Can my father give qurbani on my behalf with his money?

Answer:
Yes, the Qurbani will be valid, provided that the father gives the animal (or its value) to his daughter as a gift (hibah) before the slaughter, and then sacrifices it on her behalf with her permission. If he merely buys and slaughters the animal using his own money without transferring ownership to her, the Qurbani will be considered his own, not hers, and her obligation would remain unfulfilled.

Detailed Explanation

1. Wajib Status of Qurbani
   Qurbani is wajib upon every adult, sane Muslim who owns wealth equal to nisab (i.e., possesses 612.36 g of silver or its equivalent beyond basic needs) on the specified days. This applies to your wife if she meets the conditions.

2. Agency in Qurbani
   A person may appoint another (a wakil) to perform Qurbani on their behalf. The agent must either:

   • Use the obligated person’s own money, or
   • Gift the animal to the obligated person and then slaughter it as their agent.

3. Condition of Ownership
   Hanafi fiqh emphasizes that at the moment of slaughter, the animal must be owned by the person on whom Qurbani is wajib. If the father uses his own money without transferring ownership, the animal remains his property, and the slaughter is counted as his own Qurbani, not his daughter’s.

4. Valid Scenario

   • The father purchases the animal with the intention of gifting it to his daughter.
   • He then sacrifices it with her permission, acting as her agent.
   • This fulfills her obligation.
     Reference:
   • Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn ‘Abidin): “If a person sacrifices an animal on behalf of another with his permission, using his own money, the sacrifice is valid and the obligation of that person is discharged, provided he makes the intention of gifting the animal.”
   • Fatawa Hindiyyah (5:350): “If a person takes an animal from his own wealth and sacrifices it on behalf of another with the latter’s permission, the sacrifice is valid for that person.”
   • Bahishti Zewar (Ashraf Ali Thanwi): “If someone gives the animal to you as a gift, and then you give it for Qurbani, it is valid.”

5. Practical Advice
   To avoid doubt, the father should explicitly say:
   “I am giving this animal to my daughter as a gift, and then I am sacrificing it on her behalf.”
   Alternatively, he may give her the cash value of the animal, and she can then buy and slaughter it (or appoint him as agent) – this also fulfills her obligation.

6. Ruling if Ownership is Not Transferred
   If the father simply buys and slaughters the animal without gifting it to his daughter, even with her permission, the Qurbani is his own, and her wajib remains.
   Fatawa Usmani (Mufti Taqi Usmani): “The animal must belong to the one who owes the Qurbani. If someone else gives the animal without making it a gift, the obligation is not discharged.”

Conclusion

Your wife’s Qurbani is valid only if the father gives the animal to her as a gift before slaughter. Since he is using his own money with her permission, it is highly recommended that he verbalize the gift. If already done without explicit gift, the sacrifice can still be considered valid if his intention was to gift the animal. To be safe, one should follow the clear procedure of gift + agency.