Muslims Around the World Celebrate Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is one of Islam's holiest holidays. Muslims from all over the world participate in festivities to remember and respect the story of the sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim as a sign of his submission to Allah's will.

His faith and loyalty to Allah, according to the legend, were put to the test when he received a command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Ibrahim intended to follow the command and kill his beloved son out of duty to Allah, despite the fact that he had received his sole son at a relatively advanced age. But just before the sacrifice, Allah gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead.

For this reason, Eid al-Adha is celebrated as the "festival of sacrifice".

One of the key traditional components of the festivities are animal sacrifices. Some of the animal's meat is consumed by the family, while the remainder is given to the underprivileged and those in need.

A highlight of the festivities is Hajj, or yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

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Men pray at a mosque ahead of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha in Shahidan Square of Kandahar on June 28, 2023.

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Muslim worshipers offer Eid al-Adha prayers next to the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City.

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Muslims take part in a morning prayer celebrating the feast of Eid al-Adha at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

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Bosnian Muslims gather and prepare to pray for an early morning prayer on Eid Al-Adha, in front of Sarajevo's central Gazi-Husref Bey's mosque.

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Muslim worshippers greet each other after the morning prayers for Eid al-Adha at the historic Azhar mosque in the centre of Cairo, Egypt.

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Dutch Muslims pray as they attend an early morning prayer on Eid Al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice, at the Mevlana Mosque in Rotterdam.

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An Iraqi woman reads from the Quran at the grave of a relative, during the first day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha in a Ghazali cemetery in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 28, 2023.

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Imam of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque Marat-Hazrat Arshabayev during prayer at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

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A woman carries her prayer rug on her head as she takes part in a morning prayer celebrating the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on June 28, 2023.

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People bring their sheep to be slaughtered for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha in Kuwait City.

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Muslim worshippers gather for the Eid al-Adha morning prayer at Doha's Education City Stadium, which hosted matches during Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup, on the first day of the Muslim holiday.

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A boy reacts while holding balloons as he is lifted by a man after the morning prayers for Eid al-Adha at the historic Azhar mosque in the center of Egypt's Cairo on June 28, 2023.

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Taliban security personnel stand guard as men pray outside the Shah-e Doh Shamshira mosque ahead of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha in Kabul, Afghanistan.

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Muslims greet each other after prayers on the first day of Eid al-Adha holiday at the Sunni shrine of Abdul-Qadir al-Gailani in Baghdad, Iraq.

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Muslim worshippers gather to perform the morning prayers for Eid al-Adha at the historic Azhar mosque in the centre of Egypt's Cairo.

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Muslims gather for prayers to celebrate Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, that commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's faith, in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Eid al-Adha marks the end of Hajj.

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Believers before the beginning of prayer on the day of the Eid al-Adha sacrifice at the Islamabad mosque in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

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Muslim women worshippers pose for a "selfie" photo on a phone after the morning prayers for Eid al-Adha at the historic Azhar mosque in the center of Cairo, Egypt.