Qurbani explained for Eid al-Adha 2023

Eid al-Adha is right around the corner with many around the country either celebrating tomorrow (June 28) or on Thursday (June 29).

A key part of Eid is the practice of Qurbani. From the outside, Qurbani just seems like a typical form of animal sacrifice, however, there is much more to it than this.

As with many acts in Islam, a key aspect of Qurbani is not the sacrifice, but rather the significant act of charity that follows it. Under Islamic law, once an animal has been slaughtered, one-third of the meat should be kept for the family, a third given to neighbours and a third given to the poor and vulnerable.

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This allows poorer families to still celebrate Eid with a feast.

The act of Qurbani can be traced back to the story of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) who was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Ishmael. However, moments before the prophet carried out the sacrifice, God interceded and replaced Ishmael with a lamb which was sacrificed instead.

By showing his willingness to carry out this extremely difficult act in the name of God, the story of the prophet Ibrahim stands as an example for all Muslims on how much they should be willing to obey and honour God. According to a Hadith (the recorded sayings and actions of the prophet Muhammad): "When the Messenger (PBUH) was asked what Qurbani is, he answered, “It is the Sunnah [practice] of your father Ibrahim. For every hair of the Qurbani, you receive a reward from Allah.”

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Nowadays, there are a lot of ways Muslims can donate Qurbani - especially in the UK where it is extremely difficult to