Assalamu alaikum, Qari Sahib, Eid Mubarak. I hope you are well. Can we slaughter the sacrificial animal before the Eid prayer?

Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh. Khayr Mubarak!

The basic ruling: No — slaughtering before the Eid prayer is not permissible. An animal slaughtered before the prayer will not count as the sacrifice (udhiyah); it is merely meat for the household to eat. The time of the sacrifice begins after the Eid prayer has been completed.

The evidence: (1) Sayyiduna al-Bara' ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with him: the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, delivered a sermon: "إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا نَبْدَأُ بِهِ فِي يَوْمِنَا هَذَا أَنْ نُصَلِّيَ، ثُمَّ نَرْجِعَ فَنَنْحَرَ، فَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ أَصَابَ سُنَّتَنَا، وَمَنْ ذَبَحَ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ لَحْمٌ قَدَّمَهُ لِأَهْلِهِ، لَيْسَ مِنَ النُّسُكِ فِي شَيْءٍ" (The first thing we begin with on this day of ours is that we pray, then we return and slaughter; whoever does that has followed our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters before the prayer, it is only meat he has presented to his family, and is no part of the rite at all) [Sahih al-Bukhari: 965, Sahih Muslim: 1961]. (2) Hazrat Jundub ibn Sufyan al-Bajali, may Allah be pleased with him: "مَنْ ذَبَحَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ فَلْيَذْبَحْ مَكَانَهَا أُخْرَى" (Whoever slaughters before he prays should slaughter another in its place) [Sahih Muslim: 1960].

If it is slaughtered earlier by mistake/ignorance: There is no sin (a mistake is forgiven); if one wants the reward of the sacrifice and has the means, one should slaughter another animal after the prayer. The meat of the first animal is halal and may be eaten and distributed, but the reward of the sacrifice will not be obtained.

Summary: Wait for the Eid prayer at the Eid ground/mosque of your locality, and slaughter after it.

Translated from the original Urdu fatwa.