Is It Permissible to Keep One’s Share in Qurbānī and Sell the Rest?
Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 595
A man buys an animal for Qurbānī (sacrifice) for 20 rupees.
He keeps one share for himself and sells the remaining six shares to other participants at 3 rupees per share, thereby earning profit and also performing his own sacrifice.
Is this action permissible according to Islamic law?
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد:
Qurbānī (sacrifice) means shedding the blood of an animal purely for the sake of Allah.
It is a devotional act of worship, not a business transaction.
It cannot be treated as a divisible commercial commodity, because the essence lies in offering life, not distributing meat.
✔ Scholars have written that if even one person intends to purchase meat, while the rest intend worship, none of their sacrifices will be valid.
This is because the act of shedding blood cannot be divided in intention.
By Allah’s grace, one animal has been allowed for up to seven people to share in Qurbānī.
Since this goes against analogy (qiyās), this special concession is limited to its exact form and must not be extended or manipulated.
If a person initially purchases the animal with the intention of selling it, and then after completing the sale of shares, decides to keep one share for himself, then:
◉ This is permissible, just as if seven people jointly purchased the animal for Qurbānī,
or one man owned an animal already and later decided to take a share for himself.
This is a valid form of Qurbānī.
However, if the buyer had already intended from the beginning (or before completing the transaction) to keep a share for himself, and simultaneously profited from the remaining shares, then:
◉ This amounts to seeking profit from the act of worship,
◉ His own share is not considered profit, but he is profiting from others' shares,
◉ This creates a new kind of transaction, which distorts the spirit of Qurbānī.
Such a method is impermissible and invalid.
“Verily, Allah accepts only that which is purely for Him.”
If a person intends profit from an act meant to be purely for the sake of Allah, such as Qurbānī, then the sincerity (ikhlāṣ) of the act is corrupted.
Selling shares with a pre-intended profit motive amounts to trading in worship, which is harām.
Fatāwā Ahl al-Ḥadīth, Vol. 2, p. 468
✔ Permissible:
If a person sells the shares first, then later decides to keep one share, without prior intent of profiting—this is allowed.
✖ Impermissible:
If the person intends from the beginning to keep a share and earn profit from the rest, it invalidates the sincerity and makes the act unlawful.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
This is what I have understood, and Allah knows best what is correct.
Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 595
❖ Question:
A man buys an animal for Qurbānī (sacrifice) for 20 rupees.
He keeps one share for himself and sells the remaining six shares to other participants at 3 rupees per share, thereby earning profit and also performing his own sacrifice.
Is this action permissible according to Islamic law?
❖ Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد:
✿ Essence of Qurbānī:
Qurbānī (sacrifice) means shedding the blood of an animal purely for the sake of Allah.
It is a devotional act of worship, not a business transaction.
It cannot be treated as a divisible commercial commodity, because the essence lies in offering life, not distributing meat.
❖ Key Ruling:
✔ Scholars have written that if even one person intends to purchase meat, while the rest intend worship, none of their sacrifices will be valid.
This is because the act of shedding blood cannot be divided in intention.
❖ The Exception Granted by Allah:
By Allah’s grace, one animal has been allowed for up to seven people to share in Qurbānī.
Since this goes against analogy (qiyās), this special concession is limited to its exact form and must not be extended or manipulated.
❖ Scenario 1: Permissible Case
If a person initially purchases the animal with the intention of selling it, and then after completing the sale of shares, decides to keep one share for himself, then:
◉ This is permissible, just as if seven people jointly purchased the animal for Qurbānī,
or one man owned an animal already and later decided to take a share for himself.
This is a valid form of Qurbānī.❖ Scenario 2: Impermissible Case
However, if the buyer had already intended from the beginning (or before completing the transaction) to keep a share for himself, and simultaneously profited from the remaining shares, then:
◉ This amounts to seeking profit from the act of worship,
◉ His own share is not considered profit, but he is profiting from others' shares,
◉ This creates a new kind of transaction, which distorts the spirit of Qurbānī.
Such a method is impermissible and invalid.❖ Important Principle:
“Verily, Allah accepts only that which is purely for Him.”
If a person intends profit from an act meant to be purely for the sake of Allah, such as Qurbānī, then the sincerity (ikhlāṣ) of the act is corrupted.
Selling shares with a pre-intended profit motive amounts to trading in worship, which is harām.
Fatāwā Ahl al-Ḥadīth, Vol. 2, p. 468 Summary:
✔ Permissible:
If a person sells the shares first, then later decides to keep one share, without prior intent of profiting—this is allowed.
✖ Impermissible:
If the person intends from the beginning to keep a share and earn profit from the rest, it invalidates the sincerity and makes the act unlawful.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
This is what I have understood, and Allah knows best what is correct.
