Can one change their Qurbani animal by selling it or exchanging it for another Qurbani animal?
Q. I purchased seven sheep for Qurbani from a farmer. I would like to change one sheep for a goat. Can I change my one Qurbani sheep for a goat or sell it and purchase a goat?
A. An underprivileged person , upon whom Qurbani is not Waajib, may exchange or sell an Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal after having possessed it or purchased it as an Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal prior to the days of slaughtering i.e. 10th, 11th and 12th of Zul-Hijjah. During the days of slaughtering, an underprivileged person cannot exchange or sell the Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal. It will be Waajib upon him/her to slaughter the Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal in his/her possession.
However, it will be Makrooh (disliked) for a privileged person, upon whom Qurbani is Waajib, to exchange or sell an Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal prior to and during the days of slaughtering.
In an event, a privileged person exchanges or sells the Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal for another Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal that is equivalent or more in value, there will be no compensation and his/her Udhiyyah/Qurbani will be valid. If however, the Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal is exchanged or sold for another Udhiyyah/Qurbani animal that is lesser in value, then he/she will have to compensate for it by giving the difference of the lesser of the two values in charity. In doing so, he/she will consider the market value. (Badaai-Us-Sanaai 5/68)
Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ismaeel Bassa
themufti.com