Distribution of Qurbani Meat
Eating, feeding, giving to the poor, and storing the meat of sacrifice are all established forms according to the Quran and Sunnah. Regarding this, by the grace of Allah Almighty, four evidences are presented below:
➊ Allah Almighty said: ﴿فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِيرَ﴾
“So eat of it yourselves and feed the needy who are hungry.”
➋ The Lord, the Exalted, also said about this: ﴿فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ﴾
“So eat of their meat yourselves and feed those who are content and those who ask.”
➌ Imam Muslim narrated from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
”إنما نهيتكم من أجل الدافة التى دقت، فكلوا، وادخروا وتصدقوا.“
I forbade you from storing the meat of sacrifice for more than three days due to the arrival of needy people, so now eat, store, and give in charity.
➍ Imam Bukhari narrated from Hazrat Salama bin Akwa (may Allah be pleased with him) that he stated the Messenger of Allah said:
”كلوا، وأطعموا، وادخروا.“
Eat, feed, and store.
From the above verses and hadiths, it becomes clear that eating, feeding, storing, and giving the meat of sacrifice to the poor are all valid and correct forms. At this point, the scholars of Tafsir and Hadith raised two questions. The first question is whether it is obligatory for the one who offers the sacrifice to eat the meat of his sacrifice?
① According to Imam Ibn Hazm, it is obligatory for the one who offers the sacrifice to eat the meat of his sacrifice, even if he takes only one bite. Similarly, it is obligatory for him to give from this meat to the poor and needy, whether he gives little or much.
② According to the majority of the scholars of the Ummah, it is permissible and recommended for the one who offers the sacrifice to eat from the meat of the sacrifice.
Hafiz Ibn Jawzi wrote in the Tafsir of ﴿فَكُلُوا۟ مِنۡهَا وَأَطۡعِمُوا۟ ٱلۡبَاۤىِٕسَ ٱلۡفَقِيرَ﴾:
This ruling is for permissibility because the people of the pre-Islamic era considered eating the meat of their sacrifices unlawful, so Allah Almighty informed them that eating their meat is permissible.
Imam Qurtubi wrote in the Tafsir of فكلوا منها:
According to the majority, the imperative form is intended as encouragement (to eat the meat of sacrifice), and it is recommended that the person who offers the sacrifice eat from his Hajj and Eid al-Adha sacrifice.
Hafiz Ibn Kathir also wrote the same
and… Allah Almighty knows best the truth… this seems to be the correct view.
The second question is how should the meat of sacrifice be distributed?
➊ According to Imam Shafi’i, it is recommended to divide it equally into three parts: one-third to eat oneself, one-third to give as charity, and one-third to feed others.
This opinion is supported by the verse ﴿فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْقَانِعَ وَالْمُعْتَرَّ﴾ (So eat of their meat yourselves and feed those who are content and those who ask)
and the Prophet said كلوا، وأطعموا، وادخروا [Eat, feed, and store] see the hadith authentication
.
➋ According to some scholars, it is recommended to eat half of the meat and feed the other half to others.
This opinion is supported by the verse ﴿فَكُلُوا۟ مِنۡهَا وَأَطۡعِمُوا۟ ٱلۡبَاۤىِٕسَ ٱلۡفَقِيرَ﴾ (So eat of the sacrifice meat yourselves and feed the hungry poor).
➌ According to some scholars, there is no such restriction on the division of the meat. This opinion is supported by the hadith narrated by Imam Muslim from Hazrat Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him), who stated that the Messenger of Allah said:
”نهيتكم عن لحوم الأضاحي فوق ثلاث، فأمسكوا ما بدا لكم.“
I forbade you from eating the meat of sacrifices for more than three days, so now keep as much as you want (for eating).
And in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi it is stated:
”فكلوا ما بدا لكم، وأطعموا، وادخروا.“
So eat as much as you want, feed, and store.
Sheikh Albani declared it (Sahih).
From this hadith, it is clearly understood that there is no restriction to eat one-third or half. Imam Shawkani wrote: This hadith is evidence that the amount of meat eaten is not fixed. The person who offers the sacrifice may eat as much as he wants from it, whether the amount is large, but he should take care not to eat so much that the matter of أطعموا [feeding] is nullified.
This opinion… and Allah Almighty knows best the truth… seems correct because the Prophet (peace be upon him) clearly said, eat as much as you want. Moreover, the verses or hadiths used to support dividing into three or two equal parts do not specify that the division must be equal.
