Last updated: 14 October 2026 | Written for Eid ul Adha 2027
Qurbani Easy Editorial Team • Advised by our panel of Islamic scholars
Quick Answer: The Prophet (ﷺ) taught excellence in everything, including slaughter: “every one of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably” (Sahih Muslim 1955a). Fatwa sources from the Hanafi (Darul Ihsan) and Shafi’i (Darul Iftaa Jordan) traditions add practical points: a sharp knife, no cruelty, the animal well cared for. This guide shows both.
Qurbani is an act of worship, and care for the animal is part of it. Before Eid, families who do their own Qurbani, and people who arrange it through an agent, often ask what Islam expects of the way an animal is treated. Here is what the sources we opened actually say.
The hadith
Shaddad bin Aus said: “Two are the things which I remember Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) having said: Verily Allah has enjoined goodness to everything; so when you kill, kill in a good way and when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way. So every one of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably.” (Sahih Muslim 1955a)
What the fatwa sources add, side by side
| Point | Hanafi (Darul Ihsan, Durban) | Shafi’i (Darul Iftaa Jordan) |
|---|---|---|
| The knife | Should be sharp; never sharpened or displayed in front of the animal. | Sharpen the blade; do not slaughter with a dull knife. |
| Treatment | Animals well treated and cared for; not hurt, kicked, carelessly dragged around or unnecessarily frightened. | Islam forbids all forms of torture before, during or after slaughter, before the last breath is released. |
| The place | Slaughter place away from the view of other animals; animals kept in a well-ventilated enclosure with enough feed and water. | The question also concerned slaughtering animals in front of each other; the fatwa answers with the general prohibition of torture. |
| Direction | Facing the Qibla is masnoon (sunnah) for the slaughterer and the animal. | Not discussed in this fatwa. |
| Effect on validity | Not stated as such in this answer. | Some forms of torture (choking to death, throwing from a height, cutting off an organ such as an ear) could make the animal invalid as an Udhiyah or Aqeeqah. |
The Jordan fatwa also quotes two narrations from Sunan Ibn Majah (about not dragging a sheep by its ear and about hiding the blade from the animals). We did not separately check their grading, so we rely here only on Sahih Muslim and on the fatwa’s own statements. We found no named source for the Maliki or Hanbali schools on this exact point; if you follow one of them, ask your scholar.
If you book through an agent
When you appoint someone to perform your Qurbani (see our guide to appointing a wakil for Qurbani), the animal is slaughtered in your absence, so the care described above is carried out by others on your behalf. Qurbani Easy performs the Qurbani on your behalf, advised by our panel of Islamic scholars. We do not describe more of our handling here than we can state as fact; for details, ask our team on WhatsApp or phone. You can also book Qurbani online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sharpening the knife a Quranic rule?
It comes from a hadith in Sahih Muslim (Shaddad bin Aws): “every one of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably.” The Quran itself does not give this detail.
Do the Hanafi and Shafi’i sources agree?
On the sharp knife and sparing the animal suffering, yes. The Hanafi source we opened adds practical points (not sharpening the knife in front of the animal, a slaughter place away from other animals); the Shafi’i fatwa adds that forms of torture before, during or after slaughter are forbidden.
What if I book Qurbani through Qurbani Easy?
Qurbani Easy performs the Qurbani on your behalf, advised by our panel of Islamic scholars. If you want to know more about how the animal is handled, ask us on WhatsApp or phone.
Related guides: animal conditions: age and defects; days and time of Qurbani.
Citation Sources
• Sahih Muslim 1955a (Shaddad bin Aus) — sharpen the knife and let the animal die comfortably; checked on sunnah.com.
• Darul Ihsan, Durban (Hanafi), “Pertinent and often neglected aspects for Qurbani and slaughtering” — islamqa.org — the knife, the treatment of animals, the slaughter place, the Qibla.
• Darul Iftaa Jordan (Shafi’i), “Islam forbids torturing animals before slaughtering” — islamqa.org — all forms of torture forbidden; effect on an Udhiyah or Aqeeqah.
Madhab note: Hanafi and Shafi’i sources are shown side by side; Maliki and Hanbali: no openable source found, ask your scholar.