Is Qurbani Mandatory? Who Must Give and How Much
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In the Hanafi school, Qurbani is wajib (mandatory) for every adult, sane, resident Muslim who owns wealth at or above the nisab during the days of Eid. The Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali schools hold that it is a confirmed Sunnah: strongly encouraged, but not a sin to leave. No school calls it fard. Each person who owes it gives one goat or sheep, or one seventh of a cow.
“Is Qurbani mandatory?” is one of the most common questions before Eid al-Adha, and the honest answer is that it depends on your madhhab and your wealth.
Is Qurbani fard, wajib or Sunnah?
Allah says: “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice” (Surah Al-Kawthar 108:2). The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed every year in Madinah. He said: “Whoever has the means and does not sacrifice, let him not come near our place of prayer” (Sunan Ibn Majah 3123, graded hasan).
The Hanafi school reads that warning as proof that Qurbani is wajib for anyone who can afford it. The other three schools see it as strong encouragement. They point to reports that Abu Bakr and Umar sometimes did not sacrifice, so people would not think it was obligatory.
| School | Ruling | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | Wajib | A sin to leave if you own the nisab |
| Shafi’i | Sunnah mu’akkadah | Strongly encouraged. One animal covers the Sunnah for a household. |
| Maliki | Sunnah mu’akkadah | Strongly encouraged for anyone who can afford it without hardship |
| Hanbali | Sunnah mu’akkadah | Disliked (makruh) to leave if you are able |
Whatever the label, all four schools agree that if you can afford Qurbani, you should give it.
Who must give Qurbani (Hanafi)
It is wajib on a person who, during the days of Eid, is:
- Muslim
- Adult, past puberty
- Sane
- Resident, not a traveller in the shari’ah sense
- The owner of the nisab beyond basic needs and due debts
How the nisab works for Qurbani
The nisab is the value of 612.36 grams of silver (or 87.48 grams of gold). Hanafi scholars generally use the silver value, which is much lower. There are two important differences from Zakat:
- No year needs to pass. If you own the nisab at any point during the days of Eid, Qurbani is due.
- More kinds of wealth count. For Zakat, only cash, gold, silver and trade goods count. For Qurbani, any surplus assets count too, such as a second car you don’t need or valuable items you never use.
Debts that are due now are subtracted. Long-term debts, such as a mortgage, are treated differently by different scholars, so ask a local scholar if this applies to you.
How much Qurbani per person?
Each person who owes Qurbani gives one share:
- one goat, or
- one sheep, or
- one seventh of a cow, buffalo or camel.
A whole cow therefore covers up to seven people. With us, a cow share is $170, a sheep $175 and a goat $200. There is a full comparison in cow, goat or sheep Qurbani.
Qurbani rules for the family
| Person | Is Qurbani mandatory? (Hanafi) | How much |
|---|---|---|
| Husband who owns the nisab | Yes | 1 share |
| Wife who owns the nisab herself (e.g. in jewellery) | Yes | 1 share, from her own wealth or paid by her husband with her permission |
| Adult son or daughter with the nisab | Yes | 1 share each |
| Children before puberty | No | Optional and rewarded |
| Someone who has died | No | Optional. You can give one in their name. |
In the other three schools, one sheep or goat from the head of the household is enough to fulfil the Sunnah for everyone in it, following the Prophet’s ﷺ own practice. More on families is in the Qurbani rules.
What if you can’t afford it, or you miss it?
If you don’t own the nisab, Qurbani isn’t wajib for you in any school. You can still give one voluntarily if you wish. If it was wajib and the days pass without it, the Hanafi school says you give the value of a goat or sheep to the poor and ask Allah’s forgiveness. It can’t be made up by slaughtering later.
Quick questions
Is Qurbani compulsory for students? Only if they personally own the nisab, for example in savings.
Is Qurbani mandatory for travellers? Not in the Hanafi school. They may still give it voluntarily.
Can I pay for my whole family’s Qurbani? Yes, but for adult family members who owe it themselves, you should have their permission.
Can my Qurbani be done in another country? Yes. Appointing a charity to sacrifice for you is valid in all schools.
Does pre-stunning affect it? If the stun kills the animal before the cut, there is no Qurbani. Ours are slaughtered by hand, alive, with no stunning.
For the background to all of this, start with what is Qurbani? When you know how many shares your family needs, see how our Qurbani donation works or reserve your shares.
Give your Qurbani with us
We buy healthy animals of the right age in rural Bangladesh and slaughter them by hand after the Eid prayer, with no stunning. The meat goes to Rohingya refugees and poor families, and you get photos and video of your animal.
Reserve from $170 How our Qurbani donation worksDates are estimates based on astronomical calculations and the Umm al-Qura calendar, and depend on the moon sighting. Hadith references include the collection and number so you can check them. Where a narration is graded weak, we say so. Scholars differ on some details, so ask a local scholar about your own situation.
