Is qurbani obligatory or a sunnah?

This is the main difference between the schools. The Hanafi position makes it wajib on anyone who holds the nisab during the days of Eid — and unlike zakat there is no lunar year to wait out, so it can fall due in a year when no zakat is owed at all. The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali positions treat it as sunnah mu'akkadah, a confirmed sunnah strongly urged on anyone able to afford it, whose omission is not sinful.

Does every member of the family need their own qurbani?

On the Hanafi view the obligation falls on each adult who holds the nisab in their own right, so a husband and wife who each hold it each owe one, and children are not liable. On the other views the sacrifice of the head of a household is generally taken to cover the household. Because that difference decides how many shares a family buys, it is worth settling with a local scholar rather than assuming.

When exactly can the animal be slaughtered?

From after the Eid prayer on the tenth of Dhul Hijjah until sunset on the thirteenth. Slaughtered before the prayer, it is ordinary meat and not a qurbani, and the obligation is not discharged. If you are paying a charity to perform it abroad, ask them which day it happens on — the window is short and time zones make it shorter.

How should the meat be divided?

The recommended practice is three parts: one for your household, one for relatives, neighbours and friends whether or not they are in need, and one for the poor. This is a recommendation and not a fixed obligation — giving away more is better, and keeping more is permitted. What is not permitted is selling any part of the animal, including the skin, or paying the butcher with meat from it.

What makes an animal unsuitable?

Age first: a sheep must be a year old, or a well-grown lamb of six months; a goat a full year; a cow or buffalo two years; a camel five. Then defects — an animal blind in an eye, visibly lame, plainly ill, or so thin that it has no marrow does not qualify. A missing horn or a small tear in an ear does not disqualify it. If you are buying a share, this is the seller's responsibility, but it is worth asking.

Qurbani calculator

How many animals or shares your household needs, what it comes to, and whether it is obligatory on you or a sunnah — which depends on the school you follow.

Who and what

A sheep or a goat stands for one person and cannot be divided. A cow, a buffalo or a camel carries seven — and seven is a ceiling, not a target.

Minimum age for a cow: Two full years. The animal must also be free of the defects that disqualify it — blind in an eye, visibly lame, plainly ill, or emaciated.

People to coverEveryone the household is sacrificing for

CurrencyPrices are in it

Price of one shareWhat a share in the animal costs$

Buying shares rather than the whole animalMost people in the West buy shares through a mosque or a charity. Untick this if you are buying the animal outright.

Is it obligatory on you?

This is the one point where the schools genuinely part, and it changes whether missing it is a sin or a missed good deed.

Wealth you hold over EidCash, gold, savings — no lunar year needed here$Silver per gramSets the nisab$

Market price on 2026-09-07, filled in for you. Change it if your local rate differs. Nisab works out at 1,293.3.

What you need

4 shares

Enter a price above to see the cost.

Not obligatory on the Hanafi view, since your wealth is below the nisab over the days of Eid. It remains a great and recommended act if you are able.

Worth knowing

The division into thirds is the recommended practice rather than a fixed obligation. Giving more away is better; keeping more is permitted.

Dividing the meat

Your household

Keeping a third for the family is expressly permitted, and there is no virtue in going hungry on Eid.

Relatives, neighbours and friends

Given whether or not they are in need — this share is about the bond, not the charity.

The poor

The share the sacrifice exists for. Where it is given through a charity abroad, it should reach people before the days of Eid are out.

The timing is fixed. The sacrifice is valid from after the Eid prayer on the tenth of Dhul Hijjah until sunset on the thirteenth. Slaughtered before the prayer it is ordinary meat, not a qurbani, and the obligation is not discharged.

If you hold the nisab

The threshold that makes qurbani wajib on the Hanafi view is the same one zakat uses — so if you are above it over Eid, it is worth checking whether zakat is due as well. The difference is the lunar year: qurbani needs none, zakat does.

Work out your zakat →

This is a calculator, not a fatwa. Whether a particular animal qualifies, whether a share arrangement through a charity is sound, and whether the threshold is met in your case are all questions of fact and of school. Ask locally — and where you are buying through a charity, ask them when and where the sacrifice is performed.

The arithmetic is small; the mistakes are not

Almost every qurbani error comes from one of two places, and both are found out at the abattoir rather than on a form.

The first is shares. A sheep or a goat is one sacrifice for one person and cannot be divided — not between a couple, not between a parent and child. A cow, a buffalo or a camel carries seven, and seven is a ceiling. A household of nine cannot be put into one cow, and a family that buys a cow for four has paid for three empty places.

The second is who is obliged, which the schools answer differently and which is asked for on this page rather than decided.

Wajib, or a confirmed sunnah

On the Hanafi view qurbani is wajib on anyone holding the nisab during the days of Eid. That is the same threshold zakat uses — but with a crucial difference: there is no lunar year to wait out. Someone whose wealth crossed the line last month owes no zakat this year and may still owe a qurbani.

On the Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali views it is sunnah mu’akkadah: a confirmed sunnah, strongly urged on anyone who can afford it, whose omission is not a sin. Whether missing it is a fault or a missed good deed therefore depends on which you follow, which is not a detail.

The window is short

The sacrifice is valid from after the Eid prayer on the tenth of Dhul Hijjah until sunset on the thirteenth. Performed before the prayer it is ordinary meat, and the obligation stands undischarged.

This matters most for anyone paying a charity to perform it abroad. Ask which day they slaughter on and in which country — the window is a few days wide and time zones make it narrower, and a well-meaning transfer that arrives late buys meat rather than a qurbani.

The meat, and what may not be done with it

Three parts is the recommendation: your household, your relatives and neighbours whether or not they need it, and the poor. It is a recommendation rather than a rule — give more away and it is better, keep more and it is permitted, and there is no virtue in a family going without on Eid.

What is not permitted is selling any part of the animal, the skin included, or paying the butcher out of it. The butcher is paid in money; the animal is given.

Common questions

How many shares are there in a cow?: Seven, and seven is a maximum rather than a target. A cow, a buffalo or a camel can be shared between up to seven people, each of whom intends their own qurbani. A sheep or a goat is one sacrifice for one person and cannot be divided at all — two people cannot share a goat, however small the household. A family of nine therefore needs either two cows, or one cow and two sheep, and not one cow with nine names on it.
Is qurbani obligatory or a sunnah?: This is the main difference between the schools. The Hanafi position makes it wajib on anyone who holds the nisab during the days of Eid — and unlike zakat there is no lunar year to wait out, so it can fall due in a year when no zakat is owed at all. The Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali positions treat it as sunnah mu'akkadah, a confirmed sunnah strongly urged on anyone able to afford it, whose omission is not sinful.
Does every member of the family need their own qurbani?: On the Hanafi view the obligation falls on each adult who holds the nisab in their own right, so a husband and wife who each hold it each owe one, and children are not liable. On the other views the sacrifice of the head of a household is generally taken to cover the household. Because that difference decides how many shares a family buys, it is worth settling with a local scholar rather than assuming.
When exactly can the animal be slaughtered?: From after the Eid prayer on the tenth of Dhul Hijjah until sunset on the thirteenth. Slaughtered before the prayer, it is ordinary meat and not a qurbani, and the obligation is not discharged. If you are paying a charity to perform it abroad, ask them which day it happens on — the window is short and time zones make it shorter.
How should the meat be divided?: The recommended practice is three parts: one for your household, one for relatives, neighbours and friends whether or not they are in need, and one for the poor. This is a recommendation and not a fixed obligation — giving away more is better, and keeping more is permitted. What is not permitted is selling any part of the animal, including the skin, or paying the butcher with meat from it.
What makes an animal unsuitable?: Age first: a sheep must be a year old, or a well-grown lamb of six months; a goat a full year; a cow or buffalo two years; a camel five. Then defects — an animal blind in an eye, visibly lame, plainly ill, or so thin that it has no marrow does not qualify. A missing horn or a small tear in an ear does not disqualify it. If you are buying a share, this is the seller's responsibility, but it is worth asking.