Eid: Etiquette and rulings

this doesn't really answer your question, but it might answer some...


last year, just before Eid, i brought a man to the dr. he asked me if i was going to slaughter a goat. i said no because i have never bought a WHOLE goat. i thought he was just making polite conversation.

he then said to come by the day after Eid and he would give some of his. i was kind of embarrassed. i mean, we AREN'T poor, we just spend money on books dvds and cd [of the lecture type].

long story short, i swallowed my pride and went to his house on Wednesday [Eid was Monday]. he gave about 8 -10lbs of goat along with some liver [yummy].

*gah* i offered to pay for it. it was a wee bit uncomfortable. he told me that he went to after Eid prayer in the morning [8am - 9am depending on where you go]. he was there until Mahgrib time! close to 4:30, 5:00. I GUESS, you kill the goat and "they" dress it for you, but it was busy.

ANOTHER long story short. goat sacrificed early Monday, eaten late Wednesday. BEST DANG goat i ever had! it was AMAZING! it will be some time until i forget it!

as to some others. for Muslims it is NICE that there are poorer folks [rather embarrassing to be seen as one of them]. Zakaat and Sadaqah, but especially Zakaah are a means for us to "purify" our money. we give what Allah requires in order to get "the rest of it" Blessed. we also do it, Sadaqah[voluntary as opposed to Zakaah: MANDATORY} to get closer to Allah. if we didn't have those less well off, where would the money go?

for Zakaah, the various times, the amount is determined for each person in your family and you give that to a family or to the Masjid to give out. your annual Zakaat [based on your wealth] is up to you when and where to give. some just put the money in the "Zakaah" box in the Masjid.

for thousands of others though, i guess the folks back home just expect more money!

format_quote Originally Posted by Grace Seeker

I hope this question fits this thread. I know that Eid-ul-Adha probably seems a long way off as there is still a week left in Ramadan, but I was wanting to learn a little more about the ways it is celebrated. And I think from the nature of my questions you might figure out why I am asking so far in advance.


I understand that those who can afford to do so are encouraged to make a sacrifice and give the meat to the poor. While I know it is an obligation, I am sure that certain customs have probably also developed around the manner in which it is done. Can someone explain more about these customs, please?



Is this usually done as an actual in-kind gift? Or do people more often give currency that can be exchanged for food?


Is a certain size of gift suggested? How is the size of the gift determined?


To whom do you give it? And how? To immediate neighbors by simply delivering it or inviting them over? To/through the local mosque? Or do you ultilize some social service agency which might very from location to location?



If I have some Muslims friends who, this year especially as a result of the downturn in the economy and loss of jobs, might not be able to afford to do what they normally do to celebrate, would it permissible for me to make a gift to them on this occassion as they have done for others in the past? Or would this be seen as somehow insulting? If not insulting, what might be the best way of going about doing this?

Hello Grace Seeker, Peace

Firstly I applaud you for coming to a forum like this to try and understand Muslims better.

Secondly, in response to your questions: The sacrifice is not an encouraged act, but a compulsory act, for those who have a certain amount of wealth, and are sane and post puberty. In your second sentence you do state that it's an obligation

It's one sheep or goat to be sacrificed per person, or you can put a share in a cow or camel (seven equal shares go into a cow or camel, so if you were a family of seven say, one cow or camel between you would suffice).

The manner in which the actual sacrifice is done has no customs. All compulsory acts of worship have to be done in the way taught by prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. The sacrifice is an act of worship too. So if you took a sacrifice performer from different parts of the world, they should be doing the same thing in terms of the sacrifice/slaughter of the animal.

What must reach the poor is the meat of the sacrificed animal, so we don't give the poor person money to buy meat. The best way would be to have your own animal and sacrifice it yourself. In Muslim countries, people buy sacrificial animals a few weeks /months beforehand, keep them at home, fatten them up, and then either sacrifice it themselves or get someone else to do it. Here in the UK, when I was a child, we used to pay our butcher to get it done for us, then later that day we would get the sacrificed animal at home, and have to sort out bits and who was getting what cut. In Western countries if people have sacrificed within the country it is given to friends and neighbours. Our neighbours (both non-Muslim) used to love it (we used to take it round to them as a gift) as it tasted so much better than the normal meat they used to eat! They used to put it straight on the barbecue! Some people do their sacrifices here in the UK, so over the Eid period we do get friend's children sent on errands to deliver meat. It is also recommended that you do keep a small amount of meat for your own consumption too (if you've sacrificed in the country you are in). Now that there are Muslim charities most people pay a charity to do on their behalf in a poor country, and the charities either go and deliver if they know poor people, but usually have distribution centres where people can go and collect some meat. Prices vary depending on the country -Kenya, India and Bangladesh are normally around £30 for a sheep or goat, some countries go up to £100. Some people pay relatives back home to do it in their locality.

There isn't a stipulation as to how much meat you give per person, if you give large quantities per person, you'll feed less with one animal than if you gave more. But since Muslims do it all over the globe, how much each person receives does not tend to be an issue. Most people distributing meat to the poor try to give so that some can be cooked on the day, and still have some that they can preserve for future. For some people it can be the only meat they'll eat all year.

The celebration of Eid varies around the globe with different food, different clothes, but the Eid prayer is the essence of the day, which is the same the world over. Most people will visit/invite friends and relatives.

If your neighbours cannot make the sacrifice this year, and you feel you'd like to make a gift for them, then that would be very touching and most probably appreciated. If they can't afford the sacrifice, perhaps don't get meat as that might be considered as "rubbing it in", but maybe popping around and just stating that you know they are celebrating their festival and would like to give a small gift should be fine.

I guess you know that the sacrifice is performed in commemoration of prophet Abraham's (peace be upon him) readiness to sacrifice his son Ishmael (peace be upon him) on God's command without any question. God accepted his devotion and obedience and ordered him to sacrifice a lamb instead .The sacrifice expresses the inner feeling of a Muslim that, if need be, he will sacrifice his most loved possession for Allah. This is the lesson of the occasion. What Allah wants here is not the animal nor its meat or blood, rather our devotion and submission to His command.

I don't know if this is what you were looking for in an answer. Let me know if it's not.

Peace. (The Bible I think says the son was Isaac peace be upon him)

Can we exchange gifts or it is bid'aa?

format_quote Originally Posted by Rafeeq

In general, exchanging gifts is not bida'a but it is exect Islam and Sunnah. Prophet Mohammad commanded and recomended to exchange gifts with your muslims brothers and sisters.

If you asked for some special occasion, it may become crime or sin. For example, paying gift to an governement official if you have some work with him to get cleared etc.

gifts for Eid I mean.
can we?

It is not bid'aa,but it is not sunna,so
make your intention that gifts are not form the Sunna.

check this out as well...

Jazakhumullah Kayr 4 that brother, it was beneficial

May allah bless in abundance, ameen.

Jazaakalahu khayran for sharing