Buying the sacrifice in instalments

A question about buying the sacrifice in instalments, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that buying the sacrifice in instalments or borrowing for it is permitted, but not recommended for the poor, and that the obligatory maintenance of dependants comes first. ¹

The questioner asked whether the sacrifice may be bought in instalments. ¹

The Department answered that buying the sacrifice in instalments and borrowing its price is permitted, but it is not recommended for the poor because they are not required to offer it, referring to the principle that God burdens no soul beyond its capacity, as in Surat al-Baqara 2:286. ¹ It said that if this would lead someone to fall short in maintaining his dependants, the obligatory maintenance should take precedence over borrowing for the sacrifice, citing a hadith narrated by Muslim whose meaning is that withholding sustenance from those in one's charge is sin enough. ¹ It noted that a sacrifice is valid from someone who is in debt, though paying the debt is preferable, especially if it is already due. ¹

Jordan's General Iftaa Department published this fatwa on aliftaa.jo as no. 4387, dated 31 March 2026. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.