Imam Shabi says: Sayyiduna Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to us near a pillar of the mosque. If I had been there, I would have shown you the exact place. He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed us and said: The first thing we will do today on this day is that we will first perform the Eid prayer, then return to our homes and offer the sacrifice. Whoever does as such has acted upon our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters the animal before the prayer, it is just meat that he has given to his family to eat; it has nothing to do with the sacrifice. Since my uncle, Sayyiduna Abu Burdah bin Niyar (may Allah be pleased with him), had slaughtered before the appointed time, he said: O Messenger of Allah! I have already slaughtered, and now I have a jadha’ah (young animal), but it is better than a two-toothed animal. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then offer it as a sacrifice, but after you, it will not suffice for anyone else.

Aswad bin Qais narrates that it is reported from Sayyiduna Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the occasion of Eid, and he stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) first performed the Eid prayer, then delivered the sermon and said: Whoever has slaughtered an animal before the prayer, let him offer another sacrifice in its place, and whoever has not yet slaughtered, let him slaughter in the name of Allah Almighty.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Burdah bin Niyar (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I went to perform the Eid prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When I left for the prayer, after me, my wife slaughtered my sacrificial animal and prepared food. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and I finished and reached home, my wife brought the food. I said: What is this? She said: It is your sacrifice, we slaughtered it and prepared food for you so that when you come home, you may eat. I said: By Allah! I fear that this act may not be permissible. Anyway, I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him the whole matter. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is nothing; whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before we finished this prayer, it will have no validity, you must sacrifice again. So I searched for a two-toothed animal, but I could not find it. I then went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: By Allah! O Messenger of Allah! I have searched for a two-toothed animal, but I have not found it, what should I do now? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Find a jadha’ (one-year-old) sheep of the sheep breed and sacrifice it. The narrator says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave this Companion permission to sacrifice a jadha’ sheep of the sheep breed at that time when he could not find a two-toothed animal.

Sayyiduna Bara’ narrates from his maternal uncle Sayyiduna Abu Burdah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: O Messenger of Allah! We have slaughtered a goat with meat quickly. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Was it before the prayer? He said: Yes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is just a goat for meat. He said: O Messenger of Allah! I have a kid goat less than a year old, but it is more beloved to me than a two-toothed animal. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It will suffice for you, but after you, such an animal will not suffice for anyone.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, he says: The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, led us in prayer in Madinah Munawwarah on the day of sacrifice. Meanwhile, some people hurried and performed the sacrifice, thinking that you, peace and blessings be upon him, had already performed the sacrifice. Then you, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered that whoever had performed the sacrifice before you, peace and blessings be upon him, should sacrifice again, and people should not perform the sacrifice until you, peace and blessings be upon him, have done so.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man slaughtered a kid goat before the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding this: After you, such an act will not suffice for anyone. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the people from offering sacrifice before performing the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the day of sacrifice: Whoever offered the sacrifice before the Eid prayer should offer the sacrifice again. A man said: O Messenger of Allah! This is a day in which there is a desire for meat, then he mentioned the needs of his neighbors. It seemed as if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was confirming him. Then he said: Now I have a young animal (jaz’ah), but it is more beloved to me than the meat of two goats. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted him permission. The narrator says: Now I do not know whether this concession was for others as well or not. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to his two rams and slaughtered them, while the people also went towards their goats, distributed them, and offered their sacrifice.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Zaid Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by our houses and sensed such a smell from our pots as if meat was being roasted. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Who has slaughtered (an animal)? One of our men went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! This is a day on which ordinary food is not liked, so I slaughtered a sacrificial animal so that I may eat myself and also feed the neighbors. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sacrifice again. He said: No, by the One besides whom there is no true deity, now I have only a sheep of the Jadh'a breed or an animal less than one year old. He repeated this three times. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Alright, then slaughter this one, but after you, such an animal will not suffice for anyone.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: Indeed, my father slaughtered the sacrifice before performing the Eid prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell your father to offer the sacrifice again after performing the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jubair bin Mut’im (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: All the days of Tashreeq are days of sacrifice.