Eid Ul Azha, or the ‘festival of sacrifice’, an important festival in the Islamic Calender that marks the end of the Annual Pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, known among the muslims as the “Hajj”.

During this three-day festival, muslims are mandated to slaughter designated animals such as sheep, goat, cows, and camels – depending on the availability and cultural norms of the region. All other animals’ sacrifice is forbidden during this festival.

This ‘sacrifice’ is carried out in commemoration of Prophet Ebrahim’s (Abraham) (PBUH) readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God. But just as he was about to run the knife over his son’s throat, the son was promptly replaced by a sheep, and thus, this is how, or rather, why Muslims carry out this ritual.

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