Can Aqiqah or Qurbani Be Done Outside Your Country?

Qurbani and aqiqah are permitted in a country other than your own, the view of most scholars, with explicit fatwas from Shaykh Ibn Baz. Slaughtering at home and witnessing it yourself is best, but appointing a trustworthy person to slaughter and distribute where poverty is greater than in your own country carries no harm, and the extra reward of sadaqah.

Is qurbani or aqiqah permitted outside your country?

Shaykh Ibn Baz was asked about people sending qurbani or aqiqah to other countries through individuals or banks, and the answer was clear: "If he sends it abroad in the hand of a trustworthy person who slaughters it there and distributes it, there is no harm." Meaning permissibility exists, but he added that it is better to slaughter it at home to display the sunnah among the family. Read the full fatwa on the ruling on sending qurbani or aqiqah outside its country (Arabic) on Shaykh Ibn Baz's site.

In a second fatwa, the same Shaykh was asked: is it sufficient to pay money to buy a qurbani slaughtered abroad for the poor? He answered: "There is no harm whether he slaughters it at home or abroad, but at home is better." He then added that whoever slaughters an extra qurbani for poor people in another country has its reward, because this is a form of charity. The full fatwa is here: the ruling on giving money to buy qurbani and slaughtering it abroad for the poor (Arabic).

In another fatwa on Islam Web, the fatwa centre was asked about donating qurbani animals online to be distributed in poor countries in Africa. The answer was that appointing someone for qurbani, its slaughter, and distribution, is permitted, and that scholars allow "appointing someone to buy qurbani and aqiqah and to slaughter them, even in a country other than the offering person's country," on condition that the one appointed is trustworthy and reliable. Review the fatwa on Islam Web (Arabic).

When is execution abroad actually the better choice?

If your primary intention is getting the meat to families in need, and poverty in your country is lower than in other countries, this opens a wide door. The fatwas describe it as a form of charity carrying its own reward. This is exactly the difference between a qurbani distributed among relatively well off neighbours, and a qurbani that reaches a village where meat is not a regular thing every month.

Execution abroad also suits someone travelling with no home to slaughter in, and sometimes a resident in a country where they cannot slaughter it themselves. Some people use it to combine aqiqah and sadaqah in the same season with a single budget, seeing the difference clearly in where the meat goes.

When is execution inside your own country preferable?

If you are able to attend the slaughter yourself, this is best by the wording of the fatwa itself. The benefit increases further if you personally distribute part of the meat to your neighbours and relatives, and your children see the aqiqah in front of them. The sunnah is to eat from it and feed those around you, and this only happens if the slaughter is close to you.

Our view at Qurba is clear on this point. Execution in Africa has a real advantage for the families there, because the meat reaches homes where it is not a recurring thing. But we do not claim it is a substitute for displaying the sunnah among your own family if your circumstances allow that. Anyone who wants to slaughter at home and distribute it themselves, we say do it yourself, that is better for you than any service we offer.

Does the ruling differ between aqiqah, qurbani, and sadaqah?

It does not differ. The fatwas mentioned above speak of qurbani and aqiqah together, and even the sadaqah sacrifice takes the same ruling, and so does nadhr as long as the person making the vow did not specify a particular place in their vow (detailed in Rulings on a vow sacrifice), because the whole point rests on appointing someone for the slaughter and giving the meat as charity, not on what the sacrifice is called. The only real difference in execution between them is timing: qurbani is tied to the days of sacrifice, aqiqah is best on the seventh day after birth with validity after that, and sadaqah and nadhr have no fixed timing at all.

What happens if you change your mind after ordering?

This is a question many people ask before deciding on appointment at all, especially when execution is in a distant country they cannot follow themselves. Cancellation is available before the animal enters the "executed" stage, and you get a full refund of your order on the same payment method. After the slaughter, there is no cancellation, because the meat is already on its way to those who deserve it and cannot be pulled back. The one exception is the late-video guarantee: if the video is delayed beyond 48 hours from the slaughter, you choose between a re-do or a full refund.

If you order before four in the afternoon Saudi Arabia time, your sacrifice enters the execution queue for the same day. Meaning scheduling starts from the day you order, not days after.

How do you make sure it was actually slaughtered?

This is the question that stops most people from appointing someone, and it is a fair question. The fatwas themselves require trust and reliability in the one appointed, they do not permit blind appointment. The most important thing to confirm is a video showing the sacrifice itself with a clear date of execution. After that, ask yourself a simple question: where do I go to check the status of my order after I pay?

At Qurba, every order has a tracking page with four stages: received, execution time set, executed, distributed. The execution video is uploaded within 48 hours of the slaughter, with the name you specify spoken aloud. If the video is delayed beyond this period, you choose between re execution or a full refund. You can read more detail in How do you confirm your aqiqah was actually slaughtered.

How we do it at Qurba

You choose the right product, write the name you want mentioned at slaughter, and pay by card or Apple Pay from any country. We do not ask for a shipping address, because there is no shipping at all, the meat reaches families in need there directly. The closest product for this topic is lamb aqiqah, with its own dedicated tracking page where you see every stage as it happens.

Situation	Best suited for
You want to distribute the meat yourself to your neighbours and witness the slaughter	Execution in your own country
You want a bigger impact on families genuinely in need, or have no place to slaughter	Appointing execution outside your country
Travelling, or resident in a country that does not allow home slaughter	Appointing execution outside your country

Questions people ask

Is aqiqah valid if I slaughter it in a country other than the newborn's country?

Yes it is valid, on condition that it is in the hand of a trustworthy person who slaughters and distributes it, as stated in fatwa number 21237 from Ibn Baz.

Does my qurbani not count if I slaughter it abroad?

It still counts. Qurbani is valid and carries the same ruling, it is only better for it to be in your own home if you are able.

Does appointing someone to slaughter outside your country carry extra reward?

Yes, the fatwa describes it as a form of charity, especially if the meat reaches families who do not get meat regularly.

Do I need to be present at the time of slaughter if it is executed outside my country?

It is not required, and you can follow every stage through the tracking page, with the execution video uploaded to your page within 48 hours of the slaughter.

What is the difference in ruling between appointment for aqiqah and appointment for qurbani?

There is no fundamental difference. The same appointment fatwas cover both aqiqah and qurbani together, as stated in Islam Web fatwa number 307393.

Lamb aqiqah · Lamb qurbani · How do you confirm your aqiqah was actually slaughtered · How Qurba works

This article is general information, not a fatwa. On disputed points, consult scholars you trust.