section_path: Observances/Udhiyah
section_name: Udhiyah
paragraph_text: Udhiyah
  
  After the Eid prayer, udhiyah, or the ritual sacrifice of cattle, is performed. Muslims who can afford it sacrifice halal cattle, usually a camel, goat, sheep, or ram, as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son. The animals have to meet certain age and quality standards to be considered for sacrifice. The meat from the sacrificed animal is generally divided into three parts: the family performing the udhiyah retains a third; while the remainder is equally divided between friends and relatives, and the poor.
  
  The tradition for Eid al-Adha involves slaughtering an animal and sharing the meat in three equal parts – for family, for relatives and friends, and for poor people. The goal is to make sure every Muslim gets to eat meat. However, there is a dissent among Muslim scholars regarding the obligatory nature of this sacrifice. While some scholars, such as Al-Kasani, categorise the sacrifice as obligatory (wāǧib), others regard it only as an "established custom" (sunna mu'akkada). Alternatives such as charitable donations or fasting have been suggested to be permissible by several fuqaha.
  
  Muslims are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an open waqf ("stopping") field called Eidgah or mosque. Cuisine traditionally associated with Eid al-Adha includes ma'amoul and samosas.
  
  After the Eid prayer, udhiyah, or the ritual sacrifice of cattle, is performed. Muslims who can afford it sacrifice halal cattle, usually a camel, goat, sheep, or ram, as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son. The animals have to meet certain age and quality standards to be considered for sacrifice. The meat from the sacrificed animal is generally divided into three parts: the family performing the udhiyah retains a third; while the remainder is equally divided between friends and relatives, and the poor.
  
  The tradition for Eid al-Adha involves slaughtering an animal and sharing the meat in three equal parts – for family, for relatives and friends, and for poor people. The goal is to make sure every Muslim gets to eat meat. However, there is a dissent among Muslim scholars regarding the obligatory nature of this sacrifice. While some scholars, such as Al-Kasani, categorise the sacrifice as obligatory (wāǧib), others regard it only as an "established custom" (sunna mu'akkada). Alternatives such as charitable donations or fasting have been suggested to be permissible by several fuqaha.
  
  Muslims are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an open waqf ("stopping") field called Eidgah or mosque. Cuisine traditionally associated with Eid al-Adha includes ma'amoul and samosas.