Qurbani meaning, benefits, rules, and dua in Islam

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, today’s topic of discussion is the meaning of the word Qurbani, benefits of Qurbani in Islam, the rules and regulations of Qurbani, the history of Qurbani, the purpose of Qurbani, the conditions for Qurbani to be accepted, what kind of Qurbani animal should be, the time of Qurbani, the rules for slaughtering Qurbani animals, the Arabic dua for slaughtering Qurbani animals, the rules for distributing Qurbani meat, etc.

Qurbani meaning

The Arabic word Qurban is known as Qurbani in Persian or Urdu, which means proximity. The word Qurban is derived from the word Qurbanatun. The literal meaning of both the Arabic words Qurbanatun and Qurban is to come close, to gain proximity to someone, etc. In Islamic terminology, the animal that is slaughtered at a specific time according to specific rules to achieve proximity to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, is called Qurban or Qurbani.

The word Qurban is used in three places in the Quran. And in the Hadith, the words Uzhiyah and Jahiyah are used instead of Qurban. Uzhiyah refers to the camel, cow, goat, or sheep that can be slaughtered on the days of sacrifice to gain closeness to Allah. This word is taken from the word Zuha, which means morning. Since the best time to slaughter a Qurbani is the morning of 10th Dhul Hijjah, that is, the day before Eid, it is called Uzhiyah for that compatibility. It is also called Jahiyah or Adhah. And the plural of Adhah is Adha, which is related to which Eid is called Eid-ul-Adha.

Benefits of Qurbani in Islam

1. By slaughtering the sacrificial animal, the person who offers the sacrifice can implement the Sunnah of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah Almighty says in the Quran:

And we freed him in exchange for a great sacrifice.

[Surah As-Saffat, verse: 107]

In the interpretation of this verse, the scholars of Tafsir have mentioned that all sacrifices are included in this great sacrifice. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has also mentioned sacrifice as the Sunnah of Ibrahim (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the hadith narrated by Zaid ibn Arqam.

2. By shedding the blood of the sacrifice, one attains closeness to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Allah the Almighty says,

It is not their flesh and blood that reaches Allah, but your piety reaches Him. Thus, He has subjected them to you, that you may glorify Allah for having guided you. So give good tidings to the doers of good.

[Surah Al-Hajj, verse: 37]

3. Sacrifice is one of the signs of Allah Almighty. In verse 36 of Surah Al-Hajj, Allah Almighty says:

And we have made the sacrificial camels one of the signs of Allah for you, in which there is good for you. So mention the name of Allah over them while they are standing in rows, and when they recline, eat from them. And feed the needy patient and the beggar. Thus, we have subjected them to you, that you may be grateful.

[Surah Al-Hajj, verse: 36]

This verse highlights the virtues of sacrifice and presents the sacrificial animal as one of the signs of Allah.

4. They implement the remembrance of Allah through animal sacrifice. In this regard, the Holy Quran states:

We have prescribed for every nation a statute of sacrifice, that they may mention the name of Allah over the cattle which He has provided for them.

[Surah Al-Hajj, verse: 34]

5. Giving joy to family, relatives, neighbors, and the needy. And this is another kind of joy that would not have been achieved if you had given them the same amount of money as the meat of the sacrifice. If you give the same amount of money as charity without performing the sacrifice, the sacrifice will not be valid.

None of the hadiths narrated about the virtues of Qurbani are authentically proven; rather, all the hadiths narrated about it are weak and fake. Even so, when the time of Qurbani approaches, these hadiths are widely spread. Speakers, writers, and essayists alike practice those weak and fake hadiths. Some recite them in a sweet tone in the Friday sermon, some present them in their essays to enhance the beauty of the essay. Still others recite them on the stage of their speeches and warm up the audience.

And during the Eid sermon, 95 percent of the preachers take those hadiths as the main capital of the sermon. The only reason for this is extreme apathy and ignorance. In the words of Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him), ‘Those who knowingly narrate weak and fabricated hadiths (without warning) are more deserving of the title of ignorant than of being a scholar, and they are considered to be deceivers of the general Muslim community.’ (Introduction to Sahih Muslim Sharif, p. 11).

History of Qurbani

The world’s first sacrifice

The history of sacrifice is very ancient. The practice of sacrifice has been going on since the time of the first father, Adam (AS). We learn from the great book Al-Quran about the sacrifice of Adam’s two sons, Habil and Qabil.

Almighty Allah says,

Recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam, when they offered a sacrifice, and the sacrifice of one was accepted, and the sacrifice of the other was not accepted. One of them said, “I will surely kill you.” The other said, “Allah accepts the sacrifice of those who are pious.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah: 27)

The sacrifice of Abraham (peace be upon him)

Sacrifice has been made obligatory upon us since the sacrifice of Abraham (peace be upon him); (Abraham prayed to Me) “My Lord, grant me a righteous son.” Then we gave him the good news of a patient son. Then, when he reached the age of walking with his father, Abraham said, “My son, I have seen in a dream that I am sacrificing you. Now tell me, what do you think?” He said, “O my father, do what you are commanded; if Allah wills, you will find me patient.”

When they both bowed their heads in submission, and Abraham laid him down on his side, we called to him, “O Abraham, you have fulfilled the vision.” Thus do We reward the righteous. Indeed, it was a clear trial. We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, and we made him a memorial for the later generations. Peace be upon Abraham! Thus do We reward the righteous. He was one of our believing servants. (Surah As-Saffat: 100-111)

Purpose of Qurbani

The purpose of offering or slaughtering animals is to gain closeness to the One God, to please Him, that is, to worship Him. And Allah Almighty created us to worship Him. As he says,

We created the jinn and mankind only to worship Me. (Surah Az-Zariyat: 56)

Worship is the name of Tawheed, i.e., adhering to the Oneness of Allah; therefore, by shedding the blood of an animal, we bear witness to the Oneness of Allah, as Abraham (peace be upon him) did and Abel did.

Is Qurbani mandatory?

All Muslims agree that Qurbani is obligatory. There is no disagreement on this. But what is the ruling on Qurbani; is it obligatory, obligatory, or Sunnah? There are two opinions among the Imams and jurists on this matter.

The first opinion is that Qurbani is obligatory. This is the opinion of Imam Awzai, Imam Lais, Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be pleased with him), and others. And there is an opinion narrated from Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with them) that they also said that it is obligatory.

The second opinion is that sacrifice is a Sunnah Mu’akkadah; this is the opinion of most scholars; this is the famous opinion of Imam Malik and Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him); but the proponents of this opinion also say that it is makruh to abandon sacrifice while one can; if the people of a town collectively abandon sacrifice despite being able to; then war will be waged against them; because sacrifice is a great sign of Islam.

The evidence for those who say that Qurbani is obligatory is:

1. Allah Almighty has commanded –

And establish prayer for your Lord and sacrifice. (Surah Al-Kawthar: 2)

And it is obligatory to follow the orders of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

2. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

Whoever does not sacrifice despite being able to do so should not come near our Eidgah. (Musnad Ahmad, Hakim, Ibn Majah)

This hadith is a warning to those who abandon the sacrifice. Therefore, the sacrifice is obligatory.

3. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

O people! Every family must offer a sacrifice every year. (Musnad Ahmad, Ibn Majah)

The evidence of those who say that Qurbani is Sunnah is:

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Whoever among you intends to sacrifice, after sighting the crescent moon of Dhul-Hijjah, should not cut any of his hair or nails before completing the sacrifice.

Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1977.

In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s words, “Whoever wants to sacrifice,” mean that it is not obligatory.

2. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed on behalf of those among his followers who had not done so; this action of his shows that sacrifice is not obligatory.

Faisala

In my opinion, the view that Qurbani is obligatory is correct, because Allah Almighty commanded the Prophet (peace be upon him) to offer Qurbani; and the Prophet (peace be upon him) urged us to offer Qurbani and warned us.

On the other hand, the two evidences that have been presented regarding the fact that Qurbani is Sunnah; the first of them states; The Prophet (peace be upon him) said – Whoever among you wants to offer a sacrifice; after seeing the moon of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, he should not cut any of his hair or nails before completing the sacrifice; in fact, the main purpose of this hadith is not to describe the ruling on Qurbani; rather, the main purpose is to describe a specific action from the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah until the completion of the sacrifice.

Whether to offer a sacrifice or not, who will offer a sacrifice or not is not a matter of discussion; the subject of discussion is that specific action; and not everyone can offer a sacrifice, and even if they have the ability, not everyone does it, the one who wants to offer a sacrifice should do that specific action, this is the main discussion of the hadith; therefore, this hadith cannot be used as evidence for the ruling on Qurbani.

And the second document states,

The Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed on behalf of those among his Ummah who did not sacrifice. If this is the case, then it is not proof of the ruling on sacrifice because there is no ruling on those who do not have the means.

And if it is the case that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) offered sacrifice on behalf of those who were able to do so, then why did he forbid them from coming to the Eid-ul-Fitr, just as he forbade those who did not fast for a month of Ramadan from coming to the Eid-ul-Fitr? Therefore, it is obligatory upon those who can do so to offer a sacrifice; this is the correct view. Therefore, those who consider the ruling on sacrifice to be lax or optional should abandon this idea and prepare to offer sacrifice; the best act of worship on the day of Eid-ul-Adha is to offer sacrifice, that is, to shed the blood of an animal.

Who is obligated to perform Qurbani?

It is obligatory upon a person who can offer a sacrifice after meeting his own and his dependents’ basic needs. If a person has a debt, it is obligatory upon him to offer a sacrifice only if he has the means to pay off that debt and can offer a sacrifice. Sacrifice has nothing to do with the nisab of zakat.

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever can do so and does not sacrifice, let him not come near our Eid field.”

Ibn Majah 3123, Ahmad 8074, Takhreejul Mushkilatul Fiqr 102, At-Taliqur Raghib 2/103. Tahkeek Albani hasan.

It was narrated from Mikhlaf ibn Sulaim (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Every family must offer a sacrifice every year.

Musnad Ahmad 20207, Abu Dawud 2788, Ibn Hajar said in ‘Fath al-Bari’: The chain of transmission of the hadith is strong. Albani declared the hadith ‘hasan’.

There is no difference between men and women in this provision. Therefore, if a woman lives alone or with her children and can offer a sacrifice, she must offer it.

Being male is not a condition for Qurbani to be obligatory or for being circumcised. Qurbani is obligatory on women just as it is obligatory on men. The evidence for making it obligatory includes both men and women equally.

Al-Mawsoo’ al-Fiqhiyah 5/79-81

Conditions for acceptance of the Qurbani

Offering a sacrifice is an act of worship; and worship will be accepted by Allah only when it is truly worship; if worship is like worship, then it will be accepted; and if it is like something else, then how will it be accepted; therefore, you must understand very well what worship is; only then will you be able to worship and it will be accepted, Insha Allah.

What should the sacrificial animal be like?

1. Six types of animals can be sacrificed: camel, cow, buffalo, goat, sheep, and ram. The best of these is the horned black and white ram.

2. The animal to be sacrificed must be of a certain age. A camel must be five years old, a cow or buffalo must be two years old, and a goat, sheep, or ram must be one year old. However, in cases of difficulty, a six-month-old sheep can be sacrificed.

3. The sacrificial animal must be free from all defects. As mentioned in the Hadith:

The companion Bara ibn Azeeb (may Allah be pleased with him) said, The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood among us and said, “Four types of animals are not permissible for sacrifice: the blind, whose blindness is obvious; the sick, whose disease is obvious; the lame, whose lameness is obvious; and the wounded, whose limb is broken.” –Tirmidhi.

Rules of Qurbani

1. The animal for sacrifice must be determined in advance.

2. The designated animal cannot be used for any other purpose, cannot be donated, and cannot be sold. Since buying and selling what has been designated for Allah is not permissible. However, to perform the sacrifice properly, it can be replaced with a better animal.

3. If the owner of the animal dies, it is the responsibility of his heirs to carry out the sacrifice. His heirs will slaughter it, eat it themselves, give it as a gift, and give it as a token of appreciation.

4. No benefit of any kind can be enjoyed from the designated animal.

For example, milk cannot be sold, it cannot be used in agriculture, and wool cannot be sold.

5. If the animal becomes defective or is lost due to the negligence or carelessness of the person offering the sacrifice, he must purchase a similar or better animal. And if the defect is not due to negligence or carelessness but due to some other reason, then that animal can be sacrificed.

6. If the animal is lost or stolen and the person who offered the sacrifice was previously obligated to offer it, then he is exempted from the obligation to offer it. And if it was not previously obligated but he had purchased the animal to offer it, then if it is stolen, dies, or is lost, he must buy the animal again and offer it.

7. It is not permissible to sell any part of the sacrificial animal because it is an object dedicated to Allah. However, the skin can be sold, but the money must be donated to the poor. It is not permissible to pay the butcher with any part of the animal. Since that is also a type of exchange, which is like buying and selling. Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim. His remuneration must be paid separately. However, if the butcher is poor, it can be given as a donation, and if he is not poor, he can be given the sacrificial meat as a gift.

8. If an animal is purchased and a baby is born, it must be sacrificed along with its mother – Tirmidhi. And before that, the milk of that animal can be consumed, provided that the baby is not harmed. (Bayhaqi)

Time of Qurbani

Sacrifice is an act of worship related to a specific time. Just as the sacrifice will not be performed before this time, it will not be performed even if it is performed later. However, if it is performed as a qadha, it is a different matter. For those who will perform the Eid prayer, the time for sacrifice will begin after performing the Eid prayer. If the sacrificial animal is slaughtered before performing the Eid prayer, then the sacrifice will not be performed. And the time for sacrifice will end on the thirteenth of the month of Dhul-Hijjah with sunset. Therefore, the time for slaughtering the sacrificial animal is four days, the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth of the month of Dhul-Hijjah.

Qurbani for the deceased

The sacrifice should be made on behalf of a living person at the right time. Of course, if one wishes, one can share the reward with living or deceased relatives. Since we see that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions used to make sacrifices on behalf of themselves and their families, it is not permissible to make a sacrifice on behalf of a dead person separately. There is no authentic hadith in support of this.

Qurbani on behalf of oneself and one’s family

One should sacrifice on behalf of oneself and one’s family. It was narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wanted to sacrifice, he bought two rams. They were large, well-fed, horned, black and white, and one was a goat. He sacrificed one for his followers who had testified to the Oneness of Allah and the Messenger of Allah. He sacrificed the other for himself and his family. (Ibn Majah)

One animal is enough for you and your family.

In a hadith narrated on this subject, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered a beautiful black and white ram with horns to be brought, and then he recited this supplication:

In the name of Allah, O Allah! Accept it from Muhammad and his family, and his followers. Then he sacrificed the ram. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1967)

Sacrifice while traveling –

Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The day of Eid al-Adha arrived. Seven of us shared a cow, and ten of us shared a camel. (Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah.)

However, it is important to note that there is no authentic hadith that supports the idea that seven or ten families can share one animal while residing at home.

Things that the person who offers Qurbani should refrain from

It was narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you intends to offer a sacrifice should refrain from cutting his hair and nails after he has sighted the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah.” Imam Muslim narrated this hadith. Another narration says that he should not touch anything from the hair or skin. Another narration says that he should remain in this state until the animal is slaughtered.

Rules for slaughtering sacrificial animals

1. The person who offers the sacrifice should slaughter the animal himself, if he can do it well. Because the Prophet (peace be upon him) slaughtered it himself. And slaughtering is a means of attaining closeness to Allah. Therefore, everyone should try to slaughter their sacrifice.

Imam Bukhari (RA) said, the companion Abu Musa Ash’ari (RA) ordered his daughters to slaughter their sacrificial animals. (Fathul Bari). His order proves that women can slaughter sacrificial animals. However, it is permissible to delegate the responsibility of slaughtering the sacrificial animals to someone else. Because it is narrated in Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) slaughtered sixty-three sacrificial animals himself and delegated the responsibility of slaughtering the rest to Ali (RA). (Sahih Muslim)

2. It is important to treat the animal well, show kindness and mercy while slaughtering it. Slaughter should be done in such a way that the animal does not suffer much and can die easily. Slaughter should be done with a very sharp knife, and it should be brought to the slaughtering place with great speed and force.

It was narrated from Shaddad ibn Aws (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I remembered two things from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): He said: Allah has enjoined kindness upon you in everything. So when you kill, kill with kindness; and when you slaughter, slaughter with kindness. Let each of you sharpen his knife and not cause hardship to his animal.

Sahih Muslim: 4949

4. It is forbidden to cause pain by cutting off any other part of the animal before it dies; such as twisting the neck, cutting the veins in the legs, or skinning it, etc., cannot be done before it dies.

Dua for slaughtering a sacrificial animal

1. When slaughtering, one should say Bismillah. Because it is obligatory to say it. Because Allah Almighty says, “Eat from that over which the name of Allah has been pronounced.” (Surah An’am -118)

And do not eat of that on which the name of Allah has not been mentioned, for that is indeed a sin. (Surah An-A’am: Verse No. 121)

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Eat of that which bears the mark of murder and over which the name of Allah has been mentioned.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

2. It is recommended to add Bismillah to Allahu Akbar during the slaughtering. Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him):

He said: I was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the Eid-ul-Adha prayer hall on the day of Eid-ul-Adha. After delivering the sermon, he came down from the pulpit. A sheep was brought. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slaughtered it with his own hands and said: In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, this is for me and for those of my Ummah who are unable to sacrifice.

Abu Dawud 2810

Hadith quality: Sahih Hadith

3. It is Sunnah to recite the dua for acceptance with Bismillah. Narrated Aisha (RA):

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that a horned ram be brought for sacrifice – one that walked in black (i.e., the feet were black), lay down in black (i.e., the lower part of the belly was black), and saw through black (i.e., the eyes were black). When it was brought, he said to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), “Bring the knife.” Then he said, “Lend it to the stone.” She did so. Then he took it and lay down holding the ram. Then he slaughtered it and said: In the name of Allah, O Allah, accept it from Muhammad and his family and his nation.

Muslim 4985

Hadith quality: Sahih Hadith

Rules for distributing sacrificial meat

Allah Almighty says, “Then eat from it and feed the needy and the poor.” (Surah Al-Hajj: 28)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about the meat of the sacrifice: “Eat it yourselves, feed it to others, and save it.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Eating also refers to giving to the needy and giving as gifts to the rich.

Ibn Abbas (RA) said, “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to divide the meat of the sacrifice into three parts: one part he fed to his family, one part he gave to his needy neighbors, and one part he gave as charity to the poor and needy.” (Mi’rat 5/120 CE)

Therefore, the meat of the sacrifice should be divided into three parts: one part should be kept for one’s own family, one part should be given as a gift to needy neighbors, relatives, and friends who could not make a sacrifice, and one part should be distributed as charity among the poor and needy. There is no harm in dividing the meat into smaller or larger portions if necessary.

It is better to distribute the sacred meat of the sacrifice sacrificed in the name of Allah among Muslims. However, there is no harm in giving some to the needy and non-Muslim neighbors. Because this is included in the voluntary charity, other than Zakat. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) started distributing meat with his Jewish neighbors.

Bukhari, Adabul Mufrad H/128, Sanad Sahih – Albani, section ‘Jewish neighbors’.

Therefore, it is permissible to give the meat of the sacrifice to a non-believer because of his poverty, because he is a relative or neighbor, or to make him love Islam. And that is a great act of Islam.

The hadith that says, “Do not feed the polytheists from the sacrifices of Muslims” is “weak”.

The meat of the sacrifice can be kept and eaten for as long as you like, even for a year, ‘from one Zil-Hijjah to the next Zil-Hijjah’.

Ahmad, Hajj/26458, ‘Isnaad Hasan’, Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Hajj/4413.

However, if there are a large number of needy people in the neighborhood or if there is a widespread shortage in the country, it is necessary to distribute all the meat after three days.

It is forbidden to sell the meat of the sacrificed animal, but its skin can be sold and donated to the poor and needy.

No payment may be made from the meat or skin of the sacrificed animal for slaughtering it or for the selection of the animals. The Companions used to pay this payment from their own pockets. However, if the person is poor, there is no harm in giving him something as a gift. (Al-Mughni, 11/110 p.)

What is qurbani?