Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Russell Jones, Nuru’d-din ar Rahini 

Bastanu’s-Salatin, bab IV, fasal 1: critical edition and 

translation of the first part of Fasal 1, which deals with 

Ibrahim ibn Adham (Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan 

Pustaka, 1974); John Alden Williams, ed. Themes of 

Islamic Civilization (Berkeley and Los Angeles: Univer-

sity of California Press, 1971).

Ibrahim Ibn Adham

  

341  J

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Id al-Adha

 

(Arabic: Feast of Sacrifice) 

The most important yearly festival 

holiday

 of the 

Islamic 

calendar

 is Id al-Adha, or al-Id al-Kabir 

(Great Feast). It is also known as Id al-Qurban 

(Feast of Sacrifice), as well as Qurban Bayrami 

(Sacrifice Feast) in Turkic lands, Bakar Id (Goat 

Feast) in i

ndia

, and Reraya Qurben (Sacrifice 

Holiday) in i

ndonesia

. In Muslim-majority coun-

tries today, it has been declared a public holiday. 

The festival begins on the 10th day of the 12th 

month (Dhu al-Hijja) of the Islamic lunar year, at 

the conclusion of the annual 

haJJ

 rites in m

ecca

,

and lasts for up to four days. According to Islamic 

law, Muslims around the world who are able are 

obliged to sacrifice an unblemished sheep, goat, 

cow, or 

camel

. They are also expected to attend 

a special communal 

prayer

, traditionally held in 

open air or at a 

mosqUe

, where they listen to a 

holiday sermon. Unlike other prayer times, there 

is no 

adhan

 (call to prayer) performed. Muslims 

believe that the festival represents complete obe-

dience to God, as a

braham

 obeyed him when 

commanded to sacrifice his son. According to the 

story, which has biblical roots and is retold in the 

q

Uran

 and Islamic exegetical literature, a ram was 

substituted in place of Abraham’s son. Among the 

Shia, this story is associated with themes of 

mar

-

tyrdom

 and redemption.

The sacrificial feast allows all Muslims, pil-

grims and nonpilgrims alike, to experience a sense 

of community at the conclusion of the hajj. Men 

customarily perform the sacrifice with their own 

hands according to ritual slaughtering procedures 

approved by Islamic law, but meat can also be 

obtained from qualified butchers. In Mecca, there 

are special slaughtering facilities in the pilgrim 

town of Mina, just outside the holy city. Muslims 

living in the U

nited

 s

tates

 or Europe obtain their 

meat from a 

halal

 butcher, or they go to a farm 

where they can purchase an animal and slaughter 

it themselves, as they would in a Muslim country. 

Women

 participate by preparing dishes made from 

the meat of the sacrificed animal. Everywhere 

Id al-Adha is a very festive time when people 

gather together with family and friends. 

children

wear bright new clothing. Muslim girls in India 

and  p

akistan

 show off fresh henna designs on 

their hands and arms. In many communities, the 

holiday affirms ties to deceased loved ones and 

the poor, because people distribute food to the 

needy in memory of the dead. Women usually 

visit cemeteries during the Id to do this. Meat may 

also be distributed through mosques and Islamic 

charities, making Id al-Adha one of the few times 

in the year when the needy eat meat. In modern 

times, the internet has made it possible for people 

to make donations online by credit card so that 

needy Muslims anywhere in the world can join in 

the 

Feasting

.

See also 

almsgiving

; 

animals

; 

Food

 

and

 

drink

; 

FUnerary

 

ritUals

.