The Prophet (ﷺ) went towards Al-Baqi (the graveyard at Medina) on the day of Id-ul-Adha and offered a two-rak`at prayer (of `Id-ul-Adha) and then faced us and said, "On this day of ours, our first act of worship is the offering of prayer and then we will return and slaughter the sacrifice, and whoever does this concords with our Sunna; and whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before that (i.e. before the prayer) then that was a thing which he prepared earlier for his family and it would not be considered as a Nusuk (sacrifice.)" A man stood up and said, "O, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! I slaughtered (the animal before the prayer) but I have a young she-goat which is better than an older sheep." The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said to him, "Slaughter it. But a similar sacrifice will not be sufficient for anybody else after you."
The Two Festivals (Eids) - Sahih al-Bukhari 976
This hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari contains profound wisdom regarding the proper observance of Eid al-Adha. The Prophet's guidance establishes the correct sequence of worship: first the Eid prayer, then the sacrifice.
The Sequence of Worship
The Prophet emphasized that the Eid prayer precedes the sacrifice, establishing this as the sunnah. This sequence reflects the spiritual hierarchy where communal prayer takes precedence over individual acts of worship.
Whoever reverses this order has essentially prepared ordinary meat for his family rather than performing a valid ritual sacrifice (nusuk). The sacrifice becomes an act of worship only when performed after the Eid prayer.
The Exception and Its Wisdom
The companion's situation demonstrates Islamic jurisprudence's flexibility. Though he erred by sacrificing before prayer, his possession of a superior animal allowed for a corrective measure.
The Prophet's permission for him to sacrifice again was a specific dispensation (rukhas) that doesn't establish a general rule, as indicated by his final statement that this exception wouldn't apply to others.
Legal and Spiritual Implications
This hadith teaches that outward conformity to the Prophet's example is essential for the validity of worship. The timing of the sacrifice transforms it from mere slaughter into an act of devotion.
The incident also illustrates the principle that when a superior act of worship is possible after an error, it should be pursued, while recognizing that such corrections are individual concessions rather than general rulings.