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.

The words Qurbani or Udhiya or Zabiha in Arabic, refer to a sacrifice done in an effort to come close to God, honouring the momentous act of submission that Prophet Ibrahim made. The words “Qurbani” and “Udhiya” are used interchangeably. In commemoration of his sacrifice, we sacrifice from our wealth every Eid Al-Adha and share our blessings with people in need.

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:

• Families who live on less than the minimum income for that particular country
• Female-headed households
• Families with disabled and/or elderly persons
• Children under five years old
• Pregnant women
• Breastfeeding mothers
• Families with little or no access to the market

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:

• Every sane Muslim of mature age (who has reached puberty)
• Non-travelling persons
• Those who additionally own wealth which is beyond their needs, equal to (or more than) the current level of nisab (87.48 grams grams of gold or 612.35 grams of silver)

We do not require the names, as the practice of reciting the name upon sacrificing is logistically very difficult to fulfill due to the vast requests we receive during this season. This is similar to the practice of offering sacrifice while on Hajj. The scholars have approved the sacrifice without the names as long as the intention of the person was made. We encourage everyone to make their intention when donating their Qurbani.

Our program uses 100% Halal meat. We do our best to always source animals locally to support the local economy, and distribute meat fresh to our beneficiaries. Only in difficult situations like conflict zones or in the case of very remote communities, we may send frozen or canned meat so it can arrive to the recipients in the best condition. All logistics—from sacrifice to transportation—are handled in accordance with Islamic principles, while working to uphold the best hygienic practices.

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.

The majority of Qurbanis are implemented as fresh meat distributions which take place immediately as the animals are sacrificed and divided. Local butchers and Imams are on hand to facilitate the humane and Shariah compliance of the slaughter with beneficiaries often present in order to provide logistical support.

In some countries because of the distance from abattoir to distribution sites, meat is hygienically packed and chilled before transportation. Due to the large numbers of Qurbanis performed in some field offices, it is sometimes not possible to distribute meat on the same day that the slaughter takes place. In this instance, meat is stored in cool stores before transportation on the following day/s.

In some locations where there are electricity shortages and high summer temperatures like in Gaza, the team successfully completes all the slaughtering at night within the 3 days of Eid and meat is immediately distributed to ensure none of it will be spoiled. Despite their severe humanitarian circumstances, they join hands with community organizations and hundreds of volunteers on the ground to ensure there is no waste.

In the face of any technical failures beyond our control, Islamic Relief works to ensure that there is no compromise to the quality and safety of the meat packs, or the validity and acceptability of the sacrifice. Alhamdulillah, the experience and hard work of our staff and volunteers has enabled us to discharge this duty on behalf of the donor with the highest quality standards for the past 30 years.

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 implements our Qurbani over 4 days (10^th to 13^th 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 Tashreeq, 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 2022 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.

The animals used are livestock animals, such as sheep, goats, cows or buffalo. One whole sheep or goat, or one-seventh share of a cow or buffalo equals one Qurbani donation. Since the selection of animals depends on the availability and customs of each region, we do not provide the option of selecting your animal of choice at the time of donation. Animals are instead pre-allocated within each region. We ensure that the animals are healthy, free from blindness and chronic sickness or disease or from any apparent ailment, and that they are of a fit age.

You may wish to undertake one Qurbani in Canada 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.

Within some schools of thought in the Islamic tradition, it is a recommended act to avoid cutting your hair and nails from the 1st of Dhul Hijjah until your Qurbani is performed. As Islamic Relief performs all sacrifices between the 10th of Dhul Hijjah to the 13th of Dhul Hijjah, it would be safest to wait until sunset of the 13th of Dhul Hijjah to trim one’s nails and hair.

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.