V2:17 - Vowing to dedicate slaughtered animals to Imams or Sahabah

Vowing to dedicate slaughtered animals to Imams or Sahabah

Q: Some people vow to dedicate the meat of slaughtered animals to Imams and Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet). Is that permissible? Is it permissible for them to assign a portion of this meat for themselves? Guide us to the right answer.
A: Dedicating slaughtered animals, vows, candles or Sadaqah (voluntary charity) to the dead, prophets, Awliya (pious people), or Imams constitutes an act of Shirk (associating others with Allāh in His Divinity or worship). Vows and slaughtered animals should be dedicated to Allāh alone. Allāh (Glorified be He) says: Say (O Muhammad ﷺ ): "Verily, my Salāt (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allāh, the Lord of the Alamīn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims." Allāh (Glorified be He) also says: Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad ﷺ ) Al-Kauthar (a river in Paradise). Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only). It was authentically reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allāh curses those who slaughter animals to anyone other than Allāh. (Related by Muslim in his Sahih [authentic Hadith book]). Allāh (Glorified be He) also says: And whatever you spend for spendings (e.g., in Sadaqah - charity for Allāh's Cause) or whatever vow you make, be sure Allāh knows it all. The phrase "be sure Allāh knows it" means that Allāh will reward you for it. The Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said: Whosoever vows to obey Allāh must obey Him; and whosoever vows to disobey Allāh must refrain from disobeying Him. Vows are acts of Ibadah (worship) that glorify Allāh. Therefore, one would be glorifying creatures being by dedicating slaughtered animals to them. Since slaughtering animals is considered an act of "Ibadah with which the slaughterer's intention is to glorify Allāh, it is not befitting to offer it to anyone other than Allāh (Glorified and Exalted be He). Therefore, it is prohibited to dedicate slaughtered animals to the jinn, angels, Awliya or prophets with the purpose of seeking their Shafa`ah (intercession), curing ack person, returning a missing person, repaying a debt or anything else of the sort. Slaughtered animals must be dedicated to Allāh Alone (Glorified and Exalted be He). Some ignorant people vow to dedicate it to such and such a Shaykh or a Waliy (pious man) if Allāh cures ack person. It is an act of major Shirk (associating others with Allāh in His Divinity or worship that takes the Muslim out of Islām) to vow to do a good deed for the sake of such and such dead person while believing that he serves as an intermediary Those who practice this evil custom must turn to Allāh in repentance, give it up, and regret the sins they committed in the past. Allāh (may He be Glorified and exalted) accepts the repentance of those who turn to Him in repentance. There is nothing wrong,...