once passed by a man pulling a goat by its ear. The Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: “Leave its ear! Hold it near its neck.”^[1]

4) Sharpen the knife beforehand!

A further way to ensure a painless sacrifice, as taught by the Greatest Prophet    صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, is to sharpen the knife beforehand. The Merciful Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said لِيُحِدَّ اَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهٗ – “Let one of you sharpen his blade!”

Scholars state that animals also fear death, so the knife should be properly sharpened in advance, and it should not be shown to the animal right before slaughter.^[2]

The Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم once passed by a man who had placed a goat on the ground, holding its neck under his foot while sharpening his knife in front of it. The goat was watching him. The Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: "Could you not have done this before? Do you want to kill it multiple times? Why did you not sharpen your knife before laying it down?"^[3]

Some Manners of Slaughtering

Mawlana Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri has outlined several ways to ensure the comfort of the sacrificial animal: 

Before lowering a cow or similar animal, determine the direction of qibla. Dragging the animal on rocky or rough ground after laying it down to make it face the qibla causes unnecessary suffering.