Clockwise from top:Bayram Namazı inIstanbul;Qurbani on Egyptian market;Muslim children receivingEidi; Eid prayer in Albania; Moroccan sheep prepared for sacrifice; Feast inAhvaz, Iran
Eid al-Adha[a] (Arabic:عيد الأضحى,romanized: ʿĪd al-ʾAḍḥā,lit. 'Feast of the Sacrifice') is the second of the two mainfestivals in Islam, alongsideEid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th ofDhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of theIslamic calendar.[2] Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the three following days, known as the Tashreeq days.
Eid al-Adha, depending on country and language is also called the Greater or Large Eid (Arabic:العيد الكبير,romanized: al-ʿĪd al-Kabīr).[3] As with Eid al-Fitr, theEid prayer is performed on the morning of Eid al-Adha, after which theudhiyah or the ritual sacrifice of a livestock animal, is performed. In Islamic tradition, it honours the willingness ofAbraham tosacrifice his son as an act of obedience toGod's command. Depending on the narrative, eitherIshmael orIsaac are referred to with the honorific title "Sacrifice of God".[4] Pilgrims performing theHajj typically perform thetawaf andsaee of Hajj on Eid al-Adha, along with the ritualstoning of the Devil on the Eid day and the following days.
TheArabic wordعيد (ʿīd) means 'festival', 'celebration', 'feast day', or 'holiday'. The wordعيد is atriliteral root (ʕ-y-d), with associated root meanings of "to go back, to rescind, to accrue, to be accustomed, habits, to repeat, to be experienced; appointed time or place, anniversary, feast day".[5][6]Arthur Jeffery contested this etymology, and believed the term to have been borrowed into Arabic fromSyriac, or less likelyTargumic Aramaic.[7]
The holiday is calledعيد الأضحى (Eid-al-Adha) orالعيد الكبير (Eid-al-Kabir) in Arabic.[8] The wordsأضحى (aḍḥā) andقربان (qurbān) are synonymous in meaning 'sacrifice' (animal sacrifice), 'offering' or 'oblation'. The first word comes from the triliteral rootضحى (ḍaḥḥā) with the associated meanings "immolate; offer up; sacrifice; victimize".[9] No occurrence of this root with a meaning related to sacrifice occurs in the Qur'an[5] but in the Hadith literature. Assyrians and other Middle Eastern Christians use the term to mean theEucharistic host. The second word derives from the triliteral root قرب (qaraba) with associated meanings of "closeness, proximity... to moderate; kinship...; to hurry; ...to seek, to seek water sources...; scabbard, sheath; small boat; sacrifice".[6]Arthur Jeffery recognizes the same Semitic root, but believes the sense of the term to have entered Arabic throughAramaic.[7]
Eid al-Adha is pronouncedEid al-Azha andEidul Azha, primarily in Iran and influenced by the Persian language, in the Indian subcontinent.[10]
According to Islamic tradition, one of the main trials ofAbraham's life was to receive and obey the command of God to slaughter his beloved son, Ishmael. According to the narrative, Abraham kept having dreams that he was sacrificing his son. Abraham knew that this was a command from God. He told his son, as stated in the Quran,
O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I ˹must˺ sacrifice you. he replied, O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.
Abraham prepared to submit to the will of God and to slaughter his son as an act of faith and obedience to God.[11][12] During the preparation,Iblis (Satan) tempted Abraham and his family by trying to dissuade them from carrying out God's commandment, and Abraham drove Iblis away by throwing pebbles at him. In commemoration of their rejection of Iblis, stones are thrown during Hajj rites at symbolic pillars, symbolising the place at which Iblis tried to dissuade Abraham.[13]
Acknowledging that Abraham was willing to sacrifice what was dear to him, God honoured both Abraham and his son. The AngelGabriel (Jibreel) proclaimed, "O Ibrahim, you have fulfilled the revelations," and a ram from heaven was offered by Angel Gabriel to prophet Abraham to slaughter instead of his son. Many Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha to commemorate both the devotion of Abraham and the survival of his son Ishmael.[14][15][16]
This story is known as theAkedah in Judaism (Binding ofIsaac) and originates in theTorah,[17] in the first book of Moses (Genesis, Ch. 22). The Akedah is referred to in the Quran in its 37thsurah,As-Saaffat.[18]
The word "Eid" appears once inAl-Ma'ida, the fifth surah of the Quran, with the meaning "a festival or a feast".[19]
When preceding Eid al-Adha and during the Eid and Tashreeq days, Muslims recite thetakbir.[20][21] Like on Eid al-Fitr, the Eid prayer is performed on Eid al-Adha any time after sunrise and before theZuhr prayer. In the event of aforce majeure, the prayer may be delayed to the day after or the second day after Eid.[22] The Eid prayer is followed by akhutbah (sermon).[23] At the conclusion of the prayers and sermon, Muslims embrace and exchange gifts and greetings with one another, such as the phraseEid Mubarak. Many Muslims also take this opportunity to invite their friends, neighbours and colleagues to the festivities to better acquaint them about Islam andMuslim culture.[24]
Arabic calligraphic fragment dated to the early 18th century displaying blessings for Eid al-Adha
After the Eid prayer,udhiyah, or the ritual sacrifice of cattle, is performed. Muslims who can afford it sacrificehalal cattle, usually a camel, goat, sheep, or ram, as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son.[25][26] The animals have to meet certain age and quality standards to be considered for sacrifice.[27] The meat from the sacrificed animal is generally divided into three parts: the family performing the udhiyah retains a third; while the remainder is equally divided between friends and relatives, and the poor.[25]
The tradition for Eid al-Adha involvesslaughtering an animal and sharing the meat in three equal parts – for family, for relatives and friends, and for poor people. The goal is to make sure every Muslim gets to eat meat.[28][29] However, there is adissent among Muslim scholars regarding the obligatory nature of this sacrifice. While some scholars, such asAl-Kasani, categorise the sacrifice as obligatory (wāǧib), others regard it only as an "established custom" (sunna mu'akkada).[30] Alternatives such as charitable donations orfasting have been suggested to be permissible by severalfuqaha.[31]
Ma'amoul, a traditional Eid cookie in parts of the Muslim world
Muslims are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an openwaqf ("stopping") field called Eidgah or mosque. Cuisine traditionally associated with Eid al-Adha includesma'amoul andsamosas.[22]
Cattle market for Eid al-Adha in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Eid Ul Adha is commonly known asKorbanir Eid (Bengali:কোরবানির ঈদ) amongBengalis, which meansthe festival ofQurbani (sacrifice). Bangladesh sacrifices most animals per year during Eid Al Adha, estimates indicate about 13 million animals are sacrificed each year.[32][better source needed] Starting from the first day of Dhul-Hijjah, temporary cattle markets, known ashaat begin to appear across Bangladesh. The animals are traditionally decorated with garlands.[33] Many working people inDhaka, goes back to their hometowns to celebrate. TraditionalBengali meat dishes likeKala bhuna,Chui Jhal, Khasir Rezala andQorma are eaten withpulao orrotis, traditionally made of rice flours, orpithas like chitoi and soi pitha. InSylhet,Nunor Bora andHandesh are traditionally served as snacks during tea times oraddas.[34]
Around the world, different traditions are followed on Eid al-Adha. In Pakistan applying henna is a famous tradition amongst women. In Pakistan, children receive Eidi which is money and gifts given from elders.[citation needed]
In African nations, gifts are given among friends and family is invited to feasts. While the cultures are different, the key values of celebration remain the same. Those values are giving, feasts, family, and grant celebrations.[35][36][37]
Conversion of Hijri years 1343 to 1500 to the Gregorian calendar, with first days of al-Muharram (brown), Ramadan (grey) and Shawwal (black) bolded, and Eid al-Adha dotted – inthe SVG file, hover over a spot to show its dates and a line to show the month
While Eid al-Adha is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year as the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and theGregorian calendar is asolar calendar. The lunar calendar is approximately eleven days shorter than the solar calendar.[38][b] Each year, Eid al-Adha (like other Islamic holidays) falls on one of about two to four Gregorian dates in parts of the world, because the boundary of crescent visibility is different from theInternational Date Line.[39]
The following list shows the official dates of Eid al-Adha for Saudi Arabia as announced by theSupreme Judicial Council. Future dates are estimated according to the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.[40] The Umm al-Qura calendar is just a guide for planning purposes and not the absolute determinant or fixer of dates. Confirmations of actual dates by moon sighting are applied on the 29th day of the lunar month prior to Dhu al-Hijja[41] to announce the specific dates for both Hajj rituals and the subsequent Eid festival. The three days after the listed date are also part of the festival. The time before the listed date the pilgrims visitMount Arafat and descend from it after sunrise of the listed day.[citation needed]
In many countries, the start of anylunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of the new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality.
^Because the Hijri year differs by about 11 days from the AD year, Eid al-Adha can occur twice a year, in the year 1029, 1062, 1094, 1127, 1159, 1192, 1224, 1257, 1290, 1322, 1355, 1387, 1420, 1452, 1485, 1518, 1550, 1583, 1615, 1648, 1681, 1713, 1746, 1778, 1811, 1844, 1876, 1909, 1941, 1974, 2007, 2039, 2072, 2104, 2137, 2169, 2202,2235, 2267 and 2300 (will continue to occur every 32 or 33 years).
^Haigh, Phil (31 July 2020)."What is the story of Eid al-Adha and why is it referred to as Big Eid?".Metro. Archived fromthe original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved25 April 2021.Simply, Eid al-Adha is considered the holier of the two religious holidays and so it is referred to as 'Big Eid' while Eid al Fitr can be known as 'Lesser Eid'. Eid al-Kabir means 'Greater Eid' and is used in Yemen, Syria, and North Africa, while other translations of 'Large Eid' are used in Pashto, Kashmiri, Urdu and Hindi. This distinction is also known in the Arab world, but by calling 'Bari Eid' bari, this Eid is already disadvantaged. It is the 'other Eid'. 'Bari Eid', or Eid-ul-Azha, has the advantage of having two major rituals, as both have the prayer, but it alone has a sacrifice. 'Bari Eid' brings all Muslims together in celebrating Hajj, which is a reminder of the Abrahamic sacrifice, while 'Choti Eid' commemorates solely the end of the fasting of Ramazan.
^Quran5:114-The Clear Quran— Jesus, son of Mary, prayed, "O Allah, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table spread with food as a feast for us—the first and last of us—and as a sign from You. Provide for us! You are indeed the Best Provider."Quran5:114-Sahih International— Said Jesus, the son of Mary, "O Allāh, our Lord, send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, and You are the best of providers."
^Hawting, Gerald (2007). "The Juristic Dispute about the Legal Status of the Animal Offerings on the Feast of Sacrifices". In Christmann, Andreas; Gleave, Robert (eds.).Studies in Islamic Law: A Festschrift for Colin Imber. Journal of Semitic Studies Supplement. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 123–142.ISBN978-0-19-953491-3.
^Leaman, Oliver; Shaikh, Zinnira (2022). "Heresy or Moral Imperative? Islamic Perspectives on Veganism".Routledge Handbook of Islamic Ritual and Practice. Routledge Handbooks. Abingdon, New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 446–447.ISBN978-0-367-49123-9.
