Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
What is the ruling on a person who denies the Sharʿi legitimacy of Qurbānī (sacrifice)?
According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah, Qurbānī is legislated (mashrūʿ). It consists of slaughtering specific animals of a specific age on specific days.
It is a continuous practice of the Muslims throughout history:
Qurbānī is a distinctive symbol (shaʿīrah) of Islam, a means of thanking Allah, and a form of drawing near to Him.
Those who insult Qurbānī or abandon it deliberately are sinful.
Qur’an:
﴿وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا لِّيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّن بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ﴾
(Al-Ḥajj: 34)
“For every nation We appointed rites of sacrifice, that they may mention the name of Allah over the cattle He provided for them.”
Ḥadīth:
Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه said:
((ضحى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بكبشين أملحين، فرأيته واضعا قدمه على صفاحھما، يسمي ويكبر، فذبحهما بيده))
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sacrificed two rams, white and black, placing his foot on their sides, mentioning the name of Allah, saying takbīr, and slaughtering them with his own hand.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5558, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1966)
❀ Ibn Qudāmah رحمه الله (d. 682H):
“The Muslims have consensus on the legitimacy of Qurbānī.”
(al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr 3/530)
❀ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله (d. 463H):
“By consensus of the Muslims, the sacrificial animals are the four pairs: sheep, goats, camels, and cattle.”
(al-Tamhīd 23/188)
❀ Ibn al-Mundhir رحمه الله (d. 319H):
“There is consensus that it is not permissible to slaughter the sacrificial animals before the dawn of the 10th of Dhul-Ḥijjah.”
(al-Ijmāʿ p. 78)
❀ Ibn ʿĀbidīn al-Shāmī رحمه الله (d. 1252H):
“If someone denies the very legitimacy of a matter upon which the Ummah has consensus, he becomes a disbeliever.”
(Fatāwā Shāmī 6/314)
He further wrote:
“If one denies the legitimacy of Witr prayer or of Qurbānī, he becomes a disbeliever.”
(Fatāwā Shāmī 6/314)
✿ Qurbānī is an established practice of Islam, proven by Qur’an, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ.
✿ To belittle or abandon it is sinful.
✿ To deny its very legitimacy – despite ijmāʿ – amounts to kufr (disbelief).
❖ Question
What is the ruling on a person who denies the Sharʿi legitimacy of Qurbānī (sacrifice)?
❖ Answer
According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah, Qurbānī is legislated (mashrūʿ). It consists of slaughtering specific animals of a specific age on specific days.
It is a continuous practice of the Muslims throughout history:
- The Prophet ﷺ performed Qurbānī.
- The Companions رضي الله عنهم, the Tābiʿūn, the Tabiʿ al-Tābiʿīn, and the scholars of Islam continued this practice.
- The Qur’an, Sunnah, and consensus (ijmāʿ) all affirm its legitimacy.
Qurbānī is a distinctive symbol (shaʿīrah) of Islam, a means of thanking Allah, and a form of drawing near to Him.
Those who insult Qurbānī or abandon it deliberately are sinful.
◈ Evidences
Qur’an:
﴿وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا لِّيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّن بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ﴾
(Al-Ḥajj: 34)
“For every nation We appointed rites of sacrifice, that they may mention the name of Allah over the cattle He provided for them.”
Ḥadīth:
Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه said:
((ضحى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بكبشين أملحين، فرأيته واضعا قدمه على صفاحھما، يسمي ويكبر، فذبحهما بيده))
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sacrificed two rams, white and black, placing his foot on their sides, mentioning the name of Allah, saying takbīr, and slaughtering them with his own hand.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5558, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1966)
◈ Scholarly Consensus
❀ Ibn Qudāmah رحمه الله (d. 682H):
“The Muslims have consensus on the legitimacy of Qurbānī.”
(al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr 3/530)
❀ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله (d. 463H):
“By consensus of the Muslims, the sacrificial animals are the four pairs: sheep, goats, camels, and cattle.”
(al-Tamhīd 23/188)
❀ Ibn al-Mundhir رحمه الله (d. 319H):
“There is consensus that it is not permissible to slaughter the sacrificial animals before the dawn of the 10th of Dhul-Ḥijjah.”
(al-Ijmāʿ p. 78)
❀ Ibn ʿĀbidīn al-Shāmī رحمه الله (d. 1252H):
“If someone denies the very legitimacy of a matter upon which the Ummah has consensus, he becomes a disbeliever.”
(Fatāwā Shāmī 6/314)
He further wrote:
“If one denies the legitimacy of Witr prayer or of Qurbānī, he becomes a disbeliever.”
(Fatāwā Shāmī 6/314)
Conclusion
✿ Qurbānī is an established practice of Islam, proven by Qur’an, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ.
✿ To belittle or abandon it is sinful.
✿ To deny its very legitimacy – despite ijmāʿ – amounts to kufr (disbelief).
