What Is the Proof in the Qur’an for the Sacrifice (Udhiya) on the Days of Eid al-Adha?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Some people say that sacrificing animals on Eid is just a tradition and that there is nothing about it in the Qur’an. Can you give me a proof frm the Qur’an that the sacrifice of Eid is ordered by Allah?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
The sacrifice (udhiya/qurbani) on the days of Eid al-Adha is necessary (wajib).
Allah Most High says, “So pray to your Lord and make your sacrifice to Him alone” [108.2]
This verse is the proof that the sacrifice is necessary as explained by Sarakhsi in his Mabsut, Jassas in his Sharh Mukhtasar al-Tahawi and Ahkam al-Qur’an, Kasani in his Bada`i, and likewise by other Hanafi masters elsewhere.
As for the tradition (hadith) about it being a sunna of Ibrahim (Allah bless him and give him peace), if sound: (1) it doesn’t negate the necessity of the sacrifice, and (2) the “sunna” here is simply the “way,” and not sunna in the legal sense.
See also: ANSWERS TAGGED ‘UDHIYA’
And Allah alone gives success.
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.