Eid ul Adha and Hajj: How the Two Are Connected
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Eid ul Adha falls the day after the Day of Arafah, the high point of Hajj. While pilgrims complete their rites in Mina, Muslims at home share in the season by fasting on Arafah, praying the Eid prayer and offering Qurbani. In 2027, Arafah is expected on Saturday, May 15 and Eid on Sunday, May 16.
Most of us won’t be on Hajj this year. But Eid ul Adha ties every Muslim to it. The pilgrims’ sacrifice in Mina and the Qurbani given in homes and villages around the world happen on the same day, for the same reason.
The days of Hajj and the days of Eid
| Day | Pilgrims on Hajj | Muslims at home |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Dhul Hijjah (Tarwiyah) | Go to Mina | Fasting, dhikr, good deeds |
| 9 Dhul Hijjah (Arafah) | Stand at Arafah, then spend the night at Muzdalifah | Fast the Day of Arafah. Takbeer after prayers begins. |
| 10 Dhul Hijjah (Eid) | Stone the Jamarat al-Aqabah, sacrifice (hady), shave or trim, tawaf | Eid prayer, then Qurbani |
| 11 to 13 Dhul Hijjah (Tashreeq) | Stay in Mina, stone the three Jamarat | Qurbani can continue to the 12th (13th for Shafi’is). Takbeer after prayers. |
The Day of Arafah
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Hajj is Arafah” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 889). Standing on that plain is the one rite without which there is no Hajj. For those not on Hajj, the Sunnah is to fast that day. Fasting the Day of Arafah “expiates the sins of the year before and the year after” (Sahih Muslim 1162). It is also a day for dua. In 2027 it is expected on Saturday, May 15. Our Dhul Hijjah fasting guide explains the rules.
Hady and Qurbani: two sacrifices, one root
Pilgrims performing Hajj tamattu’ or qiran must offer a sacrifice called the hady in the Haram area. Muslims at home offer Qurbani (Udhiyah). They have different rules, but both go back to Ibrahim (AS). He was ready to sacrifice his son near Mina, and Allah ransomed him with a ram (Surah As-Saffat 37:107). Many of the Hajj rites, such as the stoning and the sa’i, also remember Ibrahim and his family.
So when you give Qurbani at home, you are doing on the same day what the pilgrims are doing in Mina. Allah says: “For every community We appointed a rite of sacrifice, so they may mention the name of Allah over the livestock He has given them” (Surah Al-Hajj 22:34).
How to share in the Hajj season from home
- The first ten days: the best days of the year for good deeds (Sahih al-Bukhari 969). Fast, give charity and say plenty of dhikr.
- Hair and nails: if you are giving Qurbani, don’t cut them from 1 Dhul Hijjah until your animal is sacrificed. Scholars note it is a small way of sharing the pilgrims’ state.
- Arafah: fast, and spend the afternoon in dua.
- Takbeer: after every fard prayer from Fajr on Arafah to Asr on the 13th. See Eid takbeer and dua.
- Eid: pray the Eid al-Adha prayer, then give your Qurbani.
Your Qurbani
Qurbani is wajib in the Hanafi school for adults who own the nisab, and a confirmed Sunnah in the other schools. A goat or sheep covers one person, and a cow, buffalo or camel up to seven. The animal must be the right age and free of clear defects, and it is slaughtered alive after the Eid prayer with Bismillahi Allahu Akbar. The Qurbani rules cover the details.
If you can’t slaughter locally, you can appoint someone to do it for you. With us, the animal is slaughtered by hand in rural Bangladesh after the Eid prayer there, with no stunning. The meat goes to Rohingya refugees and poor families, and you get photos and video.
Quick questions
Do pilgrims also give Qurbani? Pilgrims doing tamattu’ or qiran give the hady. Whether a pilgrim also owes Qurbani depends on the school. Hanafis say a traveller doesn’t owe it.
Can I fast Arafah if I am on Hajj? The Sunnah for pilgrims at Arafah is not to fast, so they have strength for dua.
Is Eid al-Adha the same day as the Hajj sacrifice? Yes. Both are on 10 Dhul Hijjah, and in the days after it.
For the meaning of Eid itself, read what is Eid ul Adha? To give your Qurbani with us, see how our Qurbani donation works.
Give your Qurbani with us
We buy healthy animals of the right age in rural Bangladesh and slaughter them by hand after the Eid prayer, with no stunning. The meat goes to Rohingya refugees and poor families, and you get photos and video of your animal.
Reserve from $170 How our Qurbani donation worksDates are estimates based on astronomical calculations and the Umm al-Qura calendar, and depend on the moon sighting. Hadith references include the collection and number so you can check them. Where a narration is graded weak, we say so. Scholars differ on some details, so ask a local scholar about your own situation.
