Fast 3 days during Hac (before the Day of Arafat if possible) and 7 days after returning home — totaling 10 days — as Kur'an-i Kerim explicitly provides this alternative for those who cannot afford the sacrifice.
The Kur'an provides a clear alternative for those who cannot afford the farz sacrifice: 'And whoever cannot find [a sacrificial animal] — then a fast of three days during Hac and of seven when you have returned [home]. Those are ten complete [days]' (Kur'an 2:196). This applies to hacilar performing Hac Tamattu or Qiran who lack the financial means for the sacrifice.
The 3 days of fasting during Hac should ideally be completed before the Day of Arafat. Scholars recommend fasting on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of Dhul Hijjah. It is strongly sunnet NOT to fast on the Day of Arafat (9th), following Hz. Peygamber's practice. If the 3 days were not completed before Eid, the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools allow fasting during the Days of Tashreeq (11th-13th), while the Hanafi and Maliki schools do not permit fasting on those days.
The remaining 7 days are fasted after returning home. They do not need to be consecutive alimlerin cogunluguna gore, though fasting them consecutively is preferred. The Kur'an emphasizes: 'Those are ten complete days' — indicating the total must reach 10. This fasting alternative is only for those who genuinely cannot afford the sacrifice. If a haci can afford it but chose not to sacrifice, they should arrange the sacrifice even after returning home, as the fasting is meant for genuine financial inability.
فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فِي الْحَجِّ وَسَبْعَةٍ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ تِلْكَ عَشَرَةٌ كَامِلَةٌ
And whoever cannot find a sacrificial animal — then a fast of three days during Hac and of seven when you have returned home. Those are ten complete days.
Source: Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Kur'an al-Azim; al-Nawawi, Al-Majmu
And whoever cannot find a sacrificial animal — then a fast of three days during Hac and of seven when you have returned home. Those are ten complete days.
Al-Baqarah (2:196)