What is Qurbani?

Qurbani (sacrifice) is an Islamic ritual carried out at Eid-ul-Adha and involves the sacrifice of an animal, normally a camel, cow, goat or sheep.

The meat is then divided into three parts, with the person performing the sacrifice taking one part, his or her friends and family another and the third part going to the poor.

What is the significance of Qurbani?

The practice of Qurbani can be traced back to the Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) who dreamt that Allah ordered him to sacrifice his only son, Ismail (pbuh). In his devotion to Allah Ibrahim agreed to follow his dream and perform the sacrifice, but Allah intervened at the last minute and sent a ram in Ismail’s place. The continued practice of sacrifice acts as a reminder of Ibrahim’s obedience to Allah.

When does Qurbani take place?

Eid-ul-Adha, the ‘Festival of Sacrifice’, is celebrated during the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar, known as Dhul Hijjah. It is during this month that the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca takes place. The Hajj is performed on the eighth, ninth and tenth days of the month, followed by Eid-ul-Adha which begins on the tenth.

Islamic Relief and Qurbani

Islamic Relief has been carrying out its Qurbani programme since 1986. In 2008 we performed more than 90,600 Qurbanis in 26 countries, benefitting over 2.2 million people.

The majority of people receive fresh Qurbani meat from Islamic Relief. In some countries where conflict or disaster makes the distribution of fresh meat impossible, or where this is prohibitively expensive, Islamic Relief distributes canned or frozen Qurbani meat.

Those who receive the Qurbani parcels are amongst the most vulnerable in the communities where we work, including orphans, the elderly, widows, refugees and those affected by disasters. For the majority of these people – particularly with the current food crisis - meat does not form a part of their general diet. The Islamic Relief Qurbani pack enables them to celebrate this important occasion along with millions of more fortunate Muslims across the world.

To help some of the world’s most vulnerable people celebrate Eid click here.