمام)
Based on the Hanafi school and on the question as it was asked. Another mufti may reach a different conclusion. Read the disclaimer.