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Lily Syahirah Ramlan
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17 June 2025
Qurbani is a sacrifice that Muslims make each year on the day of Eid al-Adha (from 10th to 13th Dhul-Hijjah) by slaughtering their beloved animals in the name of Allah Almighty.
Those who want to know “what is Qurbani in Islam” must look into its history first. Historically, Qurbani has a strong background when Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) agreed to slaughter his beloved son Ismail (A.S) upon Allah’s Divine Decree (he saw this act in his dream).
Every Muslim who is financially stable and can afford to purchase an animal or pay the equivalent amount is liable to do so according to Islamic principles.
However, there are certain rules and regulations regarding which animal to be slaughtered, what the physical condition of that animal is, and how to divide the meat, which must be followed for a Qurbani to be acceptable. In this guide, we will discuss all these things in detail.
Qurbani is not just about slaughtering and sacrificing an animal in the obedience of Allah Almighty. Its meaning is far deeper than the physical slaughtering.
Qurbani is all about sacrificing your desires to the will of Allah Almighty and spreading a message of surrendering to your Lord without giving a second thought.
In the month of Dhul Hijjah, when millions of Muslims around the world obey Allah and do Qurbani, it spreads a very important message to the world that Muslims, no matter where they belong, have an utter sense of surrendering their desires to Allah Almighty.
There is a strong history behind this Islamic ritual, which every Muslim has been taught since his/her childhood, and the depth of the story is deeper than what is told.
Allah Almighty tested Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) & his son Prophet Ismail (A.S) when Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) saw in a dream that Allah Almighty had commanded him to slaughter his beloved son Ismail (A.S) in the name of Allah.
The next morning, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) told his son about this dream and asked him whether he agreed to be sacrificed in the name of Allah Almighty. Prophet Ismail (A.S), in Allah’s obedience, agreed and showed his incredible faith.
This whole conversation between father & son is mentioned in the Holy Quran Surah As Saffat:
"He said, 'O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I (must) sacrifice you, so see what you think.' He said, 'O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast (As-Sabireen)."(Qur'an 37:102)
The first sacrifice in history was made by the sons of the Prophet Adam (AS). Upon the revelation of Allah Almighty to Prophet Adam (AS), he informed his sons Habil & Qabil that Allah wants them to make sacrifices. If Allah accepts their sacrifice, they will be entitled to marry a beautiful girl. Habil, being a shepherd, sacrificed his beautiful ram willingly, whereas Qabil (being a farmer) sacrificed part of his less desirable crop unwillingly.
Habil’s sacrifice was accepted, and Qabil, out of jealousy, killed his brother.This was the first sacrifice in Islamic History, proving that sacrificing for the sake of Allah & surrendering your wish to Allah has been an Islamic tradition since the beginning of mankind.
This is the core concept of Qurbani in Islam- to surrender your will and prioritize Allah’s will and orders.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also performed Qurbani on Eid ul Adha in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim & Ismail (AS).
As commanded by Allah, the obligation is only for one animal’s Qurbani, but Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to slaughter two animals (one for himself and the other for those people of Muslim society who cannot afford to slaughter an animal).
It proves that, based on the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, we can do the same for our brothers and sisters who cannot perform qurbani.
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Being Muslims, we believe that Qurbani is an act of Sunnah which is given high importance, also known as sunnat-e-muakkada. But the belief varies in different sectors of the Islamic community.
Hanafi believes that Qurbani is Wajib (obligatory for those who have the financial stability and can perform Qurbani without any difficulty, who are adults and sane.
Apart from Hanafi, other schools of thought believe that Qurbani is sunnat-e-mukkada (highly encouraged Sunnah) but is not wajib or obligatory. Which means that a Muslim should perform Qubani with willingness, but if for some reason he is not doing that, he will not be considered sinful.
But, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions’ practice is the right knowledge fr us. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on the occasion of Hajj slaughtered 100 animals, 63 animals with his own hands (Ref: Sahih Muslim Hadees Number 2950). It signifies the importance of Qurbani in Islam.
Qurbani is not only celebrated as an event on the day of Eid-ul-Adha, but also plays a significant role in our lives as Muslims. Islam believes in a community system and helping each other.
Qurbani embraces high spiritual and religious values in Islamic society as it builds a community where needy and poor people are treated at the same level as rich people (consider division of meat in three equal parts, where one part is for poor and needy people).
Islam emphasizes the importance of Qurbani in various Quranic Ayahs and hadiths of our Prophet ﷺ. It is believed as sunnat-e-muqada to perform qurbani by all Muslims who are adults and can afford to do this.However, we will discuss in detail what the basic rules and Allah’s commandments about Qurbani and we will study the practice of our Prophet ﷺ.
Qurbani is believed to be a compulsory Sunnah which has to be performed for Muslims who can perform in his/her authorities.
Clearly, you can understand an eligible person to do qurbani as someone who can give Zakat. Also, according to the Maliki madhab, any person who is responsibly fulfilling the household expenses easily would be considered an eligible person to perform qurbani.
Clearly, you can understand an eligible person to do qurbani as someone who can give Zakat. Also, according to the Maliki madhab, any person who is responsibly fulfilling the household expenses easily would be considered an eligible person to perform qurbani.
Sahabah’s (Companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) practice of Qurbani
“Ata bin Yasar reported, ‘I asked Abu Ayub (Al-Ansari) how the sacrifices (of animals) were done during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said, “A man would sacrifice a sheep for himself and the people in his household. (Tirmidhi).
Now the question arises, if five members of a family are earning halal income, is it necessary for all five members to perform Qurbani? The answer is “Yes”. Our Prophet ﷺ used to slaughter two animals, one for himself and one for the Ummah.
“The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed for the one who could not sacrifice from his ummah, one who bore witness to the oneness of Allah and his Prophet hood” (Tabrani & Ahmad)
It means that not only can all members of a family slaughter one animal each, but a member can slaughter more than one animal if they wish to.
A qurbani is usually a small animal (goat or ram). Normal practice is one animal by one person, but if the animal is big, like a cow or camel, it can be shared as well. One person can also slaughter one big cow or camel, as the reward will be great, but a smaller animal would also be accepted. If the large animal is shared, the shares would be divided among seven individuals. Also, one individual can buy more than one share. It all depends on your intention and how much reward you want from Allah on the day of judgement.
Normal practice is on the day of Eid-Ul-Adha, that is, 12th Dhul Hijjah; however, you can slaughter your animal on any three days of Eid, preferably the first day or before Maghreb of the third day.
Qurbani is performed on Eid al-Adha and has some specific requirements regarding the animal’s eligibility, preparation, and intention.
Only goat, rams, sheep, cows, and camels are eligible to be slaughtered for the qurbani purpose. As mentioned in the Quran, “And for every nation We have appointed a rite of sacrifice that they may mention the name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them.” (Surah Al-Hajj 22:34).
There is also a minimum age criterion for the qurbani animal as mentioned by our beloved Prophet ﷺ:
“Do not sacrifice except a Musinnah, unless it is difficult for you, then sacrifice a Jadha’ah sheep.” (Sahih Muslim 1963)
After preparation, the next step is to recite “Bismillahi Allahu Akbar,” meaning “In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest” while performing the act of slaughtering.
Now, what is jagdah? Jagdha is an animal 1 year old or 6 months old until it matures. The knives must be sharpened properly before slaughtering, and the animal must not watch any other animal being slaughtered, as it causes fear. Just before slaughtering, the person should make the intention to slaughter purely for the will of Allah.
After Zibah (Slaughter), the skin and waste are removed. The meat is cut into small pieces and prepared for division into three parts. The area must be cleaned properly, waste must be disposed of. The skin can be donated to any charity organization or poor individuals.
The meat is divided into three equal parts for distribution.
- One part to be kept for yourself
- One part for the relatives
- One part for needy and poor members of the society
Allah Almighty says in the Quran: “Then eat of them and feed the needy who do not ask and the beggar who asks” (Surah Al-Hajj 22:36)
According to scholars, the eligible people for meat are only Muslim members of the society however, this is not compulsory. It should be ensured that all the orphans, widows, and needy members are taken care of, and not a single person should be left out.
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According to Sunnah, the meat must be divided into three equal parts and then distributed between friends and family, relatives, and the needy. This pattern meets three basic requirements of human nature: Eat, Gift, and Charity. But if a person is extremely poor and hardly manages to perform a goat sacrifice, he can keep all the meat. But again, the recommendation is to distribute the meat among the needy/relatives as well.
The Meat can be given to the butcher from the portion of needy people however, the skin cannot be sold. It can be given to any charity organization as a donation.
Traditional Qurbani has become difficult as Muslims are spread all over the world, and in some countries, performing the sacrifice is quite difficult. One can perform a sacrifice according to new and modern procedures that have been introduced as below:
Like the traditional qurbani procedure, some organizations have organized an online Qurbani facility for people who do not have enough space and resources to do qurbani by themselves. You can contact them and book your slot for Eid days, pay them online, and they will perform qurbani on your behalf. Scholars have considered the online qurbani system as valid. Just make sure to hire trustworthy companies that follow Islamic procedures.
If you take the services of an International Company, you can get frozen meat shipped to you after zibah. However, some prefer local organizations to get fresh meat. Both procedures are considered valid.
Online Qurbani through well-managed organizations makes the Qurbani procedure clean and hygienic, ensuring proper cleaning of meat and the surrounding areas.
Islam allows you to do Qurbani for others for both alive and deceased persons.
If a person wants to do Qurbani on behalf of the Prophet ﷺ or on behalf of a deceased person, this is permissible in Islam, but the intention must be for the sake of Allah’s reward and not for worldly show-off.
One person can perform qurbani on behalf of the whole family. Though it is always preferred to do as many sacrifices in a family as possible to seek Alla’s reward but Sharia allows one person can perform a sacrifice that suffices whole family.
If someone missed performing qurbani without any valid reason, he/she can compensate for it.
According to scholars, the person who missed the Qurbani can compensate by slaughtering two animals next year, or an animal can be slaughtered anytime after Dhul Hijjah with the intention of Qurbani.
There is no concept of Qadha Qurbani in Islam because it is not wajib according to most of the scholars; however, to gain rewards, you can slaughter an animal anytime when you can afford to do so.
Some common mistakes usually occur during Qurbani are as follows:There is no concept of Qadha Qurbani in Islam because it is not wajib according to most of the scholars; however, to gain rewards, you can slaughter an animal anytime when you can afford to do so.
1. Incorrect niyyah: Qurbani should be purely and wholeheartedly for Allah’s will, and any intention to please the world or to show off should not come to mind. Also, if you are doing qurbani on behalf of someone else, the niyyah must be specified before doing that.
2. Invalid Animal Selection: Qurbani will be invalid if the selected animal is less than the eligible age or has physical defects, or if the animal is not halal.
3. Improper slaughtering Method: Slaughtering method should be strictly according to Sunnah, or else qurbani can be considered invalid.
4. Misdistribution of meat: Some people make mistakes in the distribution of meat. It must be strictly obeyed as commanded by Allah SAW and according to the Sunnah ways.
Qurbani, Aqiqah, and Sadaqah are similar to each other in purpose and intention (to please Allah & seek barakah), but the procedures and timings are different.
Qurbani is performed on the day of Eid-ul-Adha in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice.
Aqiqah is also the slaughtering of animals, but on the occasion of a newborn baby for his/her protection. This is also sunnat-e-muadah
Sadaqah is not restricted to a particular event or time but is performed to gain rewards from Allah SAW and to help the needy.
Those who want to know, “What is Qurbani?”, we have discussed every detail they need to know. Qurbani is an Islamic ritual to slaughter animals in the name of Allah in the remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim & Ismail. According to hadith & Quran, Qurbani is performed in particular ways and with proper niyyah.
There are certain changes in the procedures to perform qurbani in the modern era, such as online qurbani, frozen meat, and others. These procedures are also valid according to scholars. However, the crux of qurbani is to surrender our will to Allah’s command and to sacrifice for Islam.
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