Eid al-Adha

The story behind the day

Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, begins on the tenth of Dhū al-Ḥijja, the day after the pilgrims' standing at ʿArafāt, and may run for up to four days. It recalls the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son at God's command, and God's sparing of the son. Muslims keep it with a special congregational prayer and, for those who can afford it, the sacrifice of a sheep, goat, cow or camel, whose meat is shared with the household, as gifts and as charity. Sunni and Shia Muslims keep the festival together.^[1–6]

Origins

ram caught in the thicket, the knife lowered, Abraham from behind — Ram caught in the thicket, the knife lowered, Abraham from behindIllustration · AI-generated

The Qur'an tells how Ibrahim saw in a dream that he must sacrifice his son, and how the son answered, "Do as you are commanded." Muslims usually understand the son to be Ismail, whereas Genesis names Isaac. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta says the sacrifice of the festival commemorates Ibrahim's offering and God's sparing of his son, and according to religious tradition, as the Congressional Research Service puts it, God intervened and a sheep was sacrificed in the son's place.^{[2, 8]}

What it marks

The feast joins the end of the Hajj to an act of obedience and generosity. On the tenth of Dhū al-Ḥijja the pilgrims return to Mina to cast stones at pillars that symbolise the temptations of Satan, and they and Muslims elsewhere approach God by sacrificing an animal and giving its meat to the poor. Charity is a central part of the festival, and Muslims are encouraged to give during it.^{[7, 9–10]}

How it came to be

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta relates that on reaching Medina the Prophet found its people keeping two festivals of pagan origin, and replaced them with the day of breaking the fast and the day of sacrifice; a report in Sunan Abu Dawud has him say that God gave believers something better than those two days of play. Muslims believe he introduced both Eids. In Sunni law the days for slaughtering the animal run from the day of Eid through the three days after it, which is why the festival is said to last up to four days.^{[1, 11]}

How it is kept

meat shared in thirds in a courtyard — Meat shared in thirds in a courtyardIllustration · AI-generated

The day opens with a congregational prayer in a mosque or an open prayer ground. Those who can afford it then sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow or camel. By Dar al-Ifta's rulings, which Islam Q&A echoes, the animal must be free of defects and of a minimum age, and a camel must be five years old. The meat is customarily divided in three: one part for the household, one as gifts, one as charity. People greet one another with Eid Mubarak and may send cards.^{[3–5, 12–13]}

Across traditions

Fasting on the day itself is forbidden in Sunni and Shia law alike. Sunni jurists differ on how binding the Eid prayer is: Malikis and Shafiʿis call it a confirmed sunnah, Hanbalis a duty of the community, and Hanafis an obligation on each man. Twelver Shia law, which held it obligatory in the presence of the Imam, now treats it as recommended during his occultation, to be said in congregation or alone.^[14–16]

Sources

Each statement above was checked against published sources; the verdict says whether it stood as written, was corrected or was hedged.