Qurbani 2026: Rules, Shares & Who Must Give

By the Editorial Team · reviewed against our sources · updated September 2026 · guidance, not a fatwa

What Qurbani (Udhiyah) means

Qurbani is the Arabic-rooted term used across South Asia for what classical fiqh calls Udhiyah: the sacrifice of a permitted livestock animal during the days of Eid al-Adha as an act of worship. The word carries the sense of drawing nearer to God, and the ritual is an expression of gratitude, obedience and willingness to give up something of value. It is not simply the slaughter of an animal for meat; the defining element is the intention (niyyah) to perform it as worship during the appointed days. An animal slaughtered before the Eid prayer, or without that intention, is ordinary meat rather than a valid Qurbani.

The story behind Qurbani

Qurbani commemorates the devotion of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him), who in obedience to a divine command was willing to sacrifice what was most beloved to him, his son. In the tradition, God accepted his intention and replaced the son with a ram, so that the act of submission was honoured without the loss. Muslims re-enact the spirit of that willingness each year, remembering that true faith is measured by readiness to place obedience to God above personal attachment. The narrative is recalled here in general terms; for the precise scriptural wording, readers should turn to the Qur'an and reliable exegesis rather than paraphrase.

Who must give Qurbani

Scholars agree that Qurbani is a highly emphasised act, but they differ on whether it is obligatory. In the Hanafi school it is wajib (obligatory) on every Muslim who is sane, adult, resident (not a traveller) and who owns wealth equal to or above the nisab on the days of Eid, using the same nisab threshold as Zakat al-Fitr. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools classify it as sunnah mu'akkadah, a confirmed practice that a capable Muslim should not neglect but which is not strictly compulsory. In every school, a person who cannot afford it is not sinful for leaving it. You can review the wider framework of Islamic giving on our what is Zakat guide and see how obligatory and voluntary giving relate on our Zakat vs Sadaqah page.

Which animals are eligible

Only specific grazing livestock may be used: sheep, goats, cattle (cows and buffalo) and camels. The animal must be healthy and free of major defects, so animals that are clearly one-eyed, visibly lame, obviously ill or extremely emaciated are not accepted. Each type also has a minimum age.

Qurbani shares: how many people per animal

The number of people who may combine in one animal is fixed by fiqh, not by weight or price.

So the common question “how many shares in a cow Qurbani” has a clear answer: seven. A family of seven adults could jointly buy one cow, each taking one share. If a group buys a cow but wants fewer than seven shares, that is permitted; what is not permitted is dividing a cow among more than seven for Qurbani. Every partner in a shared animal must intend their portion as worship. If one partner intends only to obtain cheap meat, several scholars hold that this can affect the validity of the others' shares, so intentions should be confirmed before purchase.

When Qurbani is performed

The sacrifice may only take place during the days of Eid al-Adha, beginning after the Eid prayer on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah. The schools differ on how many days remain valid: the Hanafi and Maliki view allows the 10th, 11th and 12th (three days), while the Shafi'i and Hanbali view extends it to the 13th (four days), ending at sunset. Slaughtering before the Eid prayer does not count. For 2026, the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah (Eid al-Adha) is expected to fall on or around 27 May 2026, subject to local moon sighting, so the Qurbani window runs across the following days accordingly.

How the meat is distributed

There is no obligation to split the meat in a fixed way, but the widely followed convention is to divide it into three roughly equal parts: one third kept for the household, one third given to relatives, friends and neighbours, and one third given to the poor and needy. The one offering the Qurbani may eat from it, and it is encouraged to do so. Selling the meat, skin or any part of the sacrificed animal is not allowed, and a hired butcher should be paid separately in cash rather than with a portion of the meat.

Can you give cash instead of an animal?

This is debated. The mainstream position across all four Sunni schools is that Qurbani is an act tied to the actual shedding of blood (the sacrifice itself), so paying the cash value to charity does not fulfil it during the Eid days; the animal must be slaughtered within the valid window. A minority of contemporary voices argue the aim is feeding the poor and would allow cash, but this is not the majority ruling. In practice most Muslims commission a trusted organisation to buy and slaughter an animal on their behalf. Giving money to the poor is always praiseworthy as Sadaqah, but it is counted as voluntary charity rather than as a completed Qurbani.

The nail and hair rule

A person who intends to offer Qurbani is advised, from the sighting of the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah until the animal is sacrificed, to refrain from cutting their hair, trimming their nails or removing skin. Scholars differ on whether this is obligatory or merely recommended, with many treating it as a recommended (mustahabb) practice. It applies to the one whose Qurbani it is, not to the whole family, and it does not invalidate the sacrifice if forgotten.

Worked examples

Example 1 — one household, one goat. A resident Hanafi adult whose savings exceed the nisab buys a healthy one-year-old goat. That single animal is one complete Qurbani for him. He keeps a third of the meat, shares a third and donates a third.

Example 2 — shared cow. Seven cousins agree to buy one two-year-old cow and split it into seven equal shares. Each confirms the intention of worship. After the Eid prayer on the 10th, the animal is slaughtered, and each family receives one share of meat to divide by the three-part convention.

Example 3 — multiple family members. A father wishes to offer Qurbani for himself, his wife and two children. In the Hanafi view Qurbani is due only from those individually above the nisab, so he is not obliged to offer four; he may, however, voluntarily offer additional animals or additional shares in a cow on their behalf as an act of extra reward.

To see how Qurbani sits alongside the other forms of giving in the Islamic calendar, compare it with obligatory annual Zakat, the pre-Eid Zakat al-Fitr, and voluntary Sadaqah, and check the recipient rules on our who is eligible for Zakat page.

This page is general guidance only, not a fatwa; rulings vary by madhhab; consult a qualified scholar for your situation.

Frequently asked questions