Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha(Arabic:عيد الأضحى,romanized:ʿĪd al-ʾAḍḥā,lit.'Feast of Sacrifice') is the second of the two mainfestivals in IslamalongsideEid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th ofDhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of theIslamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the three following days, known as the Tashreeq days.
Eid al-Adha is also sometimes calledEid IIor "Greater Eid" (Arabic:العيد الكبير,romanized:al-ʿĪd al-Kabīr).As with Eid al-Fitr, theEid prayeris performed on the morning of Eid al-Adha, after whichudhiyah, or the ritual sacrifice of sheep, may be performed. In Islamic tradition, it honours the willingness ofAbrahamto sacrifice his son as an act of obedience toGod's command. Depending on the narrative, eitherIshmaelorIsaacare referred to with the honorific title "Sacrifice of God".Pilgrims performing theHajjtypically perform thetawafandsaeeof Hajj on Eid al-Adha, along with the ritualStoning of the Devilon the Eid day and the following days.
TheArabicwordعيد(ʿīd) means 'festival', 'celebration', 'feast day', or 'holiday'. The wordعيدis 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".Arthur Jefferycontests this etymology, and believes the term to have been borrowed into Arabic fromSyriac, or less likelyTargumic Aramaic.
The holiday is calledعيد الأضحى(Eid-al-Adha) orالعيد الكبير(Eid-al-Kabir) in Arabic.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".No occurrence of this root with a meaning related to sacrifice occurs in the Qur'anbut 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".Arthur Jefferyrecognizes the same Semitic root, but believes the sense of the term to have entered Arabic throughAramaic.
Eid al-Adha is pronouncedEid al-AzhaandEidul Azha, primarily in Iran and influenced by the Persian language like the Indian subcontinent;/ˌiːdəlˈɑːdə,-ˈɑːdhɑː/EEDəlAH-də, -⁠AHD-hah;Arabic:عيد الأضحى,romanized:ʿĪd al-ʾAḍḥā,IPA:[ʕiːdalˈʔadˤħaː].
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 and he told his son, as stated in the Quran,
Abraham prepared to submit to the will of God and to slaughter his son as an act of faith and obedience to God.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.
Acknowledging that Abraham was willing to sacrifice what is dear to him, God honoured both Abraham and his son. AngelGabriel(Jibreel) called Abraham, "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.
This story is known as theAkedahin Judaism (Binding ofIsaac) and originates in theTorah,in the first book of Moses (Genesis, Ch. 22). The Akedah is referred to in the Quran in its 37thsurah,As-Saaffat.
The word "Eid" appears once inAl-Ma'ida, the fifth surah of the Quran, with the meaning "a festival or a feast".
In the days preceding Eid al-Adha and during the Eid and Tashreeq days, Muslims recite thetakbir.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.The Eid prayer is followed by akhutbah(sermon).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.
After the Eid prayer,udhiyah, or the ritual sacrifice of cattle, may be performed. Affluent Muslims who can afford it sacrificehalalcattle, usually a camel, goat, sheep, or ram, as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son.The animals have to meet certain age and quality standards to be considered for sacrifice.In Pakistan alone, roughly 7.5 million animals, costing an estimated $3 billion (equivalent to $4.16 billion in 2023), were sacrificed in 2011.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.
The tradition for Eid al-Adha involvesslaughteringan 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.However, there is adissentamong 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).Alternatives such as charitable donations orfastinghave been suggested to be permissible by severalfuqaha.
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'amoulandsamosas.
Around the world, there are multiple different traditions that are followed on Eid al-Adha. For example, in places such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, applying henna is a famous tradition amongst women. In Pakistan, children receive Eidi which is money and gifts given from elders. In the Middle East, traditional sweets are made. In African nation, 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.
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 since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and theGregorian calendaris asolar calendar. The lunar calendar is approximately eleven days shorter than the solar calendar.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.
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.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-Hijjato 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 visit Mount Arafat and descend from it after sunrise of the listed day.
In many countries, the start of anylunar Hijrimonth varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality.
The celebration of Eid al-Adha is noted for causing a lot ofplastic wastefrom one use plastic bags used to distribute meat in.Activist groups in countries likeIndonesiahave opted for an eco-friendly celebration of the festival.