The Qurbani Period

1. Qurbani may only be done during the days of Nahr. NAHR actually means the sacrificing of a camel. But this term is generally used for the three days of qurbani, viz:
10, 11, & 12 ZHUL-HIJJA.
This is the period or the days of qurbani.
2. The qurbani period starts from subuh sadiq(d­awn) on the 10th Zhul-Hijja and ends at sunset on the 12th.
Qurbani is allowed at any time during this period, including the nights of the 10th and 11th, but not the night of the 12th.
Note: Unlike other days where the night precedes the day, the qurbani nights come AFTER the days. Hence qurbani is not valid on the night before Eid.

3. People living in towns or cities, where Eid Salah is performed may not do their qurbani until after the Eid Salah.
4. But those staying in rural areas (farms, etc.) may begin their sacrifices at the break of dawn on Eid day, even if they intend coming into the city for Eid Salah later on.
5. It is proper for a city-dweller to delegate someone living in the countryside or rural area to perform his (the city-dweller's) qurbani in that rural area BEFORE Eid Salah.
The place where the animal is sacrificed should always be considered to determine whether qurbani is permissible before Eid Salah or not. If the animal is being slaughtered in a rural area, that qurbani is jaiz before Eid Salah. And if it is being cut in the city then the qurbani is only jaiz after Eid Salah.
Hence, one living in the countryside cannot send his animal into the city to have the qurbani done there before Eid Salah.
On the same principle, if one's qurbani is being offered in another city or country, the Eid Salah of that area will be considered.
6. From the above it is clear that if one (male or female) living in the city made qurbani before Eid Salah, it is not valid and will have to be repeated. The animal thus slaughtered will be halaal, but will not be counted as qurbani.
7. If Eid Salah is conducted at several places in one city then it will be jaiz to commence qurbani after the earliest Eid Salah, even though the sacrificer has not yet read his Eid Salah.
8. Those people who are exempted from the Eid Salah, such as women, minors, the lame or sick, must also wait for the completion of the Eid Salah before they can begin sacrificing.
9. If qurbani was offered immediately after Eid Salah, but BEFORE the Eid khutba, it will be valid. But to do so intentionally is sinful.
10. If for some reason or other Eid Salah was not performed on Eid day(i.e. 10th Zhul-Hijja) then it will only be jaiz to commence sacrificing AFTER ZAWAAL on that day, i.e. after expiry of the time of Eid Salah, which is just before zawaal.
However, during the next two days qurbani could be done at any time. If Eid Salah was read the following day (11th), or the day thereafter (12th), qurbani would be jaiz even BEFORE the Eid on these two days.

The tarteeb or sequence between Eid salah and Qurbani for city-dwellers is wajib only on the first day (i.e. 10th).

When the Eid salah becomes qaza (by failing to read it before zawaal on the 10th) then this tarteeb falls away.

In such a case one may make qurbani from after zawaal on the 10th, and at any time on the following two days.
11. If after Eid Salah and qurbani it was dis­covered that for some reason the Eid Salah was not valid (e.g. Imam had no wuzu, or a faraz was omitted) then the Salah will have to be repeated, but the qurbani made by people will be valid. There is no need to repeat the qurbani.
12. If the need to repeat Eid Salah was realised at the Eidgah before the dispersing of the crowd then the Salah will be repeated then and there, in jamaat form. In this case no one is allowed to offer qurbani until the Eid Salah has been reread.
13. If the need to repeat the Salah was only discovered after people had gone home then only the Imam should repeat his Salah. It is not necessary to inform the Muslim public. All subse­quent qurbanis will be valid (as stated in no.11 above).
14. If after Eid and qurbani it was discovered that the Hilaal (new moon) information was incorr­ect, and it was in fact the NINTH of Zhul-Hijja, and not the tenth, then both the Salah and qurbani are valid. There is no need to repeat either.
15. Slaughtering at night is valid, but makrooh tanzeehi (better not to do so).
16. If the qurbani animal was sacrificed BEFORE the period of qurbani, it will not be jaiz to eat its meat. The whole animal must be distributed among the poor.
If qurbani was initially wajib upon the owner then another animal should be bought and sacrificed when the qurbani period enters.