Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice

Islam has two Eids and only two. Eid al-Fitr comes at the end of Ramadan, on the 1st of Shawwal, the day you break a month of fasting. Eid al-Adha comes about ten weeks later, on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, the day the pilgrims at Hajj complete the major rites and the day the rest of us slaughter the qurbani.

This page is about Eid al-Adha. It is sometimes called the Greater Eid, not because it is more important than Eid al-Fitr but because it is four days long, it is tied to Hajj, and it carries the qurbani. In Bosnian and Turkish homes you'll hear it called Kurban Bajram and Kurban Bayramı, the festival of the sacrifice.

Eid al-Adha sits at the end of a window scholars call the best ten days of the year. The Prophet ﷺ said no days are more beloved to Allah than these ten. Not even fighting in the path of Allah, except for a person who goes out with their wealth and their self and returns with neither.

Sahih al-Bukhari 969

What that means for someone starting out: anything good you do in these days is heavier on the scale than the same act on an ordinary day. Pray on time. Read a few ayahs you didn't read yesterday. Give a small sadaqah. Say SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar in the quiet moments. You are not behind, you are right on time.

On this day the pilgrims at Hajj stand on the plain of Arafah from after Fajr until sunset. They are not allowed to break their prayer with anything except remembrance, supplication, and Qur'an. This stand is Hajj. The Prophet ﷺ said Hajj is Arafah. Miss Arafah and you have missed the Hajj.

Abu Dawud 1949, Tirmidhi 889, classed sahih

For everyone not on Hajj, the Sunnah is to fast this single day. The reward is huge. The Prophet ﷺ said fasting the Day of Arafah expiates the sins of the year that has passed and the year that is to come.

Sahih Muslim 1162

If you can fast, fast. If you can't, don't carry guilt. Make duʿa instead, especially in the last hour before Maghrib. The Prophet ﷺ said the best duʿa is the duʿa of the Day of Arafah, and the best thing said by me and the prophets before me is, la ilaha illa Allah, wahdahu la sharika lah, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd, wa huwa ʿala kulli shayʼin qadeer.

Tirmidhi 3585, classed hasan

Ibrahim ﷺ waited many years for a son. When Isma'il ﷺ was finally given to him and grew old enough to walk beside his father, Ibrahim ﷺ saw in a dream that he was slaughtering him. Prophets' dreams are revelation. Ibrahim ﷺ told his son. His son said, O my father, do what you are commanded. You will find me, by Allah's will, of the patient.

The Eid prayer is prayed once, in the morning of the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, after sunrise and before the noon Zuhr time. There is no adhan and no iqamah for it. The community gathers in the mosque or in a large outdoor space, and the imam leads two rak'ahs.

What makes it different from any other prayer is the extra takbirs. In the first rak'ah, after the opening takbir, the imam says Allahu Akbar seven times. In the second rak'ah, before going down to ruku', he says it five times. Follow along with him, raising your hands each time and letting them fall by your side.

Abu Dawud 1149, classed hasan

The khutbah comes after the prayer, not before, the opposite of Jumu'ah. Sit and listen if you can. If you have to leave, no sin, but the khutbah is the reminder that frames the day.

If you miss the congregation entirely, scholars differ on whether you make it up alone. The safer practice is to pray two rak'ahs at home with the same extra takbirs, intending Eid prayer. If you live somewhere there is no mosque, this is your default.

Say this aloud, by yourself or with the community, after every obligatory prayer starting from Fajr of the Day of Arafah (9 Dhul Hijjah) and ending after Asr of the last day of Tashreeq (13 Dhul Hijjah). That is 23 prayers in a row. Men say it aloud in the mosque, women say it quietly.

If you don't know the Arabic yet, say Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar by itself, the longer wording above is recommended, not obligatory. The point is the takbeer fills the air for these five days, in mosques, in homes, on the way to the prayer ground. It is the sound of Eid.

Qurbani (Arabic) and Udhiyah are the same thing, the slaughter of a sheep, goat, cow, or camel on the days of Eid in remembrance of what Allah ransomed Isma'il ﷺ with. The Hanafi school treats it as wajib (obligatory) for those who can afford it. The Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools treat it as a strongly emphasised Sunnah. Either way, if you can afford it, do it.

Surah Al-Kawthar 108:1-2, Surah Al-Hajj 22:34-37

When can the slaughter happen? After the Eid prayer on the 10th, until just before sunset on the 13th of Dhul Hijjah. Four days. Slaughtering before the Eid prayer is just a regular slaughter, not qurbani.

How is the meat divided? The recommended share is thirds: one third for your household, one third for friends and relatives, one third for the poor. You can vary the proportions, but the poor must get a share. This is not a meat freezer for the family, it is a sacrifice that lifts the community.

Can I pay for one to be slaughtered abroad? Yes, this is common practice today. Many Muslims in the UK and Europe donate to trusted charities who slaughter in poorer regions where the meat does much more good. Choose a charity that is transparent about timing, breed, and distribution. Both this and slaughtering in your own home are valid.

What if I cannot afford it? Then it is not asked of you. Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can bear. Pray Eid, take part in the day, eat with people, that itself is the ʿibadah. No guilt, no debt for next year. Allah sees the heart.

The Prophet ﷺ said the days of Tashreeq are days of eating, drinking, and remembrance of Allah. They are 11, 12 and 13 Dhul Hijjah. The qurbani window stays open. Takbeer al-Tashreeq stays going after every prayer. Fasting is forbidden. Enjoy the meat, share the meat, visit, rest.

Sahih Muslim 1141