Fatwa ID: 01602

Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Question:

Assalamu-alaikum. Zakat has been fardh upon me for a good number of years now. What I did not initially know was that I was also supposed to be offering an annual qurbaani each year. Hence when I did come to know about my duties of an annual qurbaani sacrifice, I worked out how much I had owed for the number of years I had not paid my outstanding qurbaani's. This was done by looking at the rate of offering a qurbaani in a third world country, multiplying this rate by the number of years missed, and then paying a total amount with the intention of outstanding qadhaa qurbaani (i.e. Make-Ups). Now I am not sure if this intention was valid and whether I should have given the price of an animal per outstanding year as charity for the poor. Please could you clarify the issue for me and let me know what I need to do.

Answer:

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

In the aforementioned situation, you should calculate the value of a Qurbani animal (as you have done) and give the money for Sadqah (charity). This does not mean that Sadqah is an alternative; this will only be the case when Qurbani is not offered on the prescribed days, i.e. tenth, eleventh and twelfth of Zul Hijjah. (Azeezul Fatawa p.724 v.1)

Only Allah Knows Best

Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham