Last updated: 19 October 2026 | Written for Eid ul Adha 2027
Qurbani Easy Editorial Team • Advised by our panel of Islamic scholars
Quick Answer: If Qurbani was Wajib on a person and the three valid days of Eid ul Adha passed without it being performed, the Hanafi ruling is that the person must give the value of a Qurbani-worthy animal in Sadaqah to the poor. Slaughtering an animal after the valid days does not count as Qurbani at all, even if it is still given in charity. Other schools treat a missed voluntary Qurbani differently, as explained below.
Eid has passed, the days of sacrifice are over, and for one reason or another, Qurbani didn’t happen this year. Maybe a payment didn’t go through in time, maybe illness or travel got in the way, maybe it was simply forgotten until it was too late. The question that follows is urgent and specific: is it too late to do anything at all, or is there still a way to make it right? This guide answers that directly, using verified rulings rather than guesswork.
What Counts as “Missed” Qurbani
Qurbani must be performed only within a fixed window: after the Eid ul Adha prayer on 10 Dhul Hijjah, through the two days of Ayyam al-Tashreeq that follow, ending at sunset on 12 Dhul Hijjah. A hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik, recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, states: “Whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, he just slaughtered it for himself, and whoever slaughtered it after the prayer, he slaughtered it at the right time.” If no animal was sacrificed on a person’s behalf before sunset on the 12th, that person’s Qurbani for the year is missed, regardless of the reason. A sacrifice performed after that window, even the very next day, does not count as Qurbani at all — it can only be treated as ordinary charity. For the full breakdown of these three days, see The Days of Tashreeq Explained, and for other errors that can affect a Qurbani’s validity even when it is performed in time, see Common Mistakes That Invalidate Your Qurbani.
The Hanafi Ruling: Give the Animal’s Value in Sadaqah
Under the Hanafi school, Qurbani is Wajib, not optional, for anyone who meets the Nisab threshold on the day of Eid. Missing it does not cancel the obligation; it converts it into a different one. A Hanafi fatwa states plainly: “The compensation for failing to perform a wajib Qurbani is to give the value of a Qurbani animal as sadaqah” (Darulfiqh, via islamqa.org). A separate Hanafi ruling confirms that charity cannot substitute for Qurbani during the valid days themselves, “it cannot be substituted by any other act of worship such as charity,” but once the days have passed without it being done, “it becomes Wajib to give in Sadaqah the price of Qurbani animal” (Askimam, via islamqa.org). In practice: if an animal had already been bought or designated for that year’s Qurbani, it should be given alive in charity, without using its milk, wool, or meat first. If no animal was bought, the person gives the current market value of an average, Qurbani-eligible goat as Sadaqah instead, to those who qualify to receive it.
Other Schools of Thought: A Different Answer
This is one point where madhab matters a great deal, and the rulings genuinely diverge. In the Shafi’i and Hanbali schools, a voluntary Qurbani that was never vowed is treated as Sunnah, not Wajib. If it is missed, “one would not be obliged to make up for this” — the reward for that year is simply gone, and slaughtering an animal afterward earns only the reward of ordinary charity, not of Qurbani (Islamonline Fiqh, Kuwaiti Encyclopedia of Fiqh excerpt). The same source notes an important exception within those same two schools: if a person specifically vowed to perform Qurbani that year, rather than simply intending to as a voluntary act, it becomes binding, and “one has to make up for it by slaughtering it.” Maliki jurists are reported to differ among themselves on whether Qurbani is Sunnah or Wajib in the first place, which changes which of the above applies. Anyone following a non-Hanafi school should confirm their specific case with a scholar from that school before assuming either outcome.
What to Actually Do Right Now
First, confirm which school of thought you follow, since the obligation itself differs by school as shown above. Second, under the Hanafi view, calculate the current market value of an average goat suitable for Qurbani, and give that amount in Sadaqah to a person or family who qualifies to receive Zakat-eligible charity. Third, if a specific animal was already purchased for that year’s Qurbani and is still alive, give that animal itself in charity rather than selling it, without taking milk, wool, or offspring from it first. Fourth, under Shafi’i or Hanbali views, confirm whether the missed Qurbani was a simple voluntary intention or an actual vow — a vow changes the ruling to obligatory make-up. Fifth, this is a separate matter from true financial hardship: a person who genuinely could not afford Qurbani that year was never Sahib-e-Nisab in the first place, and the obligation did not apply to them at all.
How Qurbani Easy Can Help
Qurbani Easy does not process a specific “missed Qurbani” compensation category, but a donor following the Hanafi ruling above can give the equivalent amount through Online Sadqah, specifying that it is intended as compensation for a missed Qurbani so it reaches someone who qualifies to receive it. For next year’s Qurbani, booking through Qurbani Easy is open all year, which removes the last-minute payment and scheduling pressure that causes many missed Qurbanis in the first place; see How to Do Qurbani for the full process, or visit the Qurbani page for current options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just slaughter an animal late and call it Qurbani?
No. Once sunset on 12 Dhul Hijjah has passed, an animal slaughtered afterward does not count as Qurbani under any school. It can still be given as ordinary charity, but it does not fulfil the Qurbani obligation or carry its specific reward.
Does the missed-Qurbani Sadaqah have to be exactly one goat’s value?
Under the Hanafi ruling, yes, the benchmark is the value of one average, Qurbani-eligible goat per missed year, unless a specific larger animal or Hissa share had already been designated for that year, in which case that designated value applies instead.
I missed Qurbani several years in a row. Do I owe for each year?
Under the Hanafi view, yes, each year that Qurbani was Wajib on you and not performed is treated separately, so the Sadaqah is owed once for every missed year it applied, not as a single one-time payment.
What if I couldn’t afford Qurbani that year?
If a person did not meet the Nisab threshold on the day of Eid that year, Qurbani was never Wajib on them, so there is nothing to make up. This guide’s ruling applies only to someone who met Nisab and still missed it.
Who can receive this Sadaqah?
It should go to people who qualify to receive Zakat-eligible charity — those in genuine poverty or need. One Hanafi source specifically notes it should not go to someone merely in debt unless that person is also poor enough to qualify on their own.
Do Shafi’i or Hanbali followers need to do anything if they simply forgot a voluntary Qurbani?
If no vow was made and the Qurbani was intended only as a voluntary Sunnah act, these schools hold that nothing further is required; the reward for that specific year is missed, but there is no compensation obligation, unlike the Hanafi position.
Citation Sources
• Hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik, Sahih al-Bukhari 5546 — sunnah.com — establishes the valid timing window for Qurbani after the Eid prayer.
• Darulfiqh, “What do I do if I failed to perform Qurbani despite being Wajib upon me?” (Hanafi) — islamqa.org — supports the Hanafi compensation ruling.
• Askimam, “Can I substitute Qurbani with charity?” (Hanafi) — islamqa.org — supports the detail on designated animals and timing.
• “Any Recompense for Failing to Offer Udhiyah?”, Kuwaiti Encyclopedia of Fiqh excerpt — fiqh.islamonline.net — supports the Shafi’i/Hanbali/Maliki school differences shown above.