35/5. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1970a — Sacrificial Meat Beyond Three Days
The prohibition of eating sacrificial meat for more than three days, which applied at the beginning of Islam but was then abrogated, and now it is permissible to eat it as long as one wants.
Hadith About Not Eating Sacrificial Meat Beyond Three Days
Sahih Muslim : 1970a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1970a
وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رُمْحٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ " لاَ يَأْكُلْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ لَحْمِ أُضْحِيَّتِهِ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ " .
Ibn 'Umar Narrated from:
Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) having said: None of you should eat the flesh of his sacrificial animal beyond three days.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1970aIn-book reference : Book 35, Hadith 37USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 22, Hadith 4853
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1970a
This Hadith about sacrificial animal meat is short and clear. Ibn Umar reports that Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said that none of you should eat the flesh of his sacrificial animal beyond three days. The wording speaks directly to the person who offered the sacrifice. It does not mention a reason in this particular narration, and it does not mention later permission. So the explanation should stay with the text: there was an instruction in this report to stop eating from the sacrificial animal after three days. People searching for Qurbani meat after three days hadith will find the exact lesson here. The Hadith also shows that food from worship was not treated only as personal property; it was governed by Prophetic instruction.
What we learn from this hadith
- The report gives a clear three-day limit for eating sacrificial meat.
- The instruction is stated in direct words.
- Food connected to sacrifice was handled by Prophetic guidance.
- The text should be understood according to its own wording.
