Hadith: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) once sent sheep as Hady

عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: «أَهدَى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مَرَّةً غَنَمًا».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه]

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) once sent sheep as Hady.
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]

Explanation

In this Hadīth ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs about the Prophet’s Hady, the sacrificial animals sent to Makkah to be slaughtered at the Sacred House as a means of drawing close to Allah, the Almighty, and as an act of Sunnah. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) sent sheep and camels as Hady. According to the Sunnah, such animals should be slaughtered at the Sacred House, as a means of attaining nearness to the Almighty Lord, and should be distributed among the poor and needy there. As for the Hady that becomes due in Tamattu‘ (performing ‘Umrah during the Hajj season) or Qirān (assuming Ihrām for Hajj and ‘Umrah together) Hajj, or on account of failure to observe one of the obligatory rites of Hajj or because of committing a prohibited act, this is called Fidyah, which is an obligatory Hady. The Hady mentioned by ‘Ā’ishah, on the other hand, is a voluntary one, which a believer may send from his country or purchase on the way and bring to the Ka‘bah, seeking closeness to his Lord, Exalted and Glorified.