This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Farooq Rafi Sahib's book Qurbani, Aqiqah, and Ashra Zil-Hijjah.
During the time of Prophethood, for one year, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prohibited storing sacrificial meat for more than three days due to the hardship and poverty of some rural people. Then, the Prophet ﷺ permitted the storage of sacrificial meat, so it is permissible without hesitation to store meat for more than three days.
① It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنهما that the Noble Prophet ﷺ forbade eating sacrificial meat after three days, then later said:
كلوا وتزودوا وادخروا
“Eat the sacrificial meat (up to three days), make provisions for the journey, and store it.”
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on the prohibition of eating sacrificial meat after three days: 1973. Sunan an-Nasa’i, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on permission for that: 4438.
② Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها narrates:
دفت أهل أبيات من أهل البادية حضرة الأضحى زمن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ادخروا ثلاثا، ثم تصدقوا بما بقي، فلما كان بعد ذلك قالوا: يا رسول الله! إن الناس يتخذون الأسقية من ضحاياهم ويجملون منها الودك، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: وما ذاك؟ قالوا: نهيت أن تؤكل لحوم الضحايا بعد ثلاث، فقال: إنما نهيتكم من أجل الدافة التى دفت، فكلوا وادخروا
“On the occasion of Eid al-Adha, some (impoverished) Bedouin families came (to Madinah), so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said (to help and assist them): ‘You may store the sacrificial meat for three days, then give the remaining meat as charity.’ After that (the next year), people said: O Messenger of Allah! Indeed, people used to make water skins from the hides of their sacrifices and melt their fat. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked: ‘What is the matter?’ The Companions رضي الله عنهم said: You ﷺ forbade eating sacrificial meat after three days. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I forbade you because of the hardship and poverty of the Bedouin people. So now, eat the sacrificial meat, make provisions for the journey, and store it.’”
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on the prohibition of eating sacrificial meat: 1971. Sunan Abi Dawood, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on withholding sacrificial meat: 2812. Sunan an-Nasa’i, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on storing sacrificial meat: 4436.
③ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id Khudri رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
يا أهل المدينة لا تأكلوا لحوم الأضاحي فوق ثلاث، فشكوا إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن لهم عيالا وحشما وخدما، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: كلوا وأطعموا واحبسوا أو ادخروا
“O people of Madinah! Do not eat sacrificial meat for more than three days.” Then the people complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that they have family members, relatives, and servants who need meat after three days. (In response) the Prophet ﷺ said: “Eat, feed others, and store the sacrificial meat (even after three days).”
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices: 1973.
④ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salamah bin Akwa’ رضي الله عنه that the Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
من ضحى منكم فلا يصبحن بعد ثالثة وبقي فى بيته منه شيء، فلما كان العام المقبل قالوا: يا رسول الله نفعل كما فعلنا العام الماضي؟ قال: كلوا وأطعموا وادخروا، فإن ذلك العام كان بالناس جهد فأردت أن تعينوا فيها
“Whoever among you offers a sacrifice, after the third day, nothing of it should remain in his house.” Then when the next year came, the Companions رضي الله عنهم asked: O Messenger of Allah! Should we do the same as last year? (i.e., not store meat after three days) The Prophet ﷺ said: “Eat, feed others, and store it (after three days), because last year people faced hardship, so I intended that you help them in that (hardship).”
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Sacrifices, Chapter on what is eaten from sacrificial meat: 5569. Sahih Muslim, Book of Sacrifices: 8974.
Benefits:
① Qadi Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, states: "The hadiths of this chapter are explicit texts that the prohibition of eating and storing the meat of sacrifice after three days has been abrogated. This is the position of the majority of scholars among the Companions, the Followers, and the early scholars."
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 135/5.
② Ibn Qudamah Hanbali, may Allah have mercy on him, states that according to the opinion of most scholars, it is permissible to store the meat of sacrifice for more than three days.
Reference: Al-Mughni with Al-Sharh Al-Kabir: 111/11.
Schools of Thought and Opinions:
The permissibility, prohibition, and conditional allowance (i.e., if a Muslim is in hardship and poverty, then storing meat for more than three days is forbidden, otherwise it is permissible) regarding eating and storing sacrificial meat after three days is a matter of scholarly disagreement. Qadi Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, states that scholars have derived various meanings from the above hadiths.
① Some scholars hold the view that eating and storing sacrificial meat for more than three days is forbidden and the ruling of prohibition still remains. Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, and Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, adhere to this view.
② Regarding why Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and Sayyiduna Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, held this view, Ibn Qudamah Hanbali, may Allah have mercy on him, writes that Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Ibn Umar did not receive permission from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to eat and store sacrificial meat after three days, and they had heard the prohibition on this matter, so accordingly they narrated the tradition.
Reference: Al-Mughni with Al-Sharh Al-Kabir: 111/11.
③ Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, states that it is possible that Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Ibn Umar and their followers were not aware of the abrogation, and the one who has knowledge of a matter is evidence over the one who is unaware of it, so the evidence of those aware of the abrogation is correct and preferable.
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 135/5.
④ The majority of scholars say: Eating and storing sacrificial meat after three days is permissible. Due to the above-mentioned hadiths, the prohibition on eating and storing sacrificial meat after three days has been abrogated, especially the hadith of Buraidah, may Allah be pleased with him, which abrogates this prohibition, and this is an example of a Sunnah being abrogated by another Sunnah.
⑤ Some scholars hold the view that the prohibition on eating and storing sacrificial meat after three days has not been abrogated, rather the prohibition was due to a cause, and when the cause was removed, the ruling of prohibition was automatically lifted. The hadith of Salamah ibn Akwa’, may Allah be pleased with him, and the hadith of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, are the evidence for those who hold this view.
⑥ The prohibition on storing meat was from the beginning for dislike (makruh), not a prohibition (haram). Those who hold this view say: This dislike still remains, but storing meat is not forbidden, and if such hardship and difficulty still occur today, people should assist such needy and destitute individuals.
Preferred Position:
① After mentioning the aforementioned schools of thought, Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: The preferred and correct issue is that the prohibition of eating and storing meat for more than three days has been absolutely abrogated, and its prohibition and dislike have ended. Therefore, now eating and storing meat for more than three days is permissible and lawful without any specified time limit. The explicit text of the Hadith of Buraidah, may Allah be pleased with him, is evidence for this permissibility and lawfulness.
Reference: Sharh al-Nawawi: 129/13.
② Imam Rafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, says: In the present era, there is absolutely no prohibition on eating and storing meat for more than three days, and in Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, also adopts this position, stating that at this time, under any circumstances, this prohibition no longer exists.
Reference: Fath al-Bari: 36/10.
Statement of the Hadith of Buraidah, may Allah be pleased with him:
The following hadith is clear evidence that the prohibition on eating and storing meat after three days has been completely abrogated, and due to any reason or condition, the prohibition will not be enforced again.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Buraydah bin Husayb رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
نهيتكم عن زيارة القبور، فزوروها، ونهيتكم عن لحوم الأضاحي فوق ثلاث، فأمسكوا ما بدا لكم
"I had forbidden you from visiting the cemetery, so now visit it; and I had forbidden you from keeping the meat of sacrifice for more than three days, so now keep it as much as you like."
Reference: Sahih Muslim: 977. Sunan an-Nasa'i: 5655.
