Qurbani (also known as Udhiya) means the ‘Greatest Sacrifice’. It is one of the most important Islamic traditions in the calendar. Qurbani is the practice of sacrificing livestock animals during the festival of Eid ul-Adha which takes place, depending on the lunar calendar, approximately from the 10th to the 12th of the month of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. This year 2022, Eid began on the 9th/10th July 2022 and lasted 3 days (Islamic year or hijri 1443).
Eid ul-Adha
The practice of the Qurban is based on the religious story of Ibrahim whom had a dream or vision of sacrificing his son Ismail. In the Qur’anic narrative, his son willingly offers himself to be sacrificed to God. Before the prophet could go ahead, Allah intervened and provided a ram to sacrifice instead. Eid al-Adha honours the humility and devotion of the father and son to the word of God. The Qurbani sacrifice is an opportunity for Muslims across the world to remember this act.
Our process
There are strict Qurbani rules about which animals can be sacrificed including the species of the animal, the quality of life it has led, its health status, and additional guidelines on how it must be sacrificed. Our ground’s team sources animals from local farmers and manages the process from beginning to end to ensure that the scriptures with regards to the handling of each animal are adhered to. The meat is then shared and distributed to the most impoverished populations.
Benefits of Qurbani
The Qurbani festival brings all of us closer to God. It reminds us to practise humility and devotion. The festival also brings together the entire Islamic community from across the world. Your generous donations and the work of Mother Helpage ensure that the poorest, most destitute communities who have been the most affected by the Covid pandemic, are not left out and are able to join in the celebration. Those are people who are the most in need of food. Qurbani meat provides them with short-term good quality, fresh, rich nutrition which will last days beyond the festival. The festival also boosts the local economy: farmers, butchers, drivers, local businesses who benefit from the repurposing of the animal hide, e.g, tanners, clothing, upholstery, leather goods, footwear businesses etc.
This year, we successfully reached out more than 100,000 beneficiaries globally (indirect and direct).
