Can the Skin of a Qurban Animal be Sold for Public Benefit?

The issue of selling qurban animal skins is frequently discussed within Muslim communities, especially when the proceeds are intended for public welfare projects.

A hadith narrated by Ahmad ibn Hanbal from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri states:

عَنْ أَبِى سَعِيْدٍ أَنَّ قَتَادَةَ بْنَ النُّعْمَانِ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَامَ فَقَالَ إِنِّى كُنْتُ أَمَرْتُكُمْ أَنْ لاَ تَأْكُلُوْا لُحُوْمَ اْلأَضَاحِى فَوْقَ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ لِيَسَعَكُمْ وَإِنِّى أُحِلُّهُ لَكُمْ فَكُلُوْا مَا شِئْنُمْ وَلاَ تَبِيْعُوْا لُحُوْمَ اْلهَديِ وَاْلأَضَاحِى وَكُلُوْا وَتَصَدَّقُوْا وَاسْتَمْتَعُوْا بِجُلُوْدِهَا وَلاَ تَبِيْعُوْهَا وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ لُحُوْمِهَا شَسْئًا فَكُلُوْا أَنَّى شِئْتُمْ

“Qatadah ibn Nu’man reported that the Prophet PBUH once stood and said: ‘Previously, I instructed you not to consume qurban meat beyond three days in order to provide relief for others. Now, I permit you to eat as you wish. Do not sell the meat of sacrificial animals or qurban offerings. Eat from them, give in charity, and benefit from their skins, but do not sell them.’” (Sunan Ahmad)

This hadith serves as the primary basis for the ruling that qurban meat should not be sold. Scholars generally agree on this matter because one of the main purposes of qurban is for the meat to be consumed and distributed, especially to the poor and needy.

Scholarly Differences Regarding the Skin

However, scholars have differed regarding the permissibility of selling qurban skins.

The majority of scholars (jumhur ulama) hold that the skin of a qurban animal should not be sold. This opinion was mentioned by Ibn Rushd in Bidayat al-Mujtahid.

Meanwhile, Abu Hanifa permitted the sale of qurban skins provided that the proceeds are donated or used to purchase beneficial household necessities. This view was later explained by Sayyid Sabiq in Fiqh as-Sunnah.

Within the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence, some scholars also allowed the sale of qurban skins as long as the proceeds are used for purposes connected to the qurban itself. This view was discussed by Muhammad al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar.

Preventing Waste and Supporting Public Welfare

Ideally, qurban skins should be utilized directly rather than sold. However, in practice, distributing animal skin is not always easy. Many recipients may not know how to use them, and in some situations the skins end up unused and discarded. Such wastefulness is discouraged in Islam.

One preferable alternative is to exchange the skin for additional meat and then distribute the meat to the community. Yet this option is not always practical during Eid al-Adha and the days of Tashriq, when meat traders are often unavailable.

Because of these practical difficulties, some scholars tend to allow the sale of qurban skins if the proceeds are donated or used for community benefit. This opinion is based on the Islamic legal principle of raf‘ al-haraj — removing hardship and difficulty.

The principle is supported by several Qur’anic verses and hadiths, including:

وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

“He has not placed upon you in religion any hardship.” (QS. Al-Hajj [22]: 78).

يُرِيدُ اللهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ

“Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you.” (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 185).

The Prophet PBUH also said:

اَلدِّيْنُ يُسْرٌ أَحَبُّ الدِّيْنِ إِلَى اللهِ اْلحَنَفِيَّةُ السَّمْحَةُ

“Religion is ease, and the religion most beloved to Allah is the upright and tolerant religion.” (Sunan Bukhari).

And in another narration:

يَسِّرُوا وَلاَ تُعَسِّرُوأ

“Make things easy and do not make them difficult.” (HR. al-Bukhari).

A legal maxim in Islamic jurisprudence likewise states:

إِذَا ضَاقَ اْلأَمْرُ اِتَّسَعَ

“When circumstances become difficult, the law is broadened.”

Based on these considerations, the proceeds from selling qurban skins may be used for public welfare purposes such as mosque facilities, educational support, or other social needs. Nevertheless, the rights and needs of the poor should remain the primary priority so that the essential spirit and objectives of qurban are