Eid al-Adha 2025 is expected to fall on the evening of Friday, 6 June, until Tuesday, 10 June.
Qurbani will be performed after the Eid Salah in each field office. The slaughter will take place from after the Eid prayer on Eid al-Adha (10th of Dhul Hijjah) and ends up to sunset on the 13th of Dhul Hijjah. There is a difference of opinion among the scholars as to whether Qurbani can be done over three or four days. To respect this difference of opinion, Islamic Relief strives to perform Qurbani in three days. However, we only extend into the fourth day in localities where this is religiously accepted by the local Muslim population. And if there is an operational need for this extra day.
If you give a Qurbani on any of these days, the Qurbani will still be carried out in time, as Islamic Relief has already purchased the animals to be slaughtered beforehand.
Eid al-Adha is sometimes referred to as Qurbani Eid, and follows the completion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Depending on the country, the celebrations of Eid al-Adha (10th Dhul Hijjah) can last anywhere between two and four days. The Qurbani (sacrifice) is carried out following the Eid prayers, which are performed in congregation. Inshallah, Qurbani Eid 2025 is expected to be from sunset on 6th June 2025 till Tuesday, 10th Jun 2025, dependant on the moon sighting for the month of Dhul Hijja.
Islamic Relief has a set criteria and scoring systems in place to determine Qurbani recipients. The scoring system is based on the following criteria:
A thorough assessment is therefore carried out by our teams to objectively identify the weighting and priority of each of the above criteria. These are then applied when selecting recipient families to ensure we reach the most vulnerable without bias.
According to most Muslims, Qurbani is obligatory upon every sane adult Muslim male/female who has wealth in excess to his/her needs. Normally those who are eligible to pay Zakat are obliged to give Qurbani.
Donating Qurbani is obligatory for every Muslim who is financially able to do so in the Hanafi madhab and according to the majority of scholars, it is highly recommended. If you’re obligated to donate Qurbani, the minimum you can donate is one Qurbani share, which is equivalent to one sheep/goat or one seventh of a cow/buffalo/camel.
It’s permissible to donate more than one share of Qurbani should you wish to do so. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself carried out multiple Qurbani for himself and the Ummah. Therefore, many Muslims offer multiple Qurbani on behalf of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and for deceased parents.
You may wish to undertake one Qurbani with Islamic Relief in South Africa and one abroad, as an example, and this is permissible. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself carried out multiple Qurbani for himself and the Ummah.
This depends on the school of thought you follow. Please consult your local Imam/Sheikh for further information. According to the Hanafi school of thought it is obligatory for:
According to the Hanafi school of thought, both the husband and wife must donate a minimum of one Qurbani each if they are sane Muslims who possess wealth more than their needs. What is beyond their needs equal to (or more than) the current level of nisab (87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver).
Every Muslim who is eligible should give at least one Qurbani share, and this is sometimes divided into three parts, for yourself, for your family and friends, and one part to be distributed to the poor and needy. Some households often donate a larger animal worth seven shares, but this is not required. If you’re making a joint donation, the animal must be big enough so that each person still gives their required share.
The volume of Qurbani is representative by the allocations committed for each country. For donors, the following information can help you calculate your donation:
1 Sheep or Goat = 1 Qurbani whilst 1 Cow = 7 Qurbanis (One Qurbani equals 1/7th of the share).
If you would like to make up for any Qurbani donations which you’ve missed in previous years, simply calculate the total number of years missed and donate the total number of shares this year. For example, if donating Qurbani was compulsory for you in the last three years, which you’d missed, you can donate four Qurbani shares this year.
No, this is not necessary as long as you have made the intention that you are giving this Qurbani on behalf of a certain person.
It is prescribed for the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, once the new moon of Dhul Hijjah appears (i.e. on the 1st of Dhul Hijjah), not to remove anything from his hair, nails or skin, until he has offered the sacrifice.
Qurbanis are performed through Islamic Relief field offices in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Islamic Relief field offices purchase and slaughter animals locally. If there are problems with livestock supply in a particular country (due to limited local supply, natural disaster etc.) then animals are sourced and slaughtered abroad, and then shipped to the affected countries. All animals are sacrificed according to Islamic guidelines.
Islamic Relief uses a scoring system to assess the eligibility of potential recipients of Qurbani. The scoring system is based on the following objective criteria:
It is the policy of Islamic Relief to distribute only one Qurbani meat pack to each family regardless of family size.
Islamic Relief primarily distributes:
Fresh Qurbani– in most countries animals are purchased and slaughtered locally.
Chilled Qurbani – in countries such as Jordan where fresh Qurbani is significantly more expensive, animals are slaughtered in Europe and shipped ready for distribution from the third day of Eid onwards. This enables us to offer a much more cost-effective alternative, without compromising on quality.
Admin charges are necessary in order to perform the Qurbanis as they cover the cost of transportation, slaughtering, cutting, packing, distribution and hire of staff as well as organisational support costs.
Yes, all the various expenses such as the cost of the animal, slaughter, butchering, transportation, storage, selection of the beneficiaries, and distribution are included in the price.
Animals chosen in a country are dependent upon;
No, as Islamic Relief is conducting hundreds of thousands of Qurbanis around the world, this is practically not possible. It is also not necessary to pronounce the name of the person, even if you are making a Qurbani on behalf of someone else. Simply making the intention that you are giving this Qurbani on behalf of a certain person is sufficient.
Islamic Relief has been performing Qurbanis since 1986. As with our other projects, Islamic Relief’s work is constantly monitored and audited. Reports are also produced each year showing what activities have taken place in each country.
It would be better if people did not visit, as on the day our teams on the ground are extremely busy with slaughtering the animals, dividing them, packing the meat, transporting it to villages and distributing the Qurbani packages. Therefore, our teams will not have the capacity or time to host individuals. However, if individuals are present at the locations where the Qurbani is being distributed then they are welcome to observe. To demonstrate our distributions to donors, we will share photographs of some of our distributions around the world on our website and social media channels.
We are not able to carry out Qurbanis for specific orphans because the scale of the operation would make this logistically exceptionally difficult. Donors can still carry out a general Qurbani through the normal channels and pay the normal price. However, orphans do represent a category of high priority in all our programmes; therefore they not only benefit from donors’ sponsorship, but also benefit from receiving other support in Ramadan and Qurbani.
Islamic Relief performs Qurbani as part of our overall aid effort. The people who benefit in Ramadan and from our general projects, insha’Allah, would also benefit from Qurbani. This allows us to focus our efforts and help the same people out of poverty and to improve their lives, rather than providing small amounts of help occasionally but not achieving greater successes.
It is advisable to give as early as possible Islamic Relief implement our Qurbanis over 4 days (10th to 13th Dhul Hijjah). We purchase the animals to be slaughtered in advance based on forecasted quotas. Hence if you give a Qurbani on any of these days, the Qurbani will be carried out in time.
The time for sacrifice ends when the sun sets on the fourth day. You can make payments right up until the end of third day after Eid (13th of Dhul-Hijjah) before Maghreb salah. Islamic Relief has already purchased the animals to be slaughtered.
Since Qurbani is an act of worship that is the most beloved to Allah (SWT) during the days of Tashreek, it is important that one offers the best possible offering. Therefore Islamic Relief adopts high quality standards when it comes to selecting the sacrificial animals. Standards cover health, weight (meat yielded) and age.
We would also like our brothers and sisters in need around the world to receive the best quality Qurbanis because the believer is asked to love for his brother/sister that which he/she loves for him/herself. These high standards therefore come at a higher cost which in turn further supports economic development of our Qurbani farmers.
Islamic Relief always tries to reach the neediest of people in the most remote areas where the communities are hard to reach. Transporting meat to hard-to-reach rural areas incurs higher transportation costs which affects the Qurbani price. Current situations in certain countries with conflict or natural disasters also add to the cost.
All lambs purchased for Qurbani through Islamic Relief will be traditionally slaughtered in accordance with the Prophetic tradition.
To ensure compliance with food safety and health and safety standards on this scale of distribution, we will not be able to deliver meat to individuals for distribution. The distributions will be carried out by partner organisations.
Yes, Qurbani can be performed in South Africa. Islamic Relief’s South African Qurbani programme aims to provide high-quality fresh lamb, and your contribution will help to ensure that people who are struggling to make ends meet are not forgotten at the time of Eid.