What is the ruling on one who slaughters his sacrificial animal before the Day of Nahr (slaughtering), and is he obligated to offer another sacrificial animal for the previous Hajj?

Scholars have differed regarding sacrificing the hady (sacrificial animal) before the Day of Sacrifice. Imam Al-Shafi'i permits it by analogy with the expiatory sacrifice for harm (fidyat al-adha). Whereas Imam Malik and Abu Hanifa hold that it is not sufficient, basing their argument on the Almighty’s saying: (and do not shave your heads until the hady reaches its place of sacrifice), which indicates that the hady does not reach its place of sacrifice until the Day of Sacrifice. This latter opinion is the preponderant one. Therefore, a replacement hady must be sacrificed for the first one that was sacrificed before its due time, and this should be done as soon as possible. There is no harm in sacrificing two hadys together if the sacrifice was delayed until the current year.