Qurbani (Udhiyah) Rules - Obligation, Timing and Conditions

1. 1Confirm nisab ownership and choose sheep/goat or a cow/camel share.
2. 2Book the animal or a trusted charity before the 10th.
3. 3Slaughter after Eid prayer (10th-13th) with the slaughter dua and qibla facing.
4. 4Distribute in thirds and give the hide in charity - never as butcher wages.

Who slaughters and when

Every adult Muslim owning nisab beyond basic needs offers one sheep/goat, or one of seven shares in a cow or camel - per person (Hanafi) or per household (Maliki practice); follow your school. The window opens after the Eid prayer on the 10th and closes at Maghrib on the 13th - slaughter before the prayer counts as ordinary meat, not Qurbani.

Appoint an agent (wakil) or charity if you cannot slaughter yourself - intention plus payment suffices, and overseas Qurbani where the need is greater is valid if slaughtered inside the days.

The animal and the method

Sheep/goats must be at least one year (or a well-grown six-month lamb per Hanafi allowance), cattle two years, camels five - healthy, defect-free, and owned (not stolen or jointly disputed). Say the slaughter dua (Bismillah wallahu akbar, Allahumma hadha minka wa laka), face the qibla, use a sharp knife, and let the blood drain fully.

Intention is made at purchase or slaughter; naming the deceased in the intention earns them reward too - “O Allah, this is from me and on behalf of...”.