Udhiyah is the Arabic term used for the ritual animal sacrifice associated with Eid al-Adha.
The word refers to an animal offered during the festival in remembrance of Abraham’s willingness, according to Islamic tradition, to obey God’s command to sacrifice his son. In the story, God provides a ram instead. Eid al-Adha commemorates this act of devotion and submission.
The sacrifice is generally made after the Eid prayer and may involve a sheep, goat, cow or camel, subject to religious rules concerning the animal’s health, age and treatment. The meat is commonly shared among the household, relatives or friends, and people in need. The exact distribution customs vary.
Udhiyah is also closely related to qurban, another widely used term for the offering. It should not be confused with sawm, which means fasting; zakat, obligatory charitable giving; or nikah, the Islamic marriage contract. Islamic schools also differ over whether the sacrifice is obligatory or a highly emphasized practice.