Q&A: Qurbani - Animal Sacrifice

Answer

Rules regarding Recommended Animal Sacrifice (Udhiya) on Eid al-Adha 1. Offering an animal sacrifice is an emphasised recommended act for all individuals who can afford it. It is recommended for the one who can afford it but could not find an animal to sacrifice, to give Sadaqa (charity) equal to its value. In cases where prices [of animals] differ, it would suffice to give Sadaqa equal to the lowest value. 2. It is permissible for an individual to sacrifice only one animal for himself and his family. It is also permissible to sacrifice one animal in partnership between two or more people, especially if the sacrificial animal is scarce and expensive. 3. The best time to offer an animal sacrifice (Udhiya) is after sunrise on the day of Eid al-Adha and after a sufficient amount of time for offering the Eid prayer has passed. The desirability of offering a sacrifice lasts for four days for those who are in Mina, and for three days for other people, though the recommended precaution is to offer the sacrifice in the first three days for those who are in Mins and on the day of Eid for those in other countries. 4. The sacrificial animal should be one of the three types of cattle which are camels, cows or sheep (including goats). As an obligatory precaution, it is not sufficient to sacrifice a camel which has not completed 5 years of age, or a cow and a goat which has not completed 2 years of age or a sheep which has not completed 7 months of age. 5. The conditions required for obligatory animal sacrifice (for those who are performing Haj) is not applicable for Udhiya (Eid animal sacrifice). It is permissible to sacrifice an animal which may be one-eyed, lame, whose ears are cut, whose horn is broken, castrated or skinny. Even though it is a recommended precaution for the animal to be fat and have complete body parts. It is discouraged for the animal sacrificed to be the one raised by the individual offering the sacrifice. 6. It is permissible for the one who sacrifices an animal to keep a third of it for himself/herself or to feed his/her family with it. It is also permissible to gift the other third to anyone from the Muslims he wishes to give to. The recommended precaution is to give the remaining one third to poor Muslims. 7. It is recommended to give the hide of the sacrificed animal as Sadaqa (charity). To give it to the butcher as his wage is Makrūh (discouraged). It is permissible to make it a prayer mat or to sell it and buy home goods in exchange for it. 8. Offering a Udhiya (Eid animal sacrifice) suffices instead of Aqīqa (recommended animal sacrifice for the newborn). So if an Udhiya (Eid animal sacrifice) is offered on behalf of someone, it would replace the requirement for his/her Aqiqa. 12. There is no problem in offering a sacrifice on behalf of a deceased person with the intention of Rajā (i.e. hope of attaining a reward). Also there is no objection to sacrificing an animal on behalf of numerous individuals without specifying an upper limit.