Short answer
It depends on what you own, not what you earn. In the Hanafi school qurbani is wajib if, during the days of Eid al-Adha, you own wealth equal to the nisab beyond your basic needs and debts that are due. A student with savings above the nisab owes it; someone whose debts take him below the nisab does not.
Qurbani is wajib on an adult, sane, resident Muslim who owns the nisab in surplus wealth at any time from dawn on 10 Dhul Hijjah to sunset on the 12th. Debts that are due are deducted first. Income, a job or a year of ownership are not conditions.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Qurbani is a sunnah for anyone who has more than what he and his dependents need for the day of Eid and the days of tashreeq.
Explanation
Hanafi jurists tie qurbani to the same nisab as zakat, but count more things in it. Cash, gold, silver and trade goods count, and so does any property you own beyond your needs: a second car you do not use, an empty plot, extra household items kept for show. Your home, your one car, your clothes and the tools of your work do not count. See today's nisab.
- No income, but savings: if the savings reach the nisab during the three days, qurbani is wajib, even for a student or someone between jobs.
- Debts due now: subtract them. Rent owed, a credit card balance and personal loans you must repay now come off first.
- Long-term loans: for a mortgage or student loan, many Hanafi muftis subtract only the instalments currently due, as they do for zakat. Ask a mufti about your case.
- Below the nisab: qurbani is not wajib. You do not have to borrow for it. A voluntary qurbani is still rewarded.
- Every year: the duty is checked afresh each Eid. Owing it one year does not mean you owe it the next.
One special case: if a person who does not owe qurbani buys an animal with the intention of qurbani, that animal becomes wajib for him to sacrifice in the Hanafi school. For the full ruling see is qurbani wajib.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:286
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٨٦﴾
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."
Obligations follow ability.
Sunan Ibn Majah 3123
Graded hasan... من كان له سعة ولم يضح فلا يقربن مصلانا ...
"Whoever has the means and does not sacrifice, let him not come near our prayer place."
The duty is tied to having the means.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Udhiyah, opening section. Qurbani is wajib on the free, Muslim, resident person of means.
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Udhiyah, first chapter. The nisab counts surplus property beyond needs, and debts are deducted.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Udhiyah. A poor person who buys an animal for qurbani must sacrifice it.
- Minhaj al-Talibin, Kitab al-Udhiyah. The Shafi'i measure of ability for the sunnah of qurbani.
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.