Four blessed sayings of Beloved Mustafa regarding the excellence of performing Qurbani:
- The one who performs Qurbani of an animal gets the reward of one good deed for each hair of the sacrificed animal.
- The one who wholeheartedly performs Qurbani of an animal for reward, his Qurbani will serve as a barrier between him and hellfire.
- O Fatimah! Stay near your sacrificial animal because your sins will be forgiven as soon as the first drop of its blood falls down.
- On the day of Eid-ul-Adha, man performs no other good deed that is dearer to Allah than shedding blood (of the sacrificial animal). This sacrificed animal will come with its horns, hair and hooves and the sacrifice is accepted by Allah before the blood of the sacrificed animal reaches the ground. Therefore, perform the Qurbani wholeheartedly.’
1. Why do we perform Qurbani?
The command of Qurbani was given by Allah Almighty and His Beloved Messenger, and it is Wajib upon the Muslims with a few conditions; this is why we perform Qurbani and will continue to do so.
2. Upon whom is Qurbani Wajib?
From the Fajr of 10th Zul Hijjah till the sunset of 12th Zul Hijjah, if there is a Muslim who is sane, Baaligh, a resident
and who possesses the Nisaab, and the Nisaab is besides any debts or essentials, then Qurbani will be Wajib in this case.
3. On which day is it superior to perform Qurbani?
It is permissible to perform Qurbani on all three days of Eid, however, it is more superior on the first day. Butchers generally charge more on the first day, which is why some people leave the superior action for the sake of a little money and perform Qurbani on the second or third day of Eid. Like this, just to save a bit of money, despite purchasing an expensive animal, they deprive themselves of the virtue of performing Qurbani on the first day. Even though the butcher taking more money on the first day is harder on the Nafs, but
we should make our mindset in the following way: The more difficult a righteous action is upon the Nafs, the greater its reward will be too.
4. If a person does not have money, can he perform Qurbani by borrowing money?
If Qurbani is Wajib and he does not have access to his money as it is invested in his business, or he has some possessions which he does not wish to sell, then there is no harm if he borrows money off somebody in order to perform Qurbani. However, if Qurbani is not Wajib, then obviously it is not necessary for him to borrow money so that he can perform Qurbani. Nevertheless, if he did perform Qurbani, he will receive its reward, but doing so is a major risk, as he might not be able to repay the money, and like this, quarrels and other issues can arise. Therefore, it is my advice that if Qurbani is not Wajib, then one should not borrow money for the purpose of performing Qurbani.
5. If someone’s parents who never performed Qurbani in their life have passed away, can their children now perform Qurbani for them?
Yes, it is permissible to perform Qurbani as a means of sending reward (Isal Sawaab) to the deceased; there is no problem in doing so. People should perform Qurbani on behalf of their parents, as this is an act of goodness. If someone’s parents never performed Qurbani during their life or did so on many occasions, there is no issue in performing Qurbani and sending its reward to them, as this is permissible.
6. If the Qurbani for one year was not performed, can it be performed the following year? As I do not have money this time round, must I still perform Qurbani, or is it now waived?
If the days of Qurbani elapsed whilst it was necessary (Wajib) upon an individual to sacrifice an animal, but the person did not perform Qurbani or give an animal or its value in charity (sadaqah), to the extent that the next Eid Al-Adha arrived, then he cannot do the Qada of last year’s Qurbani this year. Instead, the ruling is the same in it that he should give an animal or its value as charity.
7. If the conditions that make Qurbani necessary are found but one does not have money, or if Qurbani is not necessary upon an individual, must it still be performed?
If Qurbani is necessary (Wajib) upon someone but he does not have the money, he can borrow money and perform it. Alternatively, he can sell an item to obtain the money for buying an animal. Note that for Qurbani, it is not necessary to buy an animal worth over a thousand pound; one can also purchase a share in an animal, which is not very costly.
Nonetheless, if Qurbani is necessary upon an individual, it must be performed. A person who purposely does not perform it will be sinful. And if the reason for someone not performing it is because it is not necessary (Wajib) upon him and the conditions for this are not found, then this is not an act of sin as the Qurbani was not due.
8. In a house consisting of six people, if two or three sacrifices are made on behalf of all of them, is this sufficient, or must six Qurbanis take place?
Six Qurbanis must take place. Some people offer just one goat on behalf of all the members in a house, in which case the Qurbani will not be fulfilled on behalf of any of them. There is not more than one share in one goat. For the aforementioned family, a large animal should be purchased, as Qurbani can then be given on behalf of seven people.