Eid al-Adha 2024 began at sundown on Sunday 16 June, marking the start of the three-day Festival of Sacrifice observed by Muslims worldwide. In the Islamic calendar, the date falls on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the lunar year – always confirmed by physical moon sighting, which is why Gregorian dates shift annually. In 2024, Eid al-Adha ran from 16 to 19 June, coinciding with the concluding days of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
The name itself carries the full weight of the observance. Eid means festival; al-Adha means sacrifice. Together they point directly to the story at the heart of the celebration: the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in complete obedience to God. According to the Quran, Surah As-Saffat (37:102), Ibrahim submitted to the command without hesitation. At the final moment, God intervened and provided a ram in place of the child. The sacrifice was accepted, the son was spared, and the act became the defining test of submission in Islamic theology.
That single narrative generates the central ritual of Eid al-Adha: Qurbani, the slaughter of an animal. The practice is not symbolic. It is a prescriptive act with precise rules drawn from the Quran and Hadith. Animals must be halal species – sheep, goats, cattle, or camels – and must meet minimum age requirements: one year for sheep and goats, two for cattle, five for camels. The animal must be in sound health, free from visible defects, and slaughtered in the name of God after the Eid prayer. Sacrifices performed before the prayer are invalid and must be repeated (Sahih Bukhari: 5545, Sahih Muslim: 1141).
The permissible window for sacrifice runs from the 10th through the 13th of Dhul Hijjah – four days total, including the Eid day itself. The meat is then divided into three equal portions: one for the household performing the sacrifice, one for friends and relatives, and one for those in need. This tripartite distribution is not optional. It is the established method recorded in multiple hadith collections, and it ensures that the act of worship functions simultaneously as a charitable mechanism.
In 2024, the Hajj pilgrimage drew 1,833,164 worshippers from over 200 countries, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics. Of those, 1,611,310 were international pilgrims and 221,854 were domestic. The gender split was roughly even: 958,137 men and 875,027 women. Asian non-Arab countries supplied the largest contingent at 63.3%, followed by Arab nations at 22.3%, African non-Arab countries at 11.3%, and Europe, the Americas, and Oceania at 3.2%. The vast majority – 1,546,345 pilgrims – arrived by air.
The 2024 season was marred by extreme heat. Temperatures at the Grand Mosque in Mecca exceeded 50°C (122°F), with a recorded peak of 51.8°C. At least 1,301 pilgrims died from heat-related causes, including over 600 Egyptian nationals. The Saudi Health Ministry reported more than 2,700 instances of heat exhaustion on 16 June alone. Most fatalities occurred among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned facilities, official food distribution, and water stations – a structural failure that exposed the gap between the spectacle of mass pilgrimage and the logistical reality of protecting nearly two million people in extreme desert conditions.
For the approximately 3.9 million Muslims living in the United Kingdom – roughly 4.8% of the total population, per the 2021 census – Eid al-Adha carries the same theological weight but plays out through distinctly British structures. The day opens with Salat al-Eid, a two-unit congregational prayer performed in mosques or open public spaces. In cities like Birmingham, London, Manchester, and Leicester, major outdoor prayers draw thousands. London’s Trafalgar Square has hosted annual Eid celebrations organised by the Mayor’s office, drawing interfaith attendance and mainstream media coverage.
The Qurbani tradition adapts differently in the UK. UK law prohibits the slaughter of animals outside licensed slaughterhouses, meaning individual households cannot perform the sacrifice themselves. Instead, the majority of British Muslims donate through registered charities – Muslim Aid, One Nation, Islamic Relief, and others – who arrange the Qurbani on their behalf in countries where the practice is permitted and where meat distribution reaches communities facing food insecurity. The donated equivalent typically funds the purchase and slaughter of a sheep or goat, with the meat distributed to families who would otherwise lack access to protein during Eid.
Beyond the ritual mechanics, Eid al-Adha functions as a period of intensive charitable activity. Islamic scholars classify the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah as the most virtuous days of the Islamic year – surpassing even the last ten nights of Ramadan for daytime good deeds, according to Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in Zad al-Ma’ad. The Prophet Muhammad stated: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days” (Sahih al-Bukhari: 969). This hadith drives a surge in Sadaqah (voluntary charity), Zakat (obligatory alms), and community feasting that extends well beyond the three days of celebration.
Eid al-Adha is colloquially known as Bari Eid (Big Eid) in Urdu, Hindi, and Kashmiri, distinguishing it from Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. The distinction matters: Eid al-Adha is considered the greater of the two Eids in Islamic tradition, partly because it coincides with the Hajj – one of the Five Pillars of Islam – and partly because the act of Qurbani is treated by many scholars as obligatory (wajib) for every Muslim who meets the wealth threshold of Zakat eligibility. The observance concludes on the 13th of Dhul Hijjah with the Tashreeq days, during which Muslims recite the takbir – “Allahu Akbar” – after every obligatory prayer.
This article was written by Sara Bright for Creativitys.
