What if they do my Qurbani (Udhiyah) before my Eid prayer?

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

According to the Hanafi Madhab, consideration is given to the place where the animal is being slaughtered. Not where the owner is. Therefore, your Qurbani (Udhiyah/sacrifice) will be valid as long as they do it at the correct time in their locality. So, if you are celebrating Eid on Monday but they are doing it on Sunday, it is not a problem. As long as they do it at the correct time according to their locality, it is fine.

Explanation

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ ذَبَحَ قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّمَا ذَبَحَ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَمَنْ ذَبَحَ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَدْ تَمَّ نُسُكُهُ، وَأَصَابَ سُنَّةَ المُسْلِمِينَ

(Sayidina) Anas bin Malik (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever sacrifices prior to the prayer, has sacrificed for himself. And whoever sacrifices after the prayer has completed the ritual and aligned with the Sunnah (way) of the Muslims. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5546).

Proof in the Hadith?

Some people use the above Hadith to prove that it is obligatory to consider your Eid prayer for Qurbani not prayer at the place it is carried out. Meaning, if sacrifice is carried out abroad then they cannot do your Qurbani before your Eid prayer is completed. Thus, they cannot consider their own Eid prayer they must consider yours.

This is incorrect, the Hadith is not addressing this more detailed issue. The Hadith simply affirms the general ruling that Qurbani (Udhiyah/sacrifice) must be carried out after Eid.

As for a situation in which the Qurbani is done in one place and the person is in another, the Hadith is not directly addressing it. Rather that discussion is Ijtihadi. Meaning, there is no direct evidence in Quran and Sunnah so scholars must attempt to derive it.

Hanafi Imams

عن محمد قَالَ: ينظر إلى الموضع فإن كان الرجل من أهل المدينة فأمر بأن يضحى عنه في غير المصر جاز أن يضحى عنه بعد اشتقاق الفجر وبعد طلوع الشمس أحب إلينا. وإن كان الرجل من غير أهل المدينة فأمر بأن يضحى عنه في المصر لا يجوز أن يضحى عنه إلا بعد صلاة العيد. (عُيُون الْمَسَائِل)

(Imam) Muhammad said: Look at the place. If the man is from the city and he ordered sacrifice on his behalf in other than a city, it is permissible to sacrifice on his behalf after dawn. Although after sunrise is more beloved to us. However, if the man is not from the city but he ordered a sacrifice on his behalf in a city, it is not permissible to sacrifice on his behalf until after the Eid prayer. (Imam Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi 373H, Uyoon al-Masail). 

لو كان هو في مصر وقت الأضحية و أهله في مصر آخر فكتب إلى الأهل و أمرهم بالتضحية في ظاهر الرواية يعتبر مكان الأضحية. (فتاوى قاضيخان)

If he was in a city at the time of the sacrifice (Qurbani/Udhiyah) and his family was in another city, and he wrote to his family and ordered them to sacrifice, the place of the sacrifice will be considered. This is according to the dominant narration (Dhahir al-Riwayah). (Imam Fakhr al-Deen al-Awzajandi 592H, Fatawa Qadi Khan).

قال القدوري: لو أن رجلاً من أهل السواد دخل المصر لصلاة الأضحى، وأمر أهله أن يضحوا عنه؛ جاز أن يذبحوا عنه بعد طلوع الفجر؛ قال محمد رحمه الله: أنظر في هذا إلى موضع الذبح دون المذبوح عنه. (المحيط البرهاني في الفقه النعماني)

(Imam) al-Quduri said: If a rural man entered a city to perform the Eid al-Adha prayer, but he ordered his family to sacrifice on his behalf; it is permissible to slaughter on his behalf after dawn. (Imam) Muhammad (May Allah have mercy upon him) said: In this regard, I look at the place of slaughter, not the place in which the person commanding the slaughter is in. (Imam Burhan al-Deen al-Bukhari 616H, al-Muheet al-Burhaani).

وَالْمُعْتَبَرُ فِي ذَلِكَ مَكَانُ الْأُضْحِيَّةِ حَتَّى لَوْ كَانَتْ فِي السَّوَادِ وَالْمُضَحِّي فِي الْمِصْرِ يَجُوزُ كَمَا انْشَقَّ الْفَجْرُ، وَفِي الْعَكْسِ لَا يَجُوزُ إلَّا بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ. (تبيين الحقائق شرح كنز الدقائق)

What is considered in this regard is the place of sacrifice. So if it is in a rural area, but the one offering the sacrifice is in a city, it is permissible as dawn breaks. Vice versa, it is not permissible except after the (Eid) prayer. (Imam Fakhr al-Deen al-Zayla’i 743H, Tabyeen al-Haqaaiq). 

الْمُعْتَبَرُ فِي ذَلِكَ مَكَانُ الْأُضْحِيَّةِ، حَتَّى لَوْ كَانَتْ فِي السَّوَادِ وَالْمُضَحِّي فِي الْمِصْرِ يَجُوزُ كَمَا انْشَقَّ الْفَجْرُ. (العناية شرح الهداية)

What is considered in this regard is the place of the sacrifice. So if it is in a rural area, but the one offering the sacrifice is in a city, it is permissible as dawn breaks. (Imam Akmal al-Deen al-Babarti 786H, al-Inayah Sharh al-Hidayah). 

 

وَيُعْتَبَرُ فِي الذَّبْحِ مَكَانُ الْأُضْحِيَّةِ لَا مَكَانُ الرَّجُلِ وَإِنْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ فِي الْمِصْرِ، وَالشَّاةُ فِي السَّوَادِ فَذَبَحُوا عَنْهُ بَعْدَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ جَازَ وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي السَّوَادِ، وَالشَّاةُ فِي الْمِصْرِ لَا يَجُوزُ الذَّبْحُ إلَّا بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْعِيدِ. (الجوهرة النيرة)

Regarding the slaughter consideration is given to the place of the sacrifice, not the place of the man. So, if the man is in a city, and the sheep is in a rural area, and then they slaughtered for him, with his command, after dawn, it is valid. However, if he is in a rural area and the sheep is in a city, the sacrifice is not permitted until after the Eid prayer. (Imam Abu Bakr bin Ali al-Hadadi 800H, al-Jowharah al-Nayirah). 

In the Nusoos above, leading Hanafi Imams make it clear that if a Qurbani (slaughter/Udhiyah) is being carried out in a rural area then they do not need to wait for Eid Salah. Rather any time after dawn is valid. This is not the case in a city. Since they must wait until the Eid prayer is completed before sacrificing.

The place of sacrifice

The Hanafi Imams further clarify that we consider the place where the animal is being slaughtered. So, if the animal is being slaughtered in one place, but the person on whose behalf it is slaughtered is in a different place, then we consider the place of the animal.

Therefore, it will be permitted to slaughter an animal before Eid prayer in a rural area, even if the person for whom it is slaughtered is in a city. This is a circumstance in which Qurbani before your Eid prayer is actually valid.

The most important point being raised is that the place of the Qurbani is considered, not where the person is. This is relevant to another discussion too. If a person is celebrating Eid on one day, and the place where his animal is sacrificed celebrates the day before, it is fine. Since their day and Eid prayer will be considered, not his.

Common error

Despite the clarity provided by the Imams of the Hanafi Madhab, many Hanafi teachers misunderstand this issue. They warn people not to sacrifice abroad because their Eid will be before ours. Thus, they believe the Qurbani will be invalid. They say Qurbani before your Eid prayer is invalid. This is a clear error.

Sometimes teachers make mistakes due to not checking the earlier works of the Hanafi Madhab. However, even that excuse does not work in this case. Since, even relatively recent books have explained this issue clearly.

وَالْمُعْتَبَرُ مَكَانُ الْأُضْحِيَّةَ لَا مَكَانُ مَنْ عَلَيْهِ

(قَوْلُهُ وَالْمُعْتَبَرُ مَكَانُ الْأُضْحِيَّةَ إلَخْ) فَلَوْ كَانَتْ فِي السَّوَادِ وَالْمُضَحِّي فِي الْمِصْرِ جَازَتْ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ. (رد المحتار على الدر المختار)

Imam al-Haskafi: The place of sacrifice is considered. Not the place of the person it is obliged upon.

Imam Ibn Abideen: His saying, the place of the sacrifice is considered, so if it was in a rural area and the one sacrificing is in a city, then it is permissible before prayer. (Radd al-Muhtar).

 

قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى -: أَنْظُرُ فِي هَذَا إلَى مَوْضِعِ الذَّبْحِ دُونَ الْمَذْبُوحِ عَنْهُ كَذَا فِي الظَّهِيرِيَّةِ. وَعَنْ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ بِخِلَافِ هَذَا وَالْقَوْلُ الْأَوَّلُ أَصَحُّ وَبِهِ نَأْخُذُ، كَذَا فِي الْحَاوِي. (الفتاوى الهندية)

(Imam) Muhammad (May Allah have mercy upon him) said: In this regard, I look at the place of slaughter, not the place in which the person commanding the slaughter is in. This has been mentioned in al-Dhahiriyah. Al-Hasan bin Ziyad mentioned the opposite of this. However, the first view is stronger and we act upon it. This was mentioned in al-Hawi. (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyah).   

Conclusion

If you have asked people in another country to carry out sacrifice (Qurbani) for you, then they can do your Qurbani before your Eid prayer. As long as it is after their own Eid prayer. If they live in a rural area where there is no Eid prayer, then they can do it after Fajr. Meaning we consider the circumstances in the place of the Udhiyah (Qurbani), not where the person is.

There is no clear Ayah or Hadith addressing this issue, so there is room for difference of opinion. However, the above represents the view of the Hanafi Madhab. People who teach the Hanafi Madhab should teach it. But if they are convinced of a different view then they must clarify and not present it as the Hanafi position.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (14.06.2024)