Last updated: 26 October 2026 | Written for Eid ul Adha 2027
Qurbani Easy Editorial Team • Advised by our panel of Islamic scholars
Quick Answer: If a person does not meet the Nisab threshold, Qurbani is not Wajib on them, and scholars generally advise against borrowing to perform it anyway. If a person does meet Nisab but is short on cash, debts must be settled first; only interest-free borrowing, and only under specific conditions, is discussed as permissible by some fatwa sources, while interest-based loans or credit for Qurbani are not.
Eid is close, the budget is tight, and a credit card or a quick loan from a relative looks like the simplest way to not miss Qurbani this year. Is that actually allowed, or does it create a bigger problem than the one it solves? The answer depends on two separate questions that often get mixed together: whether Qurbani was ever obligatory on this person in the first place, and if it was, whether the specific way they plan to pay for it is permissible. This guide answers both, using verified rulings rather than assumption.
First Question: Were You Actually Obligated to Begin With?
Qurbani is Wajib only on a Muslim who owns wealth at or above the Nisab threshold, surplus to debts and essential needs, on the day of Eid — see How to Calculate Nisab for Qurbani for the exact figures. Debts are not a side note here; they come first in the calculation. A Hanafi fatwa from Darul Uloom Deoband states the order plainly: “First, it is necessary to pay the debt. If that person remains sahib nisab (having amount payable for zakah) after paying the debt, then Qurbani is wajib in its days, otherwise not” (Darul Uloom Deoband, via islamqa.org). A second Deoband fatwa reaches the identical conclusion for a person with family loans: “qurbani and zakah shall be wajib when you pay off your debt” (Darul Uloom Deoband, via islamqa.org). In plain terms: if your existing debts bring you below Nisab, Qurbani was never obligatory on you this year, full stop. That’s the first check, before any question about loans or credit even comes up.
If You Were Never Obligated, Should You Still Borrow?
A South African Hanafi ruling answers this directly for someone below Nisab: “it will not be Wajib on you to do the Qurbani,” and on the question of borrowing specifically, “you should desist from taking a loan for this purpose,” adding that such a person “should not incur debts beyond one’s capacity to offer the Qurbani” (Jamiat Ulama KZN, Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed, confirmed by Mufti Ebrahim Desai). This is the most common scholarly position: Qurbani is a significant act of worship, but it is not meant to push someone who genuinely cannot afford it into debt to perform something that was never obligatory on them in the first place.
If You Were Obligated, Is Any Form of Credit Allowed?
For a person who does meet Nisab but is simply short on liquid cash at that moment, the picture is more specific, and it depends heavily on whether interest is involved. Riba, interest, is unambiguously prohibited: “Allah has permitted trading and forbidden interest,” and a person who persists in it after being warned faces severe consequences, as stated in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:275). This rules out any loan or financing arrangement where interest is actually charged, regardless of the purpose. Credit cards specifically are addressed by a separate fatwa source, Dar al-Ifta al-Jordaniyya, which holds that buying a Qurbani animal with a credit card is permissible outright if the balance is covered by available funds. If it is not covered, the amount becomes a loan, and the purchase is only permissible if three conditions are met: “the issuer of the card doesn’t stipulate receiving any usurious addition over the original borrowed sum,” “the issuer of the card doesn’t stipulate any fine in case the customer failed to pay the borrowed amount on time,” and “the trader doesn’t increase the price of the commodity” to cover the card issuer’s fee (Dar al-Ifta al-Jordaniyya). In practice, very few standard Indian credit cards meet all three conditions, since most do charge interest once a balance carries over and most card networks do build their fee into merchant pricing, which is exactly why this is a narrow exception rather than a general permission.
What to Actually Do
First, calculate your Nisab honestly, debts included, before deciding Qurbani is owed on you at all. Second, if debts bring you below Nisab, Qurbani is not Wajib this year, and most scholars advise against borrowing to perform it anyway as a voluntary act. Third, if you are above Nisab but cash-poor, rule out any loan or card arrangement that charges interest or a late fee, since that fails the permissibility test regardless of the purpose. Fourth, if you are considering a credit card specifically, confirm the balance will be cleared before any interest applies, since that is the condition that actually matters in practice. Fifth, when in doubt about your specific loan, card terms, or family lending arrangement, confirm with a local qualified scholar before committing, since small differences in terms change the ruling.
How Qurbani Easy Helps
One practical pressure behind last-minute borrowing is simply running out of time to save. Booking through Qurbani Easy is open all year, which lets a family plan and pay for Qurbani well before Eid rather than scrambling for credit in the final days; see How to Do Qurbani for the full process, or visit the Qurbani page for current options. If your situation is about affordability generally rather than financing specifically, see Can Someone With a Low Income Book Qurbani Online?.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take an interest-based loan to pay for Qurbani?
No. Riba is prohibited regardless of the purpose it is used for, including a religious obligation like Qurbani, as stated in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:275). An interest-based loan does not become permissible just because the money is being used for an act of worship.
I don’t meet Nisab this year because of my debts. Do I still need to do Qurbani?
No. Under the Hanafi ruling, debts are deducted before checking Nisab, and if that leaves you below the threshold, Qurbani is not Wajib on you that year, and most scholars advise against borrowing to perform it as a voluntary act regardless.
Is it okay to pay for Qurbani with a credit card?
It depends on whether you clear the balance before interest applies. One fatwa source treats a covered credit card purchase as straightforwardly permissible, while an uncovered balance is only permissible if the card charges no interest, no late fee, and the seller doesn’t inflate the price for the card fee — conditions most standard cards don’t meet.
My family member offered to lend me money for Qurbani with no interest. Is that different?
Yes, an interest-free loan from a family member avoids the riba problem entirely, though you should still confirm you can repay it without hardship and that Qurbani was actually Wajib on you before taking on any debt for it.
If I was Wajib to do Qurbani but couldn’t afford it without borrowing, what happens if I skip it?
If Qurbani was genuinely Wajib on you and you skip it, the missed-Qurbani compensation rules apply — see Missed Qurbani: What to Do for the exact Hanafi ruling on what to give instead.
Does paying through an EMI or installment plan count as borrowing with interest?
It depends on the specific EMI terms — if the installment plan charges interest or a penalty for late payment, the same riba concerns apply as with any interest-bearing loan, so the terms need to be checked directly rather than assumed either way.
Citation Sources
• Darul Uloom Deoband, “Is it compulsory for someone with a debt to perform Qurbani?” (Hanafi) — islamqa.org — supports the debt-before-Nisab order.
• Darul Uloom Deoband, “Do I need to pay Zakah/do Qurbani this Ramadan if I have a loan?” (Hanafi) — islamqa.org — confirms the same order for a separate case.
• Jamiat Ulama KZN, “Taking a Loan to Do Qurbani,” Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed, confirmed by Mufti Ebrahim Desai (Hanafi) — jamiat.org.za — supports discouraging borrowing when not obligated.
• Dar al-Ifta al-Jordaniyya, Fatwa 3774 — aliftaa.jo — supports the three-condition credit card test (a separate fatwa institution from the Hanafi Deoband sources above).
• Surah Al-Baqarah (2:275) — general Quranic basis for the prohibition of riba.