Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il: In Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashshir Ahmad Rabbānī
❖ Question:
Can a woman slaughter her own animal for Qurbānī (sacrifice)?
✿ Answer:
Yes, if a Muslim woman knows how to properly slaughter an animal, then she may slaughter her own Qurbānī animal.
◈ Evidence from the Salaf
❖ Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله reported in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (before ḥadīth no. 5559) that:
Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه instructed his daughters to slaughter their own sacrificial animals.
📚 This narration is also found in Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Kitāb al-Manāsik (3/389, ḥadīth: 7169).
◈ Scholarly Commentary
❖ ʿAllāmah ʿAynī رحمه الله stated:
“This narration is proof that if women are proficient in slaughtering, they may slaughter their sacrificial animals themselves.”
📚 ʿUmdat al-Qārī: 21/155
◈ Hadith Evidence from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī
❖ Another supporting narration is found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (ḥadīth: 5505), in the ḥadīth of Kaʿb ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه, who said:
“A woman slaughtered a goat with a stone. The Prophet ﷺ was asked about it, and he permitted its consumption.”
✧ This ḥadīth also indicates that the slaughter performed by a woman is valid and lawful.
✅ Conclusion
✔ A woman is allowed to slaughter her own Qurbānī animal, provided she knows the correct method.
✔ There is clear evidence from the actions of the Companions and the approval of the Prophet ﷺ.
✔ The slaughter by a woman is valid, whether done with a knife or, in necessity, with another sharp object.
