Hadith 19

Sahih Muslim

Book 35: The Book of Sacrifices

Chapter 2

The age of sacrificial animals

باب سِنِّ الأُضْحِيَةِ ‏‏

Sahih Muslim 1963
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏ ‏.‏
"‏ لاَ تَذْبَحُوا إِلاَّ مُسِنَّةً إِلاَّ أَنْ يَعْسُرَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَتَذْبَحُوا جَذَعَةً مِنَ الضَّأْنِ ‏"
Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

Sacrifice only a grown-up animal, unless it is difficult for you, in which case sacrifice a ram (of even less than a year, but more than six months' age).