Qurbani means sacrifice. Every year during the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal – a goat, sheep, cow or camel – to reflect the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail, for the sake of God.
Reap the rewards of the 10 best days. Give your Qurbani today.
Throughout our lives, each and every one of us makes sacrifices to help our friends, family and neighbours. By sacrificing what we have to help those in need, we offer crucial solidarity and hope. Right now, a staggering 1 in 9 people worldwide are battling chronic hunger. However, there is hope: by giving Qurbani, you can feed a family in need this Eid.
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah (the 10 best days) are the most sacred days of the year, loved by Allah (SWT). Therefore, by giving to Islamic Relief, you can reap the rewards of this blessed month. As Allah tells us in the Holy Qur’an:
“So turn in prayer towards your Lord and sacrifice.” (108:2)
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 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.
Last year alone, your donations enabled us to provide quality meat to over 3 million vulnerable people across 34 countries such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Syria, as well as impoverished communities right here in the UK.
Alhamdulillah, your donations provided a critical source of protein to vulnerable families and individuals across the globe.
Here at Islamic Relief, we ensure that only the best quality meat is used – all sacrificed according to Prophetic tradition. We don’t compromise on quality and we deal with local suppliers to help local economies flourish.
So as we remember the struggle and dedication of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) to sacrifice for the sake of Allah, make your sacrifice with Islamic Relief and support a family in need.
Reap the rewards of the 10 best days – Donate Now.
Here’s a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that you can use for further guidance. Click here for UK Qurbani specific FAQs.
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.
It is the policy of Islamic Relief that the selected beneficiaries of the Qurbani project are made eligible based on a scoring system, which ranks families according to need. The scoring system is based on the following objective criteria:
A thorough needs assessment will be conducted to objectively identify the weighting and priority of each of the above criteria. These are then applied when selecting beneficiaries to ensure we reach the most needy without bias or subjectivity in selection.
It is the policy of Islamic Relief to distribute only one Qurbani meat pack to each family regardless of family size.
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:
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.
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.
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 Qurbani (One Qurbani equals 1/7th of the share).
Islamic Relief performs Qurbani as part of our overall seasonal programme. Therefore, 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 to improve their lives, rather than providing small amounts of help occasionally but not achieving great successes.
Islamic Relief has been performing Qurbani 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.
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.
The time for sacrifice ends when the sun sets on the fourth day. Therefore, 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.
It is advisable to give as early as possible. Islamic Relief implement our Qurbani 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.
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 around the world to receive the best quality Qurbani 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 most vulnerable 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 in turn affects the Qurbani price. Conflict or disasters can make distribution more difficult and can add to the cost.
Admin charges are necessary in order to perform the Qurbani 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.
Qurbani is 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.
Qurbani in 2021 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 Dhul Hijjah) and ends up to sunset of the 13th Dhul Hijjah. There is a difference of opinion amongst 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. 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.
Animals chosen in a country are dependent upon:
You may wish to undertake one Qurbani in the UK with Islamic Relief and one abroad as an example and this is permissible. You are allowed to offer more than one sacrifice. The Prophet (SAW) himself carried out multiple Qurbani for himself and the Ummah. Many Muslims offer multiple Qurbani on behalf of the Prophet (SAW) and for deceased parents.
We are not able to carry out Qurbani for specific orphans; the scale of the operation makes this exceptionally difficult. However, orphans are a high priority in our programmes; therefore they not only benefit from donors’ sponsorship, but also benefit from receiving other support in Ramadan and Qurbani.
It is recommended 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.
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.
Check out this playlist on YouTube to see how our teams on the ground distribute your Qurbani.