The Day of the Great Hajj
Eid al-Adha (عِيدُ الأَضحَى — Feast of the Sacrifice), also called Eid al-Qurban (عِيدُ القُربَان — Feast of Proximity/Sacrifice) or Baqrid in the Indian subcontinent, falls on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah — the final month of the Islamic calendar.
For the more than two million pilgrims at Hajj each year, this is the climactic day: they move from Muzdalifah to Mina in the early hours, stone the large Jamarat pillar, perform their sacrifice, shave or cut their hair, and then return to Mecca for the Tawaf al-Ifadhah. For the rest of the Muslim world — the billions who are not performing Hajj — Eid al-Adha is observed by prayer, sacrifice, and celebration.
The Quran calls Hajj the “al-Hajj al-Akbar” (the Greater Hajj), and Eid al-Adha is its culminating day.
The Story — Ibrahim’s Sacrifice
The observance of Eid al-Adha traces directly to Sayyidna Ibrahim (AS) and his son Sayyidna Ismail (AS).
Ibrahim (AS) saw in a dream — and the dreams of Prophets are revelation — that he was sacrificing his son Ismail (AS). He told his son. Ismail (AS) responded with one of the most profound acts of submission in prophetic history:
قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افعَل مَا تُؤمَر · سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِين “He said: O my father, do what you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient.” (Quran 37:102)
Father and son proceeded to the place of sacrifice in Mina (near Mecca). Ibrahim (AS) prepared to carry out the command. The knife refused to cut. Then Allah called:
يَا إِبرَاهِيمُ · قَد صَدَّقتَ الرُّؤيَا · إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجزِي المُحسِنِين · إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ البَلَاءُ المُبِين · وَفَدَيتَاهُ بِذِبحٍ عَظِيم “O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the vision. Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.” (Quran 37:104-107)
A ram was provided from heaven. Ibrahim (AS) sacrificed the ram. And Allah proclaimed:
وَتَرَكنَا عَلَيهِ فِي الآخِرِين · سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِبرَاهِيم “And We left upon him (a legacy) among the later peoples: Peace upon Ibrahim.” (Quran 37:108-109)
The Night Before — Shaytan’s Attempts at Mina
Tradition records that as Ibrahim (AS) traveled toward the place of sacrifice, Shaytan appeared to him three times at three specific locations in Mina, trying to dissuade him from obeying Allah’s command.
At the first pillar (Jamrat al-Ula): Shaytan appeared. Ibrahim (AS) threw seven stones at him. At the second pillar (Jamrat al-Wusta): Again. Seven stones. At the third and largest pillar (Jamrat al-Aqaba): Again. Seven stones.
The stoning of the Jamarat in Hajj commemorates this — the pilgrim’s symbolic rejection of Shaytan and affirmation of Ibrahim’s choice. Every stone is a statement: I choose obedience over hesitation. I reject Shaytan’s whisper. I follow Ibrahim.
What Eid al-Adha is Not
The sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is sometimes misunderstood as God demanding blood. The Quran explicitly corrects this:
لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقوَى مِنكُم “It is not their meat or blood that reaches Allah, but it is your taqwa (God-consciousness/piety) that reaches Him.” (Quran 22:37)
The sacrifice is an act of:
- Gratitude: Remembering Allah’s provision and mercy in accepting the ram in Ismail’s place
- Taqwa: Expressing God-consciousness through an act of obedience and generosity
- Sharing: The meat is divided — typically: one third for the family, one third for relatives and neighbors, one third for the poor
- Community: Eid al-Adha brings families, neighbors, and the broader community together in a day of celebration and generosity
Eid al-Adha in the Bohra Calendar
In the Bohra community, Eid al-Adha is observed with:
Eid Namaaz: The congregational Eid prayer is performed in the morning of the 10th of Dhul Hijjah. This prayer has two raka’ats with additional takbirs. The Dai al-Mutlaq or his representative may deliver an eid khutba (sermon).
Qurbani (Sacrifice): Families who are financially able perform the qurbani — the sacrifice of a halal animal (goat, sheep, cow, or camel). The animal must meet specific conditions (age, health) and the sacrifice must be performed with the proper niyyat and tasmiyah.
The Salawat and Takbir: From the Fajr of the 9th of Dhul Hijjah (the Day of Arafat) through the 13th of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims recite the Takbirat al-Tashreeq after every fard namaaz: اللَّهُ أَكبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكبَرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الحَمد Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, there is no God but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.
Community Meals: The day of Eid al-Adha is marked with gathering, sharing food (often from the qurbani), visiting family and elders, and general celebration.
Eid al-Adha and the Bohra Understanding of Sacrifice
In the Bohra ta’wil, the story of Ibrahim and Ismail has an inner (batin) dimension alongside its outer (zahir) observance. The sacrifice is an act of complete submission — the surrender of that which is most precious to you in response to the divine will. This is the spirit of walayat itself: surrendering the self to the authority of the Imam and Dai, in the same spirit that Ismail (AS) said “Do what you are commanded.”
The zahir of Eid al-Adha is the sacrifice of the animal. The batin is the sacrifice of the ego — the willingness to give up one’s own preferences, comforts, and certainties in the path of taqwa and walayat.
This is why Eid al-Adha, for the Bohra mumin, is not merely a festival of meat. It is a renewal of the covenant — a day to ask: Do I have the spirit of Ismail? Can I say, as he said: “Do what you are commanded — you will find me among the patient”?
Key Dates Around Eid al-Adha
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 8 Dhul Hijjah | Pilgrims move to Mina (Yawm al-Tarwiyah) |
| 9 Dhul Hijjah | Yawm al-Arafat — Wuquf at Arafat (the standing); most important day of Hajj; fasting on this day for non-pilgrims expiates sins of the past and coming year |
| 10 Dhul Hijjah | Eid al-Adha — Stoning, sacrifice, Tawaf al-Ifadhah; Eid namaaz for all Muslims |
| 11-13 Dhul Hijjah | Ayyam al-Tashreeq — days of remembrance and continued sacrifice; Takbirat al-Tashreeq recited after each fard |
The Global Dimension
Eid al-Adha is the moment when the global Muslim ummah and the Hajj pilgrims are spiritually synchronized. When the pilgrims stand at Arafat on the 9th, non-pilgrims fast. When the pilgrims sacrifice in Mina on the 10th, Muslims across the world sacrifice. There is no other day in the Islamic calendar that unites the worldwide community with the Hajj in this simultaneous, coordinated expression of faith.
The Bohra mumin who cannot perform Hajj participates in its spirit every year through Eid al-Adha.
اللَّهُمَّ تَقَبَّل مِنَّا قُربَانَنَا كَمَا تَقَبَّلتَ مِن إِبرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلِك O Allah, accept our sacrifice as You accepted the sacrifice of Ibrahim, Your Friend.