Slaughtering the Camel by Standing Nahr – A Prophetic Sunnah
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
◈ The Method of Nahr for Camels
Camels should not be slaughtered like other animals; rather, they should be sacrificed by Nahr.
How to perform Nahr:
- The left front leg of the camel is tied, and it is made to stand on the other three legs.
- Then, with a sharp instrument (knife, spear, or lance), the neck is pierced.
- The blood flows until the camel falls to the ground.
- Afterward, the skinning and cutting of the meat is done.
◈ Evidences from Qurʾān and Sunnah
① Qurʾānic Evidence
﴿وَالْبُدْنَ جَعَلْنَاهَا لَكُم مِّن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ ۖ فَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَافَّ ۖ فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا﴾
(Sūrat al-Ḥajj: 36)
"The camels of sacrifice We have made for you as among the symbols of Allah; therein is much good for you. So mention the name of Allah over them while they are standing in rows, then when they fall on their sides, eat from them."
- Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما explained ṣawāff to mean: standing with one leg tied.
Fatḥ al-Qadīr, 3/558 - Imām al-Shawkānī رحمه الله said regarding fa-idhā wajabat junūbuhā: “Wujūb” means falling down — i.e., when the camel collapses after its Nahr and life departs.
Fatḥ al-Qadīr, 13/556
② Practice of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما
He once passed by a man who had made his camel sit to slaughter it. Ibn ʿUmar said:
«ابعثها قياما مقيدة سنة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم»
"Make it stand with its leg tied, for that is the Sunnah of Muḥammad ﷺ."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1713; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1320; Abū Dāwūd: 1768; Aḥmad: 3/2; Ibn Ḥibbān: 5903③ Ḥadīth of Jābir رضي الله عنه
«أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأصحابه كانوا ينحرون البدن معقولة اليسرى قائمة على ما بقى من قوائمها»
"The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and his Companions used to perform Nahr of the camels with the left leg tied, while the animal stood on its remaining legs."
Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 1553, 1767 – graded Ḥasan by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Razzāq Mahdī (Sharḥ Ibn Kathīr, 4/438)④ Ḥadīth of Jābir in Ḥajj al-Wadāʿ
«فنحر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بيده ثلاثا وستين بدنة جعل يطعنها بحربة فى يده»
"The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hand, striking them with a small spear he held."
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1218
Conclusion
- Standing Nahr is the Sunnah way of sacrificing camels.
- The Qurʾān explicitly instructs ṣawāff (keeping them standing).
- The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions practiced this, and the scholars confirmed it as the Sunnah.
- Therefore, tying one leg and sacrificing the camel while standing is the correct method of Nahr.
Hādhā mā ʿindī wa-Allāhu Aʿlam bi-ṣ-ṣawāb.
