What udhiyah is, and why we do it

Udhiyah (in many countries called qurbani) is a sheep, goat, cow or camel slaughtered for Allah on Eid al-Adha and the days right after it. It is one of the great signs of Islam.

• Allah says to Nabi ﷺ: so pray to your Lord, and sacrifice¹.
• He says the sacrifice animals are among the signs of Allah, and there is good in them for you. Say Allah's name over them, then eat from them and feed the poor².

The most important ayah about it: their meat and their blood do not reach Allah. What reaches Him is your taqwa (your mindfulness of Him)³. Allah does not need the animal. The sacrifice is to thank Him, to feed the poor, and to show we would give up what we love for Him.

That is the lesson of Ibrahim and his son. Allah tested Ibrahim with a dream, and then ransomed his son with a great sacrifice⁴.

Who should give it

All scholars agree udhiyah is very important. They differ on whether it is required:

• The Hanafis point to this hadith: whoever can afford it and does not sacrifice, let him not come near our prayer place¹².
• One sheep or goat for the whole household. Abu Ayyub said: in the time of Nabi ﷺ, a man would sacrifice one sheep for himself and his household. They ate from it and fed others¹³. The Hanafis add that each adult with nisab, for example a working wife or son, owes their own.
• Cannot afford it? You owe nothing, and you lose nothing. Nabi ﷺ slaughtered a ram and said: Bismillah, Allahu akbar. This is from me, and from whoever of my ummah did not sacrifice¹⁴.

The animal

Which animals

Only sheep, goats, cows (including buffalo) and camels, male or female. Chicken, fish or other animals do not count as udhiyah.

How old

Nabi ﷺ said: sacrifice only a grown animal, unless it is hard for you. Then sacrifice a young sheep¹⁵. He also said a young sheep counts just like a grown one¹⁶.

Sharing a cow or camel

• Jabir said: in the year of Hudaybiyyah, with Nabi ﷺ, we sacrificed a camel for seven people and a cow for seven people¹⁷.
• So a cow or camel can be split into seven shares. Each share counts as one udhiyah. A sheep or goat cannot be split into shares between people, though one sheep covers your household.
• Hanafis: every person sharing must intend worship, such as udhiyah or aqiqah. If one of them only wants meat, no share counts.
• Malikis: buying shares together is not their view. One person owns the animal and may include his household in the reward.

Defects that disqualify

Nabi ﷺ said four animals are not allowed as a sacrifice: one that is clearly blind in one eye, clearly sick, clearly lame, or so thin it has no marrow in its bones¹⁸.

• Scholars add anything as bad or worse: fully blind, a leg cut off, most of an ear or tail cut off.
• Small faults are fine: a small tear in the ear, a broken horn tip, or an animal born without horns. A castrated ram is also fine. Nabi ﷺ chose fine, horned rams for his own sacrifice¹⁹.

When to sacrifice

It starts after the Eid prayer

Nabi ﷺ said on Eid al-Adha: the first thing we do on this day of ours is pray, then go back and sacrifice. Whoever does that has followed our sunnah. Whoever slaughtered before the prayer, it is only meat he gave his family, and not a sacrifice²⁰.

• Whoever slaughters after the prayer has done it at the right time, and followed the way of the Muslims²¹.
• Abu Burda slaughtered before the prayer. Nabi ﷺ told him to sacrifice another one in its place²².
• In places where no Eid prayer is held, scholars say wait until the time it would normally be over, about an hour after sunrise.

When it ends

The days after Eid are the days of tashriq (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Hijjah). Nabi ﷺ called them days of eating and drinking²³. Scholars differ on how many of them are for sacrifice:

• Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis: three days, the 10th, 11th and 12th, until sunset on the 12th.
• Shafi'is: four days, until sunset on the 13th.
• The first day is best. Malikis also say slaughtering at night does not count.

Not cutting hair and nails

Umm Salamah reported that Nabi ﷺ said: when the first ten days (of Dhul Hijjah) begin, and one of you wants to sacrifice, let him not cut anything of his hair or his nails²⁴.

• It starts at sunset on the last day of Dhul Qa'dah, when the new moon of Dhul Hijjah begins.
• It ends when your animal has been slaughtered.
• It is for the person giving the udhiyah, not the family members included in it, according to most scholars.

The schools differ on how strong this is:

• Hanbalis: not allowed (haram) for the one who will sacrifice.
• Shafi'is and Malikis: disliked (makruh). Better to leave it.
• Hanafis: allowed, though holding back is good.

How to slaughter

Nabi ﷺ slaughtered his own two rams with his own hand. He said Bismillah and Allahu akbar, and put his foot on their side²⁵.

Kindness to the animal

Nabi ﷺ said: Allah has written excellence for everything. So when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade and let the animal be at ease²⁶.

• Use a very sharp knife. Nabi ﷺ asked Aisha for the knife and told her to sharpen it on a stone²⁷.
• Scholars say: do not sharpen the knife or slaughter another animal in front of it, and lay it down gently on its left side, facing the qiblah if you can.
• Cut the throat quickly, so the blood flows. Do not skin it until it is completely still.
• Any sharp tool that makes the blood flow is fine, but not a tooth or a nail²⁸.

What to say

• Bismillah, Allahu akbar (In the name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest), at the moment of cutting²⁹. Saying Allah's name is required. If you forget it, most scholars say the meat is still halal.
• You may add: Allahumma taqabbal minni (O Allah, accept it from me), as Nabi ﷺ asked Allah to accept his³⁰.

Who may do it

• Doing it yourself is best, if you can do it well. Otherwise, appoint a Muslim butcher and, if you can, be there to watch.
• Women may slaughter. A woman shepherd once slaughtered a dying sheep with a sharp stone, and Nabi ﷺ allowed it to be eaten³¹.

The meat

Allah says: eat from it, and feed the poor³². At first Nabi ﷺ told people not to keep the meat for more than three days, because people were in need that year. The next year he said: eat, feed others, and store some³³.

• Many scholars recommend thirds: one third for your family, one third as gifts to relatives, friends and neighbors, and one third for the poor.
• This is a recommendation, not a rule. You may give more, or even all of it, to the poor.
• Do not sell any part of it, not the meat and not the skin. Use the skin yourself, or give it away.
• Do not pay the butcher with the meat or skin. Nabi ﷺ told Ali to give the meat and skins as charity, and to pay the butcher separately³⁴. You may give the butcher some meat as a gift, after paying him in full.

Giving through a charity, at home or abroad

Many Muslims today pay a charity to slaughter for them, often in a poorer country. Most scholars today allow this. The charity acts as your agent (wakil). Nabi ﷺ himself put Ali in charge of his sacrifice animals and their meat³⁵.

• Good points: the meat reaches people who rarely eat meat, and it can be cheaper.
• What some scholars point out: slaughtering where you live keeps the sign of Eid alive at home, and lets you eat from it, which is sunnah. Some families do one at home and one abroad.

Make sure it is done properly

• Choose a trusted charity that buys a real animal (or a real share) for each person, with the right age and no defects.
• It must be slaughtered after the Eid prayer in that country, within the days of sacrifice.
• Hair and nails: hold back until you know the slaughter is done. If you do not get a message, wait until the time it was likely done, such as the end of Eid day there.

Money instead of an animal

• Udhiyah is the sacrifice of an animal. Giving the same amount as cash to the poor is a good charity, but it is not udhiyah, according to all four schools.
• Hanafis: if the days pass and someone who owed it did not sacrifice, they give the value of a sheep in charity.

Aqiqah: the sacrifice for a newborn

Aqiqah is an animal slaughtered to thank Allah for a new baby. Nabi ﷺ said: with a boy there is an aqiqah. So shed blood for him, and remove harm from him³⁶. (Removing harm means shaving the head and cleaning the baby.)

• Shafi'is and Hanbalis: a strong sunnah. Malikis: sunnah. Hanafis: a good, recommended act, not a strong sunnah.
• Nabi ﷺ said: whoever has a child and wants to sacrifice for it, may do so³⁷. So it is not a duty, and nobody should borrow money they cannot repay for it.
• Nabi ﷺ said every boy is pledged by his aqiqah³⁸. Scholars explain this as a strong encouragement. It is not a threat to the child.

How many animals

• Nabi ﷺ said: two similar sheep for a boy, and one for a girl³⁹. It does not matter if they are male or female⁴⁰.
• One sheep for a boy is also enough. Nabi ﷺ sacrificed one ram for Hasan and one for Husain⁴¹. Malikis say one sheep for a boy or a girl.
• The animal must meet the same age and health rules as udhiyah.
• A share in a cow: Hanafis and Shafi'is allow a seventh share of a cow or camel for aqiqah. Malikis and Hanbalis say aqiqah needs a whole animal.

The meat

The family eats from it, gives gifts, and gives to the poor, like udhiyah. Many scholars recommend cooking it and inviting family, friends and the poor. Do not sell any of it.

The 7th day: name, hair and silver

Nabi ﷺ said: the aqiqah is slaughtered for him on the seventh day, his head is shaved, and he is given a name⁴².

• Counting the 7th day: most scholars count the day of birth. A baby born on Friday has the aqiqah on Thursday. Malikis do not count the day of birth if the baby was born after dawn.
• Naming: on the 7th day, or earlier. Nabi ﷺ named his son Ibrahim on the night he was born⁴³. He said: the names most loved by Allah are Abdullah and Abdur Rahman⁴⁴. Choose a name with a good meaning.
• Shaving the head and silver: Nabi ﷺ told Fatimah after Hasan's aqiqah: shave his head, and give the weight of his hair in silver as charity. It weighed about one dirham, a few grams⁴⁵. Today you can give the price of that silver. Many scholars say this is for girls too.

Tahnik

• Tahnik means softening a date and rubbing a tiny bit on the baby's palate. Abu Musa brought his newborn son to Nabi ﷺ, who named him Ibrahim, did tahnik with a date, and made dua for him⁴⁶.
• Ask a righteous person in the family to do it and make dua. Be careful with a newborn: a very small, soft amount only, and follow your doctor's advice.

Many families also say the adhan softly in the baby's right ear. The hadith about it has weakness in it, but many scholars allow it.

If aqiqah was not done on time

The 7th day is the sunnah. But life happens: a hard birth, a hospital stay, no money that week. The schools differ:

• Hanbalis: if not on the 7th, then the 14th, then the 21st, and after that any day.
• Shafi'is: the parent can do it any time until the child grows up. After that, the grown child may do it for himself.
• Hanafis: it can be done any time.
• Malikis: its time passes with the 7th day.

So most scholars allow doing it later, even years later. If you can, do it now, and do not feel guilty about the delay. If a baby dies before the 7th day, many scholars still recommend the aqiqah, and the baby is still named.

Common questions

I want to give my udhiyah through a charity abroad. Is that valid?

Yes, according to most scholars today. The charity is your agent⁴⁷. Choose one you trust, and hold back from cutting hair and nails until you know it is done.

Can I share a cow with my friends?

Yes. Up to seven people can share a cow or camel, and each share counts as one udhiyah⁴⁸. Agree on the cost and the meat in advance. Hanafis say each person must intend worship, not just meat.

I live in a city where I cannot slaughter at home. What do I do?

You do not have to slaughter it yourself. Book through a licensed halal slaughterhouse or farm, or through a trusted charity at home or abroad. Do not slaughter where the law does not allow it.

Can aqiqah be done years later? My parents never did mine.

Yes, according to most scholars. Shafi'is say a grown child may do it for himself. Hanafis and Hanbalis allow it any time. Malikis say its time has passed.

My wife and I both work. Do we need one udhiyah or two?

For most scholars, one sheep covers the household⁴⁹. Hanafis say each adult who owns nisab owes their own, so a working wife with her own savings would give one too.

Can one cow count for my udhiyah and my baby's aqiqah?

Hanafis and Shafi'is allow some shares of a cow for udhiyah and others for aqiqah. Malikis and Hanbalis say aqiqah needs a whole animal. Follow a scholar you trust.