﴿لِّيَشْهَدُواْ مَنَـٰفِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُواْ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ فِىٓ أَيَّامٍۢ مَّعْلُومَـٰتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ ۖ فَكُلُواْ مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُواْ ٱلْبَآئِسَ ٱلْفَقِيرَ ٢٨﴾

That they may witness [i.e., attend] benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allāh on known [i.e., specific] days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.

[Al-Hajj 22:28]

 

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Table of Contents

Introduction. 1

Chapter 1: Introduction to Udhiyah and its rulings

  1. What is Udhiyah?. 3

  2. Why do we offer Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 4

  3. What is the reward for offering Udhiyah/Qurbani?. 5

  4. Why do Muslims offer Udhiyah or Qurbani? (Your Meat & Blood does not reach Allah) 6

  5. Is Offering Udhiyah/Qurbani mandatory?. 8

  6. What to do if one is not capable of offering the Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 9

  7. Good Deeds- Can we buy an animal or give money to poor to offer Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 10

  8. Can we give money to the poor instead of offering Udhiyah or Qurbani due to lockdown?. 11

  9. Who should offer the Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 12

Chapter 2: Offering Udhiyah on Behalf of Someone else or Delegating Someone

  1. Can we slaughter Udhiyah or Qurbani on behalf of the deceased?. 14

  2. Can I offer Udhiyah or Qurbani on behalf of an orphan from his own money?. 15

  3. Can we delegate someone to do the slaughtering on our behalf for Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 16

  4. Authorizing a delegate to slaughter on my behalf to eat, give charity, gifts from Udhiyah, Qurbani meat 17

  5. Sending money to one’s home country to offer sacrifice (Udhiyah or Qurbani) 18

Chapter 3: The Sacrificial Animal and Sharing in a Sacrifice

  1. What animal is better to offer Udhiyah when slaughtering alone or with someone?. 20

  2. Can we share a Camel or a Cow in offering Udhiyah / Qurbani or must it be Sheep?. 22

  3. What is best when it comes to selecting a sacrificial animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 23

  4. Minimum age of Sacrificial Animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani 25

  5. What are the 4 defects in an animal that makes the Udhiyah or Qurbani invalid? (the 1st and 2nd defect) 26

  6. The 3rd (Lameness) 4th (Emaciation) defects in a sacrificial animal (Udhiyah / Qurbani) 27

  7. Are the Defects that would render a sacrifice invalid limited to four?. 28

  8. Ears, Horns, Tail, Buttocks of a sacrificial animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani 29

  9. Sacrificial animal that has a hole in its ear, or its horn is broken, or its teeth have fallen. 30

  10. What to do if the sacrificial animal was stolen or pregnant?. 31

  11. Hadiths that state the Prophet ﷺ‎ chose castrated animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani 32

Chapter 4: The Number of Sacrifices to be Offered

  1. Is One sacrifice (Udhiyah or Qurbani) sufficient for the entire household?. 34

  2. If I have more than one wife, must I offer separate Udhiyah or Qurbani for each household?. 35

Chapter 5: The Intention for Sacrifice

  1. Can I change my mind after making an intention to offer Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 37

  2. Can I sell a sacrificial animal that I bought for my Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 38

  3. Slaughtered Udhiyah or Qurbani but forgot to make intention (Niyyah) 39

  4. I sacrificed sheep but forgot to include family members in my intention, how to expiate?. 40

Chapter 6: Refraining from Cutting Nails & Hair

  1. Who should refrain from cutting nails and hair before sacrificing Udhiyah/Qurbani?. 42

  2. Does combing hair, having some of it fall out affect validity of Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 43

  3. Is family also prohibited from cutting nails & hair before offering Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 44

  4. Validity of Udhiyah or Qurbani if one cuts his nails or hair?. 45

Chapter 7: The Time for Offering the Udhiyah

  1. Time for offering Udhiyah or Qurbani 47

  2. End time for offering Udhiyah or Qurbani 48

Chapter 8: The Etiquettes and Sunnah of Slaughtering

  1. Who should do the actual slaughtering of Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 50

  2. Sunnah for the animal and the one slaughtering to face the qibla. 51

  3. The Sunnah is to lay the animal to be slaughtered on its left side facing the qiblah. 52

  4. Etiquettes of slaughtering an animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani (Sharpen Knife) 53

  5. What to say when slaughtering Udhiyah or Qurbani?. 54

Chapter 9: Distribution of the Meat

  1. What to do with Udhiyah or Qurbani meat?. 56

  2. How to distribute Udhiyah or Qurbani meat?. 57

  3. It is mandatory to give part of your Udhiyah or Qurbani meat in charity. 58

  4. What to do with the animal’s skin after doing the slaughtering (Udhiyah or Qurbani)?. 59

  5. After Udhiyah or Qurbani is done, can I sell some of its meat or skin to make money?. 60

  6. Ruling on saving or keeping part of the Udhiyah or Qurbani meat 61

  7. Can we give Udhiyah or Qurbani meat to non-Muslims as a gift or charity?. 62

  8. If butcher is poor or friend can we give him part of Udhiyah meat as gift or charity?. 63

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Introduction

This series will discuss about some of the fiqhi rulings pertaining to what is known as Udhiyah. This terminology may be new to you as the vast majority of the Muslims who speak Urdu would call it “Qurbani.” But we tend to relate people to the Islamic terminology, which is Udhiyah. And this will come to you in points, so this series is short, concise, but hopefully, to the point.

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Udhiyah and its rulings

1. What is Udhiyah?

Udhiyah is a sacrifice that the Muslims slaughter during the days of Eid al-Adha, which coincides with the 10th, 11th, 12th and the 13th of the last month in the Hijri year known as Dhul-Hijjah. So, what are we to slaughter as a sacrifice? Chicken? Seafood, Fish? Horses? No. It is limited only to grazing livestock. So, you can slaughter and sacrifice camels, cows, sheep and goats.

And you do this with the intention of getting closer to Allah. And it is called Udhiyah – as some scholars say – because it is slaughtered at the time of Duhaa, which is after the prayer of Eid. We’ll get to talk about that In Shaa Allah.

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2. Why do we offer Udhiyah or Qurbani?

Udhiyah (known as Qurbani in Urdu) was mandated to the Muslims in the second year of Hijrah. And it is something that is part of Islam. How do we know? Because we find it in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and the consensus of Muslim jurors and scholars about it. Allah says in the Qur’an:

﴿فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَٱنْحَرْ ٢﴾

“So pray to your Lord and sacrifice to Him alone.” [108:2]

“Sacrifice,” and this is done on Eid Al-Adha. And also, Allah says in the Qur’an:

﴿وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍۢ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا لِّيَذْكُرُواْ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ ۗ ﴾

And for every [religious] community We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allāh over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. [22:34]

So, this is something that is mentioned in the Qur’an and the Prophet ﷺ did this himself. He used to offer a sacrifice every single year, and all the Muslims for the past 15 centuries have been continuing to follow this beautiful ritual.

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3. What is the reward for offering Udhiyah/Qurbani?

Udhiyah has a great reward at the side of Allah. Yet, we do not have a prescribed reward for it. So, it’s not like building a mansion for you in Jannah or giving you this and that. However, there are a number of fabricated hadiths, not only on Udhiyah but on other things and topics as well, and they’re being circulated among the Muslims unfortunately, due to Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. So, be careful not to circulate any of these fabricated hadiths until you verify that it is authentic.

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4. Why do Muslims offer Udhiyah or Qurbani? (Your Meat & Blood does not reach Allah)

There are a number of rulings that are present when we offer Udhiyah.

So, the first ruling is that when we slaughter our sacrifice and Udhiyah we are actually getting closer to Allah by worshipping Him and executing what He ordered us to do. Allah says in the Qur’an:

﴿لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ ﴾

Their meat (i.e., the meat of the living stock, the meat of our sacrifice) will not reach Allāh, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you.

[Al-Hajj 22:37]

So, always remember this. When you slaughter, does Allah benefit from the meat or the blood? No. But this is a form of worship that we ourselves are benefitting from – where Allah elevates our status in Jannah because we are doing this. Secondly, we are reviving the sunnah, not only of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, but also of our Prophet Ibraheem when Allah descended a sacrifice to be exchanged instead of slaughtering his own son Isma’eel. Thirdly, we express our gratitude to Allah for His multiple and enormous favors and blessings that are beyond count. Among them is the blessing of livestock.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

﴿لِّيَشْهَدُواْ مَنَـٰفِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُواْ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ فِىٓ أَيَّامٍۢ مَّعْلُومَـٰتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ ۖ ﴾

That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allāh on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals.

[Al-Hajj 22:28]

Also, we share with the vast number of Muslims worldwide (on this globe), where they all do the same sacrifice like us. So, there is this bond, this unity between us. And we are all sharing the same thing with the pilgrims who are offering the rituals of Hajj when they also offer their sacrifice.

Finally, when we offer the sacrifice of Udhiyah, we expand our expenditures by eating from this meat, by offering gifts to our friends and relatives, by sharing some of this charity with the poor on the day of Eid so no one would need food or be obliged to beg others for what they consume.

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  1. Is Offering Udhiyah/Qurbani mandatory?

People ask, “What is the ruling of Udhiyah?” And the scholars have differed upon this ruling. The vast majority of Muslims say that it is an emphatic sunnah, a highly recommended sunnah. Some portion of the scholars went to say that it is mandatory. And this is the opinion of Abu Haneefah and one of the narrations of Imam Maalik and Imam Ahmad. This is also the choice of Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah, so it is not befitting for a Muslim who is capable financially not to offer it.

However, the most authentic opinion (to gather all different opinions) is that it is mandatory upon those who are financially capable. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Whoever has the financial ability and he does not offer the Udhiyah then he should not approach our Musalla where we offer our Eid prayer.” But this is not a hadith related to the Prophet ﷺ, this is the opinion of Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him).

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6. What to do if one is not capable of offering the Udhiyah or Qurbani?

“I don’t have money, so what should I do? Everybody is slaughtering Udhiyah, everybody is offering the sacrifice”

If you are able to pay it off, there is no problem in borrowing and offering the Udhiyah now and paying it off later on, as in the case of an employee who gets his salary on a monthly basis. So, if you borrow to offer the Udhiyah anticipating that your salary is going to come after a couple of weeks and then pay off your debt, there is no problem.

If you can buy it through installments in a halal way, there is no problem. But if you are truly poor and you do not have the means to pay your loan back, then it is not recommended at all for you to occupy yourself with a debt that you do not have the means to pay off. It does not become mandatory upon you, not even recommended. So, skip it and next year, In sha Allah, Allah will give you the means to do it.

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7. Good Deeds – Can we buy an animal or give money to poor to offer Udhiyah or Qurbani?

Part of the good deeds that we can offer in these beautiful ten days of the beginning of the month of Dhul Hijjah [is] what is related to Udhiyah. What is that? Sometimes, I have wealth that Allah has blessed me with, so I can buy an Udhiyah and give it to the poor so that they offer the slaughtering for themselves and I would make them happy for that, or give them the money that would enable them to buy their own sacrifice and offer their Udhiyah.

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (May Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet ﷺ used to divide Udhiyah between his companions, meaning that he would give them rams and cows and camels so that they would offer that as if it’s from their own money.

And let’s assume [that] I am someone who is supposed to slaughter like six or seven Udhiyah – one on my behalf, one for a cousin, one because my father wrote in his will that I do that every year, so I can also make the poor happy by giving them from it, by giving them authorization, [by telling them]: “Buy this sheep or take this sheep and slaughter it in front of your children on the day of Eid so that they would be happy, and the meat is for you to distribute as per the sunnah.” This would make them happy and you’ll be rewarded twice for that.

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8. Can we give money to the poor instead of offering Udhiyah or Qurbani due to lockdown?

Many people ask: “With the lockdown (during the time of Covid-19), we won’t be able to offer the sacrifice. So can we give the money to the poor directly?” The answer is no; this is a ritual, you cannot substitute it with something else. During the lockdown, people did not stop eating meat, which means that they kept on slaughtering and consuming meat – business as usual. Why is it on the Day of Eid that Shayṭān is making us think that we won’t be able to sacrifice, hence we won’t be able to distribute the meat? No, we will be able to do that In Sha Allah. Whenever there is a will, there is a way. So, it does not suffice to give the poor the amount of this sacrifice.

Sa’eed ibn Al-Musayyib (May Allah have mercy on his soul), one of the great tabi’een, said: “For me to give sacrifice with a sheep on the Eid of Adha is more beloved to me than to give a hundred dirhams as charity.” So, what counts is what Allah tells you to do, not what you feel is better for you to do. I could have a horse that costs $10,000, way more expensive than any sheep or ram, so if I slaughter it on the day of Hajj or on the day of Eid for the sake of Allah, would it suffice? The answer is no. Because Allah told you to sacrifice only from the specific categories [that] He told us. So, a horse doesn’t do the job. If you slaughter something that is very expensive but it is not a camel, cow, sheep or goat, it doesn’t do the job either.

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9. Who should offer the Udhiyah or Qurbani?

Udhiyah is recommended for all, whether male or female, whether you are a resident or traveling, whether you live in rural areas or in the city, or you live as a nomad. As long as you are a Muslim, whether you live in the lands of Islam or you live somewhere else, it is highly recommended for all; except it is not recommended for a pilgrim – and this is the opinion of Imam Maalik – a pilgrim does not offer Udhiyah, he offers Hady, and this is a different category of sacrifice.

Hady is done by the pilgrims. This is the opinion and choice of Ibn Taymiyyah, of Ibn Al-Qayyim, and also of Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (May Allah have mercy on them all).

Yes, there are other scholars who said that even a pilgrim can offer Udhiyah, but the most authentic [opinion] is that everyone can offer Udhiyah, except for the pilgrim. If he were to offer a sacrifice, it is highly recommended for him to do that as Hady.

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Chapter 2: Offering Udhiyah on Behalf of Someone else or Delegating Someone

10. Can we slaughter Udhiyah or Qurbani on behalf of the deceased?

The Prophet ﷺ used to offer Udhiyah on behalf of the living and include anyone else in it from the deceased, this is legitimate. He never offered a separate Udhiyah for mother Khadeejah for example, or for his uncle Hamzah, and they were beloved to his heart. So, he offered only one ram for himself and his family.

So, you are supposed to slaughter one ram or sheep, and there is no problem in including in the same ram or sheep – your deceased parents, your uncles, your aunts, all your loved ones, unless the deceased had written in their will that “Every single Eid Al-Adha you do Udhiyah on my behalf after my death from the income you get from this building or from this plot or from this shop.” So, if he made that as a will and it is less than one-third of what he possesses of his wealth, then there is no problem in that, In sha Allah.

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  1. Can I offer Udhiyah or Qurbani on behalf of an orphan from his own money?

 

When I come to offer sacrifice, it is a must that I possess what I am offering as Udhiyah. I cannot go to my neighbor’s house and take a sheep and offer it as Udhiyah. I cannot steal one because I cannot do something with what I do not possess. Either I possess it by buying, or as a gift, or I inherit it, or it is reproducing in my possession.

It is permissible for me to sacrifice if I am the guardian of an orphan, and this orphan – let’s assume he is my nephew – he is young like 10-12 years of age (did not reach the age of puberty), and he would love to offer sacrifice. So, if he would love this and he has a lot of money, then it is permissible for me to offer, from his wealth, this Udhiyah, so that he would be happy. Yet it is not permissible, as some scholars say, that I offer ṣadaqah and charity from it because this is from his money to himself, I cannot give charity from his own money because he is not accountable yet. So, what I slaughter, I should keep all for him.

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  1. Can we delegate someone to do the slaughtering on our behalf for Udhiyah or Qurbani?

If you started the slaughtering or there were many animals to slaughter, and you would like to delegate it, this is totally permissible. If from the beginning you don’t want to slaughter, it is no problem for you to delegate someone else to do the slaughtering for you – like a professional butcher or someone who is pious and fearing Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ offered 63 slaughterings with his own hand. He had offered a hundred camels for sacrifice for Hady in Hajj and he slaughtered 63 [from them] himself, then he gave the knife to Ali (his cousin) and he finished the rest of them.

And it’s best that you delegate and authorize someone who’s fearing Allah and at the same time someone who knows how to do the slaughtering: according to the sunnah, not torturing the animal and doing it in the best of ways.

Al-Qarafi says: the people used to select for their sacrifice those who are religious, those who are pious, and it is best to do that for your sacrifice.

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  1. Authorizing a delegate to slaughter on my behalf to eat, give charity, gifts from Udhiyah, Qurbani meat

 

It is permissible to delegate others to offer the Udhiyah on my behalf. It is also permissible to delegate this person and authorize him to eat from it, to give to others, and to give in charity, there is no problem in that.

And we have mentioned this earlier when we said that this would bring joy and happiness to the hearts of the poor. If I have a poor neighbor or a relative and I give him a sheep and I say, “I delegate you and I authorize you to slaughter it on my behalf, and you may eat from it, you may give in charity from it, and you may give gifts from it,” then this is a double rewarded Udhiyah. But if I did not delegate him, then he has to do the slaughtering and bring it back to me.

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  1. Sending money to one’s home country to offer sacrifice (Udhiyah or Qurbani)

 

“We often see people delegating their Udhiyah elsewhere, so is this permissible?”

The sunnah is that you slaughter in the city you live in so you get the chance to follow the sunnah in eating from your own Udhiyah. And this is the norm. But if there are a lot of Udhiyas and very little poor people, so who will I give it to? In this case, if I know of a country that is more needy than us, and we have a lot of meat and we don’t have poor people, in this case, there is no problem in distributing it abroad.

But what about the expatriates (someone who works overseas and his family is back home)? So if I slaughter, I will be the only one eating from it, and I am a single person while my wife and kids are back home. In this case, I would advise you to give or to send them the money to buy an Udhiyah, and they would slaughter in their home and eat from it (the whole family), and give it to the poor and the needy and their loved ones.

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Chapter 3: The Sacrificial Animal and Sharing in a Sacrifice

  1. What animal is better to offer Udhiyah when slaughtering alone or with someone?

So, if you say that we can share in part of a camel or a cow, can we share in one sheep? Meaning that we’re two brothers, he pays half and I pay half, and we slaughter one sheep? The answer is no. One sheep can only be offered by a single person for himself and on behalf of those dependent on him. But you can share, if you want, in a camel or a cow.

So, let us ask another question: What is best to offer as a sacrifice? Well, this depends – is it shared or is it only for you? I will answer both. If I have an option between sharing in a camel or doing it alone with a ram, then doing it alone with a ram is definitely better. However, if I have chosen to do it by myself, then the best animal to slaughter between a camel, a cow and a ram is the camel. Why would you say this? Because the Prophet ﷺ offered his Udhiyah with a ram, but if he were to offer something without sharing – and he ﷺ did that – he would do that with a camel because a camel is higher in all other types. So, the Prophet says, for example, regarding ghusl of Jumu’ah: “Whoever performs ghusl for Jumu’ah and then goes early on the first hour of Friday, it is as if he sacrificed a camel. If he went in the second hour, it is as if he sacrificed a cow. If he went in the third hour, it is as if he sacrificed a horned ram,”[1] which means that the best of sacrifice and the highest grade of them is a camel.

But, as I said before, this is when you slaughter and offer the sacrifice only for yourself without sharing it with anyone else. If I had the option of either sharing a cow or a camel or separately slaughtering and sacrificing a sheep, then this is definitely better. But if I had the options of either slaughtering a cow or a camel only for myself, or a ram – then no, sacrificing a cow or a camel is better because it’s greater.

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  1. Can we share a Camel or a Cow in offering Udhiyah / Qurbani or must it be Sheep?

 

You often say ‘Udhiyah with a sheep or a ram’, but then you also say that we can offer Udhiyah with livestock. So can we slaughter a camel or a cow? The answer is yes. However, due to the fact that a camel or a cow has more meat than a sheep, therefore, in Islam, what suffices through one sheep is equivalent to 1/7th  (one-seventh) of a camel or a cow, which means that I can offer one sheep for my house and my dependents.

But if I want to take part in a cow or a camel, I can join six others. So, the seven of us would each have one-seventh of this cow or camel, and this one-seventh would be the same as a single sheep, and it is not necessary for all seven to be offering Udhiyah. So for example, we can come on the day of Eid, and two of us want 2/7th of this cow for Udhiyah, and the rest is being bought by an individual who wants the meat only, he doesn’t want to offer Udhiyah – so he takes his 5/7th to store in his freezer. There is no problem in that and this is totally legit.

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17. What is best when it comes to selecting a sacrificial animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani?

 

“What is best when it comes to selecting and choosing my sacrifice?”

Well, scholars say [that] the best of sacrifices is the healthiest, the fattest (the one that has more meat than the others), and the one that looks nice.

Abu Umaamah ibn Sahl says: “We used to make our Udhiyah fat during Madinah, and all the Muslims used to take care of their Udhiyah prior to the day of slaughtering, and feeding it a lot.”

Anas ibn Maalik (May Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet ﷺ used to offer Udhiyah with two big rams (horned rams) that were white mixed with black.[2] In other narrations, it is said that this ram is white, ‘walking in black, looking in black’. Meaning that the area around its eyes was black, and its hooves and legs were black, but the whole thing was white.

So, this means that the Prophet ﷺ used to take and select the best possible sacrifice to Allah. Not like what people do when they check online and try to send the least amount of money to poor countries, or refugee camps, or poor Muslim areas. This is totally wrong and an indication of the reward that you’ll be getting on the Day of Judgement.

Select the best, the most expensive! So that you are sacrificing something for the sake of Allah and you anticipate the reward as well.

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  1. Minimum age of Sacrificial Animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani

 

So, can we sacrifice any type of animal? The answer is no. There is a specific, minimum age. And this is that all animals must be in the age of Musinnah. “What is the age of Musinnah yā sheikh?”

The minimum age of camels is 5 years. So, 5 years and above is okay, 4 years and 11 months is not okay. This does not suffice.

What about cows? Cows – 2 years and above. So, the minimum is 2 years.

What about goats? Goats – the minimum is one year, above is okay. Less [than that] – it’s not okay.

What about sheep? Sheep is an exception, usually sheep should have been a year old or more, but it is an exception where the Prophet ﷺ said that Al-Jadha’ah – which is 6 months of age and above. You cannot slaughter or sacrifice something that is below that.

And this age is what you’re recommended to do, it is not permissible to go below it, but it is permissible to go above it. And Allah knows best.

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19. What are the 4 defects in an animal that makes the Udhiyah or Qurbani invalid? (the 1st and 2nd defect)

 

When you offer sacrifice to Allah, you have to be really careful because whatever you offer represents your Imaan. So, if you offer something cheap, then this represents that you have weak Imaan.

You have to select the best, as we have stated earlier. But the Prophet ﷺ has said that there are 4 defects in a Udhiyah that does not make it valid to offer. So, if even one of them is present in the animal, then you cannot offer it as sacrifice.

1- An obvious defect in one eye: So, if this animal has an eye that is sunken in its socket or if it sticks out like a button or it is white and absolutely defective, you cannot offer it as an Udhiyah.

2- If there is obvious sickness in it: So, it is always in high fever, it is always not capable of grazing with other animals, doesn’t have a good appetite, it cannot manage to be healthy and you can clearly see that, then this doesn’t work with the Udhiyah.

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20. The 3rd (Lameness) 4th (Emaciation) defects in a sacrificial animal (Udhiyah / Qurbani)

 

The third defect is when it’s obviously limping (i.e., when it limps, if there is lameness). “So what sheikh? We are not going to race with it.” Yes, you are not going to race with it, but it won’t be able to keep up with other animals in grazing which would impact the way it grazes. And when you look at it walking and limping, you would not choose it for yourself, then how dare you choose it for Allah?!

And finally, the fourth defect in it – when there is emaciation. And this means that it is so skinny that there is no marrow in the bones. And this is something, again when you look at it, you wouldn’t give it to your guests, you wouldn’t offer it to your relatives, so how dare you offer it to Allah the Almighty?

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21. Are the Defects that would render a sacrifice invalid limited to four?

So, these 4 defects would render a sacrifice invalid. Are we limited to these defects? No, there can be something even worse.

So, a one-eyed animal is invalid, but if it is totally blind, then this is even worse.

A sick animal or a very skinny animal is not valid, but if it is about to die or a dying animal due to this illness that it has, this would definitely not do.

If an animal is not limping, but it has one of its limbs amputated, then this is definitely worse than a lame animal.

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22. Ears, Horns, Tail, Buttocks of a sacrificial animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani

 

If the ear or the horns or the tail or the buttocks of a sheep do not exist by birth, then this is valid without a problem, In Sha Allah.

But if is introduced to it – so some people come to the ears of their sheep and they cut it with scissors or put holes into it as a way to identify it, this is makrooh (disliked) yet it works. It is possible, except for a sheep that has lost its buttocks – the fat that it has underneath the tail – because this would make it a defect. And people, when they buy a sheep and it doesn’t have this important part, they would not accept it for themselves.

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23. Sacrificial animal that has a hole in its ear, or its horn is broken, or its teeth have fallen

 

What is the ruling on an animal that has a hole in its ears or they cut it either through the length or the width of the ears themselves, or some of its teeth have fallen out, or its horn was broken? Offering it as an Udhiyah is valid, but this is not the best you can get.

So, it is makrooh (disliked) to offer, but it does the job. It is permissible for you to offer. It depends on how close you want to get to Allah.

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24. What to do if the sacrificial animal was stolen or pregnant?

 

Among the rulings of the sheep that is chosen to be for Udhiyah- what happens if it were to be stolen? So, three days before Eid, I bought my sheep [and] it’s in my house, and all of a sudden somebody broke into the house and stole it and ran away with it. Well, if it was protected and I did not do any form of negligence or transgression, then I do not have to buy another one, this suffices. And this is between me and Allah; Allah knows that I did my level best to protect and to keep it in a safe place but somebody broke in, and there is nothing on my part.

And finally, what happens if I were to buy a sheep that was pregnant and on the day of Eid it gave birth to a small sheep (a small lamb)? Well, in this case, I have to slaughter both the mother and the lamb because it takes the same ruling – both of them are to be sacrificed for the sake of Allah.

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25. Hadiths that state the Prophet ﷺ‎ chose castrated animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani

 

“I am confused. There are hadiths that stated that the Prophet ﷺ offered his Udhiyah with castrated sheep, rams, and [in] other hadiths, he ordered Udhiyah with a full ram – not castrated. So which one should we choose?”

Akhi, both are authentic. However, when you look at what is more delicious (meat wise), castrated rams have better meat. But when you look at the sacrifice as full and complete, this (i.e., the uncastrated ram) is better than the castrated one.

So, both were done by the Prophet ﷺ and you can do the same as well.

۞۞۞

 

Chapter 4: The Number of Sacrifices to be Offered

  1. Is One sacrifice (Udhiyah or Qurbani) sufficient for the entire household?

 

In Udhiyah, if you slaughter one sheep, this suffices for the individual and those dependent on him. So, let’s assume there is a family, and the head of the family is a widowed wife – the mother (her husband died). If she sacrifices on her behalf, this includes all those who live in her house.

If a married woman sacrifices on her behalf and on behalf of her husband (who lives with her) and her children, this is all sufficient in one sacrifice. Unlike what people think in some Muslim countries that for seven people or nine people living in the same house, each one has to offer a sacrifice for himself – no this is wrong and a financial burden.

I know people in some Muslim countries who are poor, yet they force themselves every single year to offer a sacrifice for each individual, and this is not part of the sunnah.

Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansaari (May Allah be pleased with him), he used to say that a man amongst them used to slaughter only one sheep for himself and on behalf of his family, and they used to eat from it and feed others.

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  1. If I have more than one wife, must I offer separate Udhiyah or Qurbani for each household?

 

If one has more than one wife, and he has maybe two homes, three homes, four homes, so does he need one Udhiyah for each? The answer is no. The Prophet ﷺ had nine wives, and he only slaughtered one sheep, but he was equal in distributing the meat upon them all, and he would not be unfair or unjust and give more meat to one than the others. He would be equal.

So, if you have more than one house and they are all dependent on you, one sheep still suffices.

۞۞۞

 

Chapter 5: The Intention for Sacrifice

  1. Can I change my mind after making an intention to offer Udhiyah or Qurbani?

 

Suppose I intended to sacrifice my Udhiyah but I did not buy it, or I did not appoint a particular Udhiyah. Can I change my mind? The answer is yes, there is no obligation – it is a highly recommended sunnah, it is an emphatic sunnah as the majority of scholars follow this opinion. As long as you do not follow [the opinion] that it is mandatory for wealthy people, then yes, you can change your intention.

But if you had already bought it and you assigned it to be your Udhiyah, you cannot change your intention and call it a day, you are obliged to slaughter it.

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  1. Can I sell a sacrificial animal that I bought for my Udhiyah or Qurbani?

“Now, I have the Udhiyah ready in my home, what are the rules that I must follow?” First of all, I cannot transfer its ownership by selling it or giving it away because now, it has taken the ruling of a ‘vowed’ item. So, I went to the market, I bought a sheep, and brought it home. My intention, which everybody knows, is that this is my Udhiyah. Then my neighbor saw it and said “Woah! This is a beautiful animal. I’ll give you fifty percent profit if you sell it to me.” [I say] “50%! That’s a lot of money! Take it.” No, this is haram. Can I give it to him? No, because this animal was chosen by me to be a sacrifice. So, it is like a vow – I cannot change it unless, as some scholars say, I buy something else. So, if it is a sheep, and now I want to upgrade it, so I am going to buy a more expensive sheep or a camel instead of a sheep, then there is no problem in that.

Also, I can sell it or change my intention if it was defected in a way that cannot be used. So, if this is the case, I can do that and sell it and get rid of it because it can’t work as a sacrifice, unless this happened to it without any transgression or negligence from my side. So, it’s in my house, it’s protected and well-fed, but all of a sudden it lost one eye, maybe another sheep came, unanticipated, and did that to it. In this case, as there was no transgression or negligence from my side, then it would suffice.

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  1. Slaughtered Udhiyah or Qurbani but forgot to make intention (Niyyah)

 

Udhiyah is a form of worship, this is a ritual. And this ritual is identified by the niyyah.

However, a lot of the Muslims get confused with their niyyah, so we get people asking: “Sheikh I slaughtered my Udhiyah but I did not have the prior niyyah for that.” Akhi, this is not needed. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Verily deeds are judged by intentions and everyone has what he intended.” Therefore, this niyyah is required so that we can segregate between a form of worship and what is customary or a habit. And buying the Udhiyah, identifying the Udhiyah and slaughtering it on time after the prayer of Eid, this is sufficient.

So, don’t get confused and don’t allow Shayṭān to mess with your head. What you have done is correct and your Udhiyah is accepted.

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  1. I sacrificed sheep but forgot to include family members in my intention, how to expiate?

 

“I sacrificed a sheep but I forgot to intend my wife and families and dependents that are living with me in the house, so what can I do? How can I expiate this?”

Well, you don’t have to expiate anything, akhi. By slaughtering this sheep on your behalf, whether you intended or not, your whole family is included in it i.e., those who live under your roof and eat from your kitchen.

Let us understand this again, so if I live in a joint family, and I have three of my sons living with me and they’re married and they have children, and they all eat from my kitchen because my wife is the one who cooks and they contribute but it’s my house, is it [that] one sheep is sufficient for all of us? The answer is yes, one sheep is sufficient for all of you.

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Chapter 6: Refraining from Cutting Nails and Hair

  1. Who should refrain from cutting nails and hair before sacrificing Udhiyah/Qurbani?

It’s part of the well-known Sunnah that when a person intends to offer Udhiyah, and the beginning of the month of Dhul Hijjah approaches, they must refrain from clipping their nails or removing any body hair.

Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whenever the ten [days of Dhul Hijjah] begins, and one of you intends to offer the Udhiyah, they must not touch anything from their hair or body at all.”[3] In another narration, it is stated: “They must not remove anything from their hair or nails until they offer their sacrifice.”

Imam Nawawi clarified that this prohibition includes any means of removing nails or hair, such as clipping, shaving, shortening, plucking, burning, or using creams. It encompasses all types of hair, including underarm hair, mustache, pubic hair, hair on the head, and all body hair. One should not remove anything, even before the Eid prayer, not even with the intention of beautifying yourself for Salah. Even if the Udhiyah is postponed from the first day of Eid to the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, refraining from touching hair and nails remains necessary until offering the sacrifice.

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  1. Does combing hair, having some of it fall out affect validity of Udhiyah or Qurbani?

 

When we say it’s prohibited to cut your nails or hair (when you want to offer the Udhiyah) in the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, this is in normal conditions. But if a person is forced to do that as in the case where my nail breaks and if I leave it, it harms me and it brings hardship to me, or if I have some hair falling into my eyes and I am unable to see, or I have a wound in my head and they have to shave some of my head to do the stitches, then there is no problem in doing that.

And also, there is no problem in combing my hair; if some of the hair would fall out, this is totally okay.

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  1. Is family also prohibited from cutting nails & hair before offering Udhiyah or Qurbani?

 

The prohibition from taking anything from your nails or hair is only for the person who is offering the Udhiyah and not for his family.

So, if I am the one who is offering the Udhiyah, my wife, my children, those dependent on me do not share the same ruling of the prohibition of clipping the nails or cutting the hair.

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  1. Validity of Udhiyah or Qurbani if one cuts his nails or hair?

 

So, if a person intending to offer Udhiyah clips his nails or shaves his mustache or beard – May Allah have mercy on us all – does this impact his Udhiyah? Is it invalidated? The answer is no; this is a separate sin. Your Udhiyah is still intact; you have to proceed, but ask Allah for forgiveness for the sins that you have committed.

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Chapter 7: The Time for Offering the Udhiyah

  1. Time for offering Udhiyah or Qurbani

 

It is a must that you begin at the prescribed time and end before the time ends. So, when does the prescribed time for offering your Udhiyah start? It starts after the conclusion of the Eid prayer. So, we know that the Eid prayer comes first – two raka’ahs, and then we have the khutbah. After the prayer is over, people do not have to stay and listen to the khutbah, to the oration, they can leave. So, they can start to slaughter then, because the Prophet ﷺ said: The first thing we do on the Day of Eid is we pray, then we shall go and slaughter our sacrifice. Whoever does this, he has attained our sunnah.[4]

So, if you slaughter before the prayer of Eid, your slaughter is invalid. This is meat that you can eat, but it is not counted as your sacrifice.

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  1. End time for offering Udhiyah or Qurbani

So, we learn that the time for Udhiyah is after the Eid prayer. When does it end? Well, scholars say that the end time for offering your Udhiyah is the sunset of the third day of the days of Tashreeq.

What are ‘the days of Tashreeq,’? We have four days in Eid Al-Adha. The first day is the day of Eid – known as Eid Al-Adha, yawm an-naḥr (the Day of Slaughtering), and this is the 10th of Dhul Hijjah. Then we have the first day which is the 11th, then the 12th and the 13th of Dhul Hijjah. This 13th day, you can slaughter until sunset. When the sun sets, it is over.

But what is the best time of all? The best time of all is [on] the day of Eid after the prayer of Eid, and if it is not possible, then in the evening, and if that is not possible, then on the 11th, then on the 12th, then on the 13th before sunset. The earlier the better. And to do it during the day time is better than doing it in the night time. And, In Sha Allah, once you do it, then it is valid.

What about if it is missed – the sun had already set on the 13th day? Then in this case, you have lost the opportunity to offer your sacrifice (Udhiyah) on time and it is invalid, but if someone had made a vow to offer it, then he has to offer it even after the sun sets, because he is fulfilling his vow commitment and he has to distribute the meat as usual.

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Chapter 8: The Etiquettes and Sunnah of Slaughtering

  1. Who should do the actual slaughtering of Udhiyah or Qurbani?

 

Who is more recommended to do the actual slaughtering? Well, the sunnah is for you to do the slaughtering with your own hand if you have knowledge of it. If you are going to torture your Udhiyah – then no, please stay away from it. But if you have a strong heart and you know how to do it, then go ahead and do the slaughtering yourself.

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  1. Sunnah for the animal and the one slaughtering to face the qibla

 

It is a highly recommended sunnah that I, the one doing the sacrifice, and my animal are facing the qiblah, but it is not mandatory. It is highly recommended.

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whenever one of you is offering his slaughtering, then he should keep the animal between himself and the qiblah.

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  1. The Sunnah is to lay the animal to be slaughtered on its left side facing the qiblah

 

When it comes to slaughtering, the sunnah is to make the cow and the sheep lie on their left side while you and the cow are facing the qiblah. So, it’s not from the sunnah to slaughter a cow or a sheep while they’re standing or sitting/kneeling; no, they have to be laid down – this is more kind to them.

And the sunnah is to hold the head with the left hand and the knife with the right, and then you do the slaughtering. But if you are lefty (left-handed), then there is no problem in doing the opposite – putting them on their right-hand side and reversing the whole thing.

As for the camels, the camel is so huge [that] you cannot put it on its side, so the sunnah is to do something called an-naḥr, wherein you stab it in the neck. So, it is standing on three legs, and the left front foot or knee is tied up, as it can balance on three legs. Once you do the naḥr, it falls on its side, and then it dies.

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  1. Etiquettes of slaughtering an animal for Udhiyah or Qurbani (Sharpen Knife)

 

Part of the etiquette and sunnah of slaughtering an animal is to have mercy on the animal itself. So, just because you’re about to slaughter it, [it’s not that] you can kick it or abuse it. Muhammad ibn Sireen (May Allah have mercy on his soul), one of the great tabi’een, said that Umar ibn Al-Khattab saw a man once pulling a sheep from its leg so that he could slaughter it. So Umar said, “Shame on you! Drive it nicely to its death. Pull it nicely. Don’t torture it twice.”

And the sunnah is that you sharpen your knife which is part of being kind to the animal when slaughtering so [that] it cannot feel the pain.

The Prophet ﷺ said[5]: Allah has mandated Al-Iḥsaan. Allah has mandated kindness in everything. So even when you kill, you have to be kind in killing. When you slaughter, you have to be kind in slaughtering. And one must sharpen his blade so that he would give comfort to the animal.

One must not sharpen the blade in front of the sheep that is watching. And he definitely must not slaughter a sheep while its sisters, that is, of the sheep, are watching. This is definitely not part of Islam.

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  1. What to say when slaughtering Udhiyah or Qurbani?

It is part of the sunnah, yet it is also mandatory that when you start to slaughter, you say: “bismillah” – mentioning the name of Allah is important – and you say “Allahu akbar,” and you make a du’a. The Prophet ﷺ used to say this: “Bismillah, wallahu akbar, O Allah this is from you and to you. O Allah accept it from me.”

Of course, if you just say bismillah, that would be sufficient. But it is part of the sunnah to say this and to acknowledge that this is from Allah and to Him. And if you are doing it on behalf of someone else, then you should say: “O Allah, this is from you and to you. O Allah accept it from (the name)” eg: Abdullah, Aa’ishah, i.e., whoever is authorizing you.

When slaughtering your own Udhiyah:

اللهم هذا منك ولك ، اللهم تقبل مني

Allahumma hadha minka wa lak, Allahumma taqabbal minnee

When slaughtering on behalf of someone else:

اللهم هذا منك ولك ، اللهم تقبل من (فلان)

Allahumma hadha minka wa lak, Allahumma taqabbal min (mention the name)

۞۞۞

 

 

Chapter 9: Distribution of the Meat

 

  1. What to do with Udhiyah or Qurbani meat?

 

What should I do with my Udhiyah? Well, the sunnah is to eat from it, to give the people that I love from it, and to give parts of it to the poor, as mentioned in the Qur’an. Allah ordered us to eat from it and to feed the poor and the needy. So, this is part of the sunnah.

Salamah ibn Al-Akwa’ (May Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Eat, feed and save.” So, I can do this, but what should I do with the portions of it? This is an issue of dispute among the scholars.

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  1. How to distribute Udhiyah or Qurbani meat?

The scholars disputed [about] how to distribute [the meat]. But they all agree that it is highly recommended to eat from it, like the Prophet ﷺ did, to give as gifts and to feed the poor from it.

So, the percentage is not fixed, but a lot of the companions preferred to divide it into thirds – a third to eat from, a third to give to relatives and loved ones, and a third to give to the poor. This was narrated by Ibn Mas’ood, Ibn Umar and other companions (may Allah be pleased with them all).

Abu Ja’far said: The majority of scholars, including Ibn Mas’ood, Ibn Umar, ‘Ataa, and al-Thawri, recommend that it is divided into three types. And if he ate and consumed half of it or more than a third, there is no problem in that at all.

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  1. It is mandatory to give part of your Udhiyah or Qurbani meat in charity

 

It is mandatory to give part of it, i.e. your Udhiyah, in charity.

Allah said in the Qur’an: “So eat from it and feed the needy and the poor.”

Now, the mistake that a lot of the Muslims do is that they treat all of their Udhiyah as one, which is wrong. So if I have three rams and I am offering Udhiyah with three rams, some people take one ram fully for themselves, and they give a second ram fully to charity, and the third ram they give it fully as gifts, and this is wrong.

They should take one-third of each for their own, and one-third of each for charity, and one-third of each to give as gifts. Not to treat it all as meat, and take one full for this and one full for that… this is wrong.

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46. What to do with the animal’s skin after doing the slaughtering (Udhiyah or Qurbani)?

 

What about after the slaughtering – what should I do with the animal’s skin? Well, definitely you’re not going to eat it, so there is no problem in donating it, in giving it as a gift to a charity organization that would sell it and benefit from its price. But you cannot sell it.

“Okay, so can I, after the slaughtering is over, give the skin to the butcher who slaughtered it in exchange for his fee?” The answer is no.

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says[6] that the Prophet ﷺ ordered me to give charity from the hady (the sacrifice) of its meat, of its skin, of everything, but not to give the butcher anything of it in exchange for his fee. And the Prophet ﷺ said: we will give him from our own pocket.

So, this Udhiyah was given to Allah, and we cannot take part of it and give it to the butcher in exchange for the slaughtering because this is a form of selling a part of it, and this is not permissible.

۞۞۞

 

47. After Udhiyah or Qurbani is done, can I sell some of its meat or skin to make money?

 

“The sacrifice is done, the Udhiyah has been finished Alhamdulillah. We managed to slaughter the animal. Can I sell some of it because I need some money?” No, you cannot sell anything of it!

What about the wool of the sheep? What about things that I am not going to use? You may not sell any of it because this was all given to Allah as Udhiyah, as sacrifice. So, you cannot go back in any part of it.

۞۞۞

48. Ruling on saving or keeping part of the Udhiyah or Qurbani meat

 

“What is the ruling on saving and keeping part of the Udhiyah in my refrigerator?” That’s quite weird! Why are you asking? “Well, because there is a hadith I read where the Prophet ﷺ prohibited the Muslims from saving the meat of the Udhiyah for more than three days.” This is true, but this was at the beginning of Islam when people did not have enough to eat, so the Prophet ﷺ told them not to save anything, not to dry any of the meat and keep it for the whole year, rather give it to those who need it.

But afterwards, this ruling was abrogated. So, the following year the Prophet ﷺ permitted them to save it and to keep it because they asked him, “Should we do the same that we had done last year?” and he said “No, you can eat, you can feed and you can save it because last year people were struggling and suffering and I wanted you to collaborate with them and help one another.”[7] Now, it is totally permissible to save.

۞۞۞

49. Can we give Udhiyah or Qurbani meat to non-Muslims as a gift or charity?

 

Some people think that because this Udhiyah is related to an Islamic ritual, we must not give non-Muslims from it, and this is wrong. If I have non-Muslim parents, remember, I can give them as a gift, and I can give also as a charity.

So, I can give my non-Muslim neighbors, non-Muslim relatives, I can give poor and needy non-Muslims from it, especially if they’re kind to me and I would love to soften their hearts towards Islam.

۞۞۞

50. If the butcher is poor or a friend can we give him part of Udhiyah meat as gift or charity?

 

If the butcher, the one who did the slaughtering, is poor or if he is a friend (a neighbor or someone I know), then there is no problem, as a friend or as a poor person, to give him part of my Udhiyah as a gift or a charity without any prior condition or any stipulated agreement that “I will give him part of it in exchange for his work.”

۞۞۞

[1] Narrated by al-Bukhari (881) and Muslim (850).

[2] Sahih al-Bukhari

[3] Narrated by Muslim

[4] Sahih al-Bukhari

[5] Sahiḥ Muslim 1955

[6] Al-Bukhaari (1717) and Muslim (1317) 

[7] Sahih Muslim

 

Issues Pertaining To Qurbani / Udhiya:

Issues Pertaining to Udhiyah (Qurbani / Sacrifice)

Articles | May 17, 2026 11:40 pm
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