Qurbani Or Udhiyah In Islam

Qurbani and Udhiyah: The Sacrifice That Feeds the Body, Purifies the Soul, and Unites the Ummah

May 16, 2026

Because this is not just about an animal. It is about who you are — and Whose you are.

There is a moment, every single year, that arrives quietly and then swells into something enormous.

It begins in the pre-dawn darkness of Dhul Hijjah. It builds through the days of fasting and dhikr and du’a. And then it peaks — on the 10th, on that sacred morning of Eid ul-Adha — when, from the mountains of Makkah to the streets of Dhaka, from the villages of West Africa to the suburbs of London, an entire Ummah of nearly two billion souls turns toward Allah and gives.

That giving has a name. Two names, actually — Qurbani and Udhiyah. And if you have ever wondered what truly separates this act from ordinary charity, from routine generosity, from a simple donation — this is for you.

What is Qurbani or Udhiyah?

They are the same thing, wearing two different names.

Qurbani is the Arabic word rooted in qurb — closeness, nearness, proximity. Udhiyah refers specifically to the act of animal sacrifice performed during the days of Eid ul-Adha. Together, they describe one of the most ancient, most emotionally resonant acts of worship in all of Islam.

Every year, on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims around the world sacrifice a permissible animal — a sheep, a goat, a cow, a buffalo, or a camel — in remembrance of what Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was willing to do for Allah (SWT). And in that act, something quietly extraordinary happens.

The Qur’an itself frames this with a precision that leaves no room for ambiguity:

“Sincerity and purity are the most important part of Qurbani.” (Qur’an 5:27)

Not the size of the animal. Not the cost. Not how publicly it is done. The inside of the act — the intention, the surrender, the love for Allah that drives the hand — that is what reaches Him.

And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) confirmed, in words that should send a shiver down every Muslim spine:

“On the day of sacrifice, no one does a deed more pleasing to Allah than the shedding of blood. The sacrifice will come on the Day of Resurrection with its horns, hair, and hooves — and the blood finds acceptance with Allah before it even falls on the ground.”

Before it falls on the ground. Your Qurbani is accepted in the heavens before the moment of sacrifice even concludes. The mercy of Allah (SWT) is simply staggering.

Why Is It Only Muslims Who Give Qurbani?

This is a question that non-Muslims often ask. And it is worth answering — not defensively, but with the quiet confidence of people who understand why they do what they do.

Allah (SWT) did not leave this matter vague. The command is explicit, direct, and beautifully simple in Surah Al-Kawthar:

“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice — to Him only.” (Qur’an 108:2)

To Him only. Not as a cultural performance. Not as a social tradition. To Allah — and to no one and nothing else.

This exclusivity is not arrogance. It is clarity. It is the clean, unambiguous line between worship that is directed to the Creator and everything else. Qurbani is an act of Ibadah — worship — and worship, in Islam, belongs solely to Allah (SWT).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself understood this so deeply that he performed Qurbani every single year without exception. He remained in Madinah for eleven years after the Hijra — and for eleven consecutive years, he sacrificed on Eid. Not occasionally. Not when it was convenient. Every year. [Ahmad and Tirmidhi]

That is the standard he set. That is the bar we aspire to reach.

What Does Qurbani Actually Mean — To a Muslim's Heart?

Here is what the textbooks often miss.

Qurbani is not merely a religious obligation to discharge and move on from. It is a yearly recalibration of the soul. A moment in which you ask yourself the most important question a human being can ask:

What am I willing to give up for Allah?

Ibrahim (AS) gave everything. His comfort, his homeland, his people, his son. And in return, Allah (SWT) gave him something no earthly currency could purchase — the title of Khalilullah. The Friend of Allah.

When you perform Qurbani, you are not simply feeding the poor — though that in itself is an act of tremendous Barakah. You are declaring allegiance. You are affirming, with your wealth and your action, that your submission to Allah (SWT) is not theoretical. It is not confined to words uttered after Salah. It is real. It costs something. And you give it anyway.

This is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) meant when his companions asked about Qurbani. He said it is the Sunnah of your father Ibrahim. It is the legacy you are inheriting — and the legacy you are passing down.

Performing Qurbani properly, with full intention and accordance with the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him), is among the most consequential acts of obedience a Muslim can offer during these days. Scholars of the Hanbali madhab, alongside many others, also recommend that those intending to give Qurbani refrain from cutting their hair, nails, or skin from the 1st of Dhul Hijjah — mirroring, in some small way, the state of the pilgrims making Hajj in Makkah. It is a spiritual solidarity that binds the entire Ummah together, even across oceans and time zones.

I’m on the advisory board of this great organization, Basmah. And I’m saying to you, from a man on the inside, they do a lot of incredible work. I’m amazed every day by more and more work; they don’t stop, they never stop.

Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Honorary advisor of BASMAH

What Is a Udhiyah Donation — and Why Does It Matter So Much?

Now here is where Qurbani transforms from personal worship into communal mercy.

Think about this: there are entire communities — whole villages, whole regions — where meat is not a weekly pleasure or even a monthly one. It is a luxury. A rarity. Something that appears on the table, perhaps, once a year. Or not at all.

Children who have never tasted fresh meat in their lives. Families surviving on rice and salt. Elderly people whose bodies are weakening from protein deficiency because there simply is not enough.

A Udhiyah donation is when you give your Qurbani through a trusted organisation that sacrifices the animal on your behalf and distributes the meat directly to those who need it most.

When you donate one Qurbani share, here is what that actually means in real terms:

One sheep or goat yields approximately 50 pounds of fresh meat
One-seventh share of a cow, buffalo, or bull yields approximately 70 pounds

That single donation — your single act of worship — can feed between five and ten families. Families who will taste meat on Eid because you chose not to keep it all for yourself.

The Qur’an speaks directly to this:

“That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of cattle. So eat of them and feed the poor.” (Qur’an 22:28)

Eat of them — and feed the poor. Both. Not one or the other. Both.

And when your Qurbani meat reaches a struggling family on the other side of the world — warming their Eid, nourishing their children, reminding them that the Ummah has not forgotten them — that is not just charity. That is Sadaqah Jariah. A continuous, flowing reward that does not stop when the day ends. It continues. In the Akhirah, you may find that this single act of giving became one of the greatest investments of your entire life.

Is Udhiyah Obligatory? A Question Worth Answering Honestly

Scholars have long deliberated this — with sincerity and scholarly rigour — and the positions are not dramatically far apart.

The majority view, particularly in the Hanafi school, holds that Udhiyah is wajib — obligatory — upon every eligible Muslim who possesses Nisab-level wealth during the days of Eid. Other scholars classify it as Sunnah Mu’akkadah — a confirmed, strongly emphasised Sunnah that carries the weight of near-obligation and should not be abandoned without genuine hardship as justification.

Either way, the message is clear: this is not something to be casual about. This is not an optional extra for the particularly devout. The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed it without fail for eleven straight years. The Qur’an commands it directly. The weight of scholarly consensus leans heavily toward give your Qurbani.

If you are able — give. And if you worry that you cannot afford it locally, know that donating through an international Qurbani programme often makes it accessible even for those with modest means, while simultaneously ensuring the meat reaches communities of desperate, genuine need.

Eid ul-Adha and Fitra — Understanding the Difference

Muslims celebrate two great Eids, and each carries its own distinct acts of worship — its own flavour of giving.

Eid ul-Fitr, which follows the month of Ramadan, comes with Fitra (also called Zakat ul-Fitr) — a mandatory charity given before the Eid prayer, ensuring that even the poorest members of the community can celebrate with dignity and a full stomach. It is given in food or its monetary equivalent. It is urgent. It is universal. And it must be given before the Eid prayer is performed.

Eid ul-Adha, the greater of the two Eids, carries Qurbani as its defining act of giving. Here, the form of charity is not money paid into a fund — it is an animal sacrificed, its meat divided and distributed. The physicality of it matters. The act of giving something living has a weight that a bank transfer, however generous, simply cannot replicate in the same way.

Both Eids call us to give. But the how and why of each are beautifully, deliberately distinct.

How Many Days Can Qurbani Be Performed?

Three. Exactly three.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was unambiguous:

“All the Tashriq days — the 10th, 11th, and 12th of Dhul Hijjah — are days of slaughter.” [Ahmad]

The sacrifice may be performed on any of these three days, after the Eid prayer has been completed. The 10th is the most virtuous — the day of Eid itself, the day closest to Ibrahim (AS)’s sacrifice — but the 11th and 12th carry full validity.

In Makkah, among the pilgrims performing Hajj, the sacrifice takes place specifically after the Rammi — the stoning of Jamarat ul-Aqabah — as part of the sequential rituals of Hajj. For the rest of us, wherever we are in the world, the rule is simply: after the Eid prayer, within the three days.

Do not let these days slip by. The window is narrow. The opportunity — immense.

Before the Knife Falls — A Final Reflection

These three days are coming.

And on those three days, something will happen across this Ummah that is unlike anything else on earth. From the wealthiest neighbourhoods to the most impoverished villages, Muslims will raise their hands, recite Bismillah, and offer something precious to Allah (SWT).

Some will do it in a lavish ceremony. Some will do it quietly, humbly, barely able to afford it. Some will donate online at midnight, trusting that an organisation somewhere will carry out the sacrifice on their behalf and hand the meat to a family that desperately needs it.

All of them — every single one — will be participating in something Ibrahim (AS) began on a mountain thousands of years ago.

All of them will be saying, in their own way: I submit. I give. I choose You, ya Allah, above what I could have kept for myself.

Let that be your intention this Eid ul-Adha. Not habit. Not social expectation. Not the fear of what people will think if you don’t.

Let it be love. Let it be surrender. Let it be the purest, most honest version of your faith walking out of your front door and into the world — nourishing the hungry, pleasing Allah, and connecting you to the greatest act of submission this Ummah has ever known.

Taqabbal Allahu Minna Wa Minkum.

May He accept every sacrifice — seen and unseen — offered in His name this Dhul Hijjah.

Give your Qurbani. Feed the Ummah. Draw closer to Allah. These days will not return.