This is Salaam Foundation’s Qurbani fact sheet.
Qurbani means sacrifice in Arabic. Every year, in the month of Dhul-Hijjah, Muslims around the world sacrifice an animal – a goat, sheep, cow or camel. This sacrifice is to reflect and remember Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail (pbuh) to carry out the command of Allah.
Prophet Ibrahim had a dream that Allah had ordered him to sacrifice his son, Ismail. Due to his obedience to Allah, Prophet Ibrahim agreed and was on his way to carry out the sacrifice when Allah sent a ram to be sacrificed in Ismail’s place.
Every Muslim who is obligated to make qurbani continues on that tradition of obedience to Allah. Besides carrying it out as an act of obedience, the sacrifice is also a way for us to remember there is more to this world than the material world. It is a way to remember the poor and helpless and to help build a stronger community.
The month of Dhul-Hijjah is the month when millions of Muslims descend on Makkah to carry out a pillar of Islam, the pilgrimage of Hajj. It is during this month that pilgrims travel to Makkah in order to visit the Kaaba and other religious sites. Hajj is performed on the eighth, ninth and tenth days of the lunar month. Eid ul-Adha begins on the tenth and ends on the 13th. During the five days of the pilgrimage, pilgrims make various sacrifices by completing the rituals of pilgrimage in order to cleanse themselves of any sins.
While only a small number of the billions of Muslims go on pilgrimage every year, the rest of the Muslim ummah carry out the ritual of Qurbani as the celebration of Eid-ul-Adha which is a three-day celebration for Muslims.
There are specific rules around the rituals of sacrifice including the age of the animal and its conditions. The age of the Qurbani animal is also told to us by the Prophet (ﷺ). Sheep and goats must be over one year old, cattle over two years old and camels over five years old. Qurbani is compulsory for all Muslims who are past the age of puberty, of sound mind and have a disposable income available.
With regards to the actual process of sacrifice, there are further rules to ensure that the utmost kindness is shown to the animal.
There are certain requirements for the animal Qurbani slaughter. It needs to start with an intention. It is preferable to make the throat of the animal face the Qibla. A sharp knife should be used to swiftly cut the windpipe, the gullet and the two jugular veins, being careful not to sever the entire head. The animal must not have any defects that would make them unfit for human consumption. These include: being weak, blind, physically disabled, or those who are young, have broken horns or no teeth. The animals must be transported to the slaughterhouse in a way which doesn’t disturb or cause the animal stress and must be slaughtered with principles of Islamic excellence, Ihsan.
Lastly, with regards to the meat that is gathered from the animal, at least one third of the meat from the animal must go to poor or vulnerable people. Traditionally, a Muslim would keep one third of the meat for their family and give the final third to their neighbours.
Salaam Foundation has been carrying out Qurbani projects for the past year. The cattle shares are distributed to the less privileged while the sheep can also be distributed.
