Short answer
The Sunnah for a camel is nahr: it stands with its left foreleg tied, and the slaughterer stabs it at the base of the neck (the labbah) while saying "Bismillahi Allahu akbar". Slaughtering it lying down like a sheep is valid but disliked. A camel must be at least five years old and can be shared by seven.
Nahr (a stab at the base of the neck) is sunnah for camels, and dhabh (a cut at the throat) for cattle, sheep and goats; reversing them is makruh but the meat is halal. A camel for qurbani must be five full years old and free of the disqualifying defects.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- Nahr is required for camels when possible; a camel cut at the throat without need may not be eaten.
Explanation
The Quran says of camels: "mention the name of Allah upon them when lined up", and "when they are lifeless on their sides, eat from them". Ibn Umar saw a man slaughtering his camel while it knelt and said: release it standing and hobbled, the Sunnah of Muhammad ﷺ.
- Face the camel toward the qiblah, standing.
- Tie its left foreleg bent, so it stands on three legs.
- Say Bismillahi Allahu akbar.
- Stab with a sharp blade into the hollow at the base of the neck, just above the chest, cutting the vessels there.
- Wait until it has fallen and stopped moving before cutting further.
- Experience matters: a camel is large and strong. Let a trained slaughterer do it; you may hold the knife with him or stand by. It still counts as your qurbani.
- Shares: up to seven people (see shares).
- Age and defects: see which animals.
- Lying down: if the slaughterer cuts its throat while it lies down, the qurbani is valid, though the Sunnah was missed.
All four schools prefer nahr for camels, and the Maliki school makes it a requirement. For the words said, see dua for qurbani, and for kind handling, does qurbani hurt the animal.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Hajj 22:36
وَٱلْبُدْنَ جَعَلْنَٰهَا لَكُم مِّن شَعَٰٓئِرِ ٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ فِيهَا خَيْرٌۭ ۖ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا صَوَآفَّ ۖ فَإِذَا وَجَبَتْ جُنُوبُهَا فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا۟ ٱلْقَانِعَ وَٱلْمُعْتَرَّ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرْنَٰهَا لَكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٦﴾
And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good. So mention the name of Allah upon them when lined up [for sacrifice]; and when they are [lifeless] on their sides, then eat from them and feed the needy and the beggar. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may be grateful.
Camels are slaughtered standing in a line.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1713
Sahih... ابعثها قياما مقيدة سنة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ...
"Release it standing and hobbled: the Sunnah of Muhammad."
Camels are slaughtered standing with a leg tied.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Dhaba'ih. Nahr is recommended for camels and dhabh for cattle and sheep; the reverse is disliked but the meat is halal.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Udhiyah, on the age of animals. A camel must be five years old.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.