The Arabic words Qurban (Qurbani) or Udhiyah mean “sacrifice”. Specifically, it is a sacrifice done as an act of worship, to become closer to Allah (SWT). It also honours the momentous act of submission that Prophet Ibrahim (AS) made. His sacrifice of his son, Ismail (AS). 

Every year, during Eid al-Adha, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal – typically a sheep, goat, camel, or cow – to commemorate the Prophet Ibrahim and his willingness to sacrifice what he loved most for the sake of Allah (SWT).

Qurban and Aqiqah both involve the act of sacrificing a livestock animal for the sake of Allah (SWT). However, they are each performed for different reasons.

When a child is born, it is a sunnah to sacrifice livestock and divide the meat between friends, relatives and community members in need. This is called Aqiqah. It usually takes place on the seventh day after a baby’s birth. If it is hard for the parents to offer Aqiqah then they can perform it later on, before their child reaches puberty. 

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) gave an Aqiqah to his 2 beloved grandsons, Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husain (peace be upon them).

Aisha (RA) also narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Slaughter two comparable sheep for a male newborn and one sheep for a female.” (Tirmidhi)

To ensure the funds reach those in need in the regions we operate in, we do not provide the option of selecting a country. We predetermine the number of livestock for every country within each region, so that the needs of every country and the region, are fulfilled.

As part of a global family of Islamic Relief offices, Islamic Relief Australia fulfils Qurban distributions in select countries while other partners serve other selected countries. This ensures that the needs of multiple communities are met simultaneously. That way, no country where we work is left out.

This means that even though some countries, such as Palestine (Gaza), Lebanon and Jordan (which hosts hundreds of Syrian refugees) are not listed on the Qurban options on our website, it does not mean that they are not being helped.

Qurban is an important duty for every able Muslim adult who has wealth in excess to their needs. Normally, those who are eligible to pay Zakat should give Qurban.

The animals used are livestock animals. Islamic Relief uses sheep, goats, cows, or buffalo as sacrifices for Qurban.

1 sheep or goat = 1 Qurban
1 cow or buffalo = 7 Qurbans (one Qurban –one-seventh of the animal)

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.

While the price for livestock animals differs from country to country, we base our price on the average calculated of those countries’ prices within each region. This price includes all costs associated with fulfilling and distributing your Qurban.

Islamic Relief Australia recognises the various opinions in the Islamic tradition and welcomes all to fulfil this religious right in consultation with local scholars.

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

No, as Islamic Relief is conducting hundreds of thousands of Qurbans around the world, this is practically not possible. It is also not necessary to give the name of the person, even if you are making a Qurban on behalf of someone else. If you have made the intention that you are giving this Qurban on behalf of a certain person that should be sufficient.

We select Qurban based on a scoring system according to need. The scoring system is based on the following objective criteria:

• • Families living less than the minimum income for their country – 40 points
• • Female-headed households – 20 points
• • Families with elderly persons or people with disabilities – 10 points
• • Children under five years old – 5 points
• • Pregnant women or lactating mothers – 5 points
• • Families with little or no access to the market – 5 points.

It is the policy of Islamic Relief to distribute only one Qurban meat pack to each family regardless of family size.

We are not able to carry out Qurbans for specific orphans because the scale of the project would make this logistically difficult. Donors can still carry out a general Qurban through the normal channels and pay the normal price.

However, orphans do represent a category of high priority in all our programs and therefore they not only benefit from donors’ sponsorship, but also from receiving other support and aid during Ramadan and Dhul Hijjah.

The slaughter will take place on one of the days of Eid Al-Adha. If you give a Qurban on the second or third day of Eid, the Qurban will still be carried out on one of the days of Eid, as Islamic Relief has already purchased the animals to be slaughtered beforehand. Qurbans are carried out based on forecasts drawn. If necessary, modifications are made, and additional funds are transferred to the relevant country. In effect, donors are paying towards Qurbans which are already allocated.

We offer meat packs as an opportunity for those who are not able to afford Qurban to give families meat to enjoy during Eid Al-Adha. We are able to do this as Islamic Relief Australia orders more fresh meat than we sell for Qurban, so we can divide this surplus of meat into more affordable packages for donors to give as Sadaqah.

As such, the meat packs are NOT Qurban. The meat packs offer a part of a small animal (ie. sheep, goat), which cannot be divided for Qurban. However, the smaller meat packs allow those who want to support the campaign to change the lives of the less fortunate, and have more chances to earn rewards during the best 10 days.