Revive the Sunnah of our father
Ibrahim (as) this Dhul Hijjah
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As we decide where to give our Qurbani this year, let us return to the legacy of our father Ibrahim (as) who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Faced with what many would regard as the hardest decision, he chose the path of giving a greater sacrifice.
This Dhul Hijjah, we invite you to do the same.
Often unseen and largely forgotten, struggling Muslim families in the UK are unable to meet the basic needs of their family and household. Many of us are not even aware of the desperation on our doorstep. While 7.2 million people in the UK are experiencing food insecurity, and living in deep poverty, Muslims are at 3 times greater risk of falling into very deep poverty than any other group. We know this all too well at Embrace, since most of our applicants for Qurbani are destitute asylum seekers, from countries devastated by war like Syria, Palestine and Yemen, living on £8 a week on average. If not for the support of charities like Embrace, other beneficiaries are left entirely destitute as they have no recourse to public funds to fall back on.
Just as our father Ibrahim was ready to give up all that he loved, can we too the best for those who need it most?
Poverty, instability, debt and isolation plague those on our doorstep, though it does not have to be like this. The greater sacrifice is to offer the best Qurbani to people who are all too familiar with going without. As we count our blessings and reflect on history’s lessons, let us rewrite the future for those on our doorstep today.
Embrace allows you to gift the best animal, reared in the most careful conditions, given in accordance to the Sunnah and reaching those nearest in need. This greater sacrifice of our wealth ends their struggle this Eid.
Though donating Qurbani overseas may be the cheaper option, performing Qurbani in the UK, and giving it to the needy who are nearest, is closer to the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw), as agreed to by all four schools in Islam.
“The best Qurbani is that
which is expensive
in price and very fat”
(AHMAD)
This Dhul Hijjah, perform the greater sacrifice and nourish the nearest in need.
Who will your Qurbani reach?
The single mother
The fatherless children
The destitute refugee
The prisoner’s family
The elderly widow
The survivor of abuse
“The Sunnah of your father
Ibrahim…For every hair, one
good deed….For every hair of
wool, one good deed.”
(Ibn Majah)
Give Qurbani Where It Matters Most — Right Here at Home
Across all four major Islamic schools of thought, scholars emphasise the importance of performing Qurbani in one’s country of residence and giving to those closest to home. According to the Hanafi School, sending Qurbani abroad is makruh (discouraged), unless it benefits close relatives or people in greater need than the poor in your own community.
The Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali Schools also echo this guidance: that it is not permitted to transfer Qurbani beyond the distance at which one is permitted to shorten prayers—unless the need elsewhere is truly greater.
‘If there are poor people in one’s own country, then it is better to give it to them so as to
meet their needs…it is preferable to slaughter it in the country where you are.’
(Ibn Jibrin)
By performing your Qurbani with Embrace means giving more to adhere more closely to the conditions of Qurbani, according to the Quran and Sunnah. It means reviving the traditions of offering Qurbani in one’s home country, and giving to those nearest in need to us.
When you perform your Qurbani with Embrace, you're not just fulfilling a sacred obligation—you’re reviving a powerful Sunnah. You’re choosing to uplift the vulnerable right here at home. Your sacrifice stays within your community, reaching families who are struggling, hungry, and overlooked.
This year, make your Qurbani truly count. Revive a sacred tradition - give locally for the nearest in need.
“We are deeply grateful to receive Qurbani meat this year. It will make a meaningful difference for our
family, especially for my child who is underweight and in need of nutritious food. Due to financial
difficulties, we are not able to afford meat regularly, and this generous gift will help us provide
healthier meals. Thank you sincerely for your kindness, care, and generosity. May your Qurbani be
accepted and rewarded abundantly.”
Our Qurbani Promise
Only the Best, Just as
the Prophet (ﷺ) Taught
At Embrace, we follow the Sunnah by ensuring your Qurbani is of the highest standard — just as the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) offered the best animals for sacrifice.
Every sheep we select is healthy, strong, and free from defects — raised on lush British pastures with care and compassion. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that for every hair and fibre of wool, there's reward — and we make sure your sacrifice reflects that level of excellence.
Your Qurbani is performed by Euro Quality Lambs, a trusted HMC-certified provider, ensuring full Sharia compliance and animal welfare from farm to sacrifice.
Shariah-Compliant. Transparent. Trusted.
✅ Slaughtered by a Muslim
✅ In the name of Allah
✅ With the intention of Qurbani
✅ Fully HMC Halal certified
✅ Supervised by a qualified Sharia advisor
✅ In a facility that operates without interest (riba-free)
‘On the day of Qiyamah, that animal will come forth with its horns, hair
and hooves [to be weighed with a person’s good deeds]. And even before the blood of the sacrifice falls
onto the ground, it will be accepted. So perform Qurbani with a content heart.’
(at-Tirmidhi)
You can give your Qurbani this Dhul Hijjah with complete peace of mind, knowing that your sacrifice is sincere, ethical, and done with ihsan (excellence).
This Dhul Hijjah, give Qurbani with confidence. Give Qurbani with Embrace.
“There is no action that the son of Adam does on the Day of Sacrifice more beloved to Allah than sacrificing an animal.”
(at-Tirmidhi)
“It will mean I do not have to worry about Eid dinner and the following days. We will be remembered at this joyful time, when it feels as if everyone else has forgot about us. It will also mean we can create new Eid memories as a family since my husband’s passing everything was so raw and a blur.”
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THE CONDITIONS
OF QURBANI
Ensure your sacrifice fulfils the conditions of Qurbani so you can reap its full rewards. Embrace the greater sacrifice this Dhul Hijjah, by giving the best you can.
Raise the bar this Dhul Hijjah, by giving the best you can.
Qurbani is obligatory on all adults of able mind and financial means, according to the Hanafi School. It is considered Sunnah mu’akkadah (confirmed prophetic practice) in all other schools of Islam.
This year, Embrace is offering British sheep only, in partnership with Euro Quality Lambs, due to limited supply and certification constraints. Sheep must be at least 6 months old and 17kg+ carcass weight to qualify for Qurbani.
“A six-month-old lamb is equal to a one-year-old goat.”
(Abu Dawud)
Qurbani must be done after the Eid prayer, from 10th to sunset of 12th Dhul Hijjah.
You will receive a confirmation via SMS and email once your Qurbani has been completed.
✅ At checkout, please select whether you follow global/Saudi or local moonsighting so your Qurbani is offered at the correct time.
Whoever slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer, he just slaughtered it for himself. And whoever slaughtered it after the prayer, he slaughtered it at the right time, and followed the tradition of the Muslims.’
(Bukhari)
The UK has the highest standards in meat production, in keeping with the Muslim ethos of excellence and goodness –Tayyib. The lambs are raised on British pastures, and your Qurbani meat will be distributed to vulnerable Muslim families across the UK.
Sheep carry special symbolic value in Qurbani, as it was a ram that replaced Isma’il (as) in the trial of Ibrahim (as). Islam encourages offering the best and heaviest animal you can afford.
Lamb needs to be at least 6 months’ old and mature (i.e. appear to be over 17kg carcass weight) to meet the criteria for Qurbani eligibility.
Due to the limited availability of old-season lambs, Embrace is offering only eligible, mature sheep for Qurbani this year.
“There is reward for every strand of wool.”
(Ibn Majah)
If you are offering Qurbani, according to the majority of scholars, it is recommended – and according to the Hanbali madhab, required – to refrain from cutting hair and nails from the 1st of Dhul Hijjah until your Qurbani is completed. This ruling applies only to the person offering the sacrifice, and not to his/her family, nor for the person performing it on his/her behalf.
“When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him refrain from cutting his hair and nails.”
(Muslim)
Some traditions state that the person should refrain from the first day of Dhul Hijjah until after their Qurbani has been performed.
‘When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him refrain from [removing anything] from his hair or nails.’
(Muslim)
Other traditions state that the person should refrain until after he/she has prayed the Eid prayer, and even if his/her own Qurbani has not yet been carried out i.e. once the proper time for Qurbani has commenced, he/she may resume personal grooming, without waiting for their own sacrifice to be performed.
According to Sheikh Ibn Jibrin, it is permissible for a person offering a sacrifice to clip their nails and cut their hair when the time for the sacrifice begins i.e. after performing the Eid prayer on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, even if the actual sacrifice has not yet taken place, just as a pilgrim comes out of the state of ihram by stoning and shaving, despite their sacrifice not being performed yet.
We regret that we aren’t able to offer this service due to the number of Qurbanis we perform and the limitations of our team on the ground. On the day, Euro Quality Lambs staff will be extremely busy with the overseeing of the slaughter of up to 5000 animals a day, around 10,000 in the days of Eid, and then the division, processing and packing of the meat. Therefore, we will not have the capacity to host individuals at the abattoirs during Qurbani.
We regret that we aren’t able to offer this service at the current time, due to logistical limitations and the limited capacity of our teams on the ground. Therefore, all Qurbani meat will be distributed to Embrace beneficiaries in the UK. With regards to donating Qurbani meat, Imam Malik said:
‘There is no limit to what may be eaten or given in charity or used to feed the poor or the rich, whether one wants to give it uncooked or cooked.’
(al-Kaafi, 1/424)
According to the Shafi’i school, it is mustahabb -recommended to give most of the Qurbani meat in charity. (Al-Siraj al-Wahhaj, 563)
Yes. According to the traditions, it is sufficient for the head of the household/primary breadwinner to offer one Qurbani for himself and the members of his family. This includes his wife, children and parents, if they are all living in the same house. If his spouse or any other member of the household wishes to offer Qurbani at her/their own expenses, she/they may do so.
An-Nawawi (ra) reported that those who regarded it as permissible for a man to offer Qurbani for himself and his family in this way, and share the rewards of it with them, quoted the following hadith as evidence.
It is also permissible for those offering Qurbani to do so with the intention to share the reward with whomever he wants from his relatives. This includes relatives who have passed away. The Qurbani may either be offered on behalf of the deceased and the living, or a separate Qurbani may be offered on behalf of the deceased (although this was not the practice of the Prophet (saw).)
‘A'isha (ra) reported that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) offered Qurbani as follows: ‘... He placed it on the ground and when he was about to slaughter it, he said, ‘In the name of Allah, Oh Allah, accept [this sacrifice] on behalf of Muhammad, the family of Muhammad and the Ummah of Muhammad;’ then he slaughtered it.’
(Muslim)
The UK lamb industry is seasonal and lambing (when lambs are born) normally occurs between February-April. For Qurbani, this year eligible lambs must be born before 6th December 2024.
Euro Quality Lambs have endeavoured to purchase eligible animals of known age in advance to eliminate the risk of underage animals. This has led to a higher cost as the animals must be looked after and fed up to the date of Qurbani.
They have also engaged with the sheep farming industry so they understand better the Qurbani market requirements and the dates coming earlier in future years, such as the Livestock Auctioneers Association, Sheep Breeders, National Farmers Union and National Sheep Association as well as directly with farmers at Welshpool and Ruthin livestock markets. Industry representatives have initiated a 6-month plus declaration system where farmers who are selling eligible lambs born before the required date, sign a declaration confirming this prior to selling their animals.
Lamb needs to be at least 6 months’ old and mature (i.e. appear to be over 17kg carcass weight) to meet the criteria for Qurbani eligibility. In recent years, there has been a limited availability of old season lambs that meet this criterion hence, so Embrace will perform Qurbani with eligible sheep. It is unlikely HMC will be certifying many old season lambs in 2025, but only sheep which are 12 months plus.
Several factors influence the cost:
Despite the cost, the spiritual reward is immense.
We’re unable to accept or distribute external meat due to:
Thank you for understanding.
"The Qurbani meat will benefit me by allowing me to fully experience the joy of Eid al-Adha, especially since I am new to the UK. It helps me feel the true spirit of the holiday as it should be experienced by Muslims. May Allah reward you for your kindness."
“I have not had meat for a long time, and it would bring me great joy to be among those blessed to receive this noble assistance.”
“Their meat will not reach Allah , nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good.”
(Qur’an 22:37)
UK Qurbani Sheep