IN PHOTOS: From Mecca to Communities Worldwide, Eid-El-Kabir Unites Muslims In Sacrifice, Prayer
Eid-El-Kabir commemorates Prophet Abraham’s unwavering devotion when he prepared to sacrifice his son, traditionally believed to be Ishmael, in response to divine command.
By
Channels Television
Updated June 6, 2025
Muslims arrive to participate in a special morning prayer to mark the start of the Eid al-Adha festival at the shrine of 12th-century Sunni cleric Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Baghdad on June 6, 2025. (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF / AFP)
Across the globe, Muslims are celebrating Eid el-Kabir, a time of communal joy, devotion, and remembrance.
With over two billion faithful marking the occasion, the “Feast of Sacrifice” stands as one of Islam’s most significant observances, embodying spiritual and historical meaning.
The multi-day festival is characterised by prayers, gatherings, and the ritual sacrifice of animals, symbolising obedience and gratitude.
A tradition tied to Eid-El-Kabir is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj—an obligation that every Muslim is encouraged to fulfill at least once in their lifetime.
At its heart, Eid-El-Kabir commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s unwavering devotion when he prepared to sacrifice his son, traditionally believed to be Ismail, in response to divine command.
At that pivotal moment, Allah intervened, replacing the child with a ram, an act that has since become a profound symbol of submission and faith.
Children stand next to a sheep during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, in Adjame, a working-class neighborhood in Abidjan, on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Sia KAMBOU / AFP)
Muslims faithfuls catch an ox ahead of its sacrifice during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, in Adjame, a working-class neighborhood in Abidjan, on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Sia KAMBOU / AFP)
Muslims pray around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in in the holy city of Mecca on the first day of Eid Al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice, early on June 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
A Muslim boy along with his father offers Eid al-Adha prayers in Chandigarh on June 7, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
A girl looks on as Muslim devotees offer Eid al-Adha prayers at Langde Hafiz mosque in Varanasi on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Niharika KULKARNI / AFP)
Muslim women offer prayers at the Badshahi Mosque during the Eid al-Adha, or feast of sacrifice, in Lahore on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Afghan children dressed in new clothes react during the celebrations on the first day of the Eid-al-Adha festival in Fayzabad, in Badakhshan province, on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Omer ABRAR / AFP)
A child looks on as Muslim devotees offer Eid al-Adha prayers in Amritsar on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
An Afghan burqa-clad woman looks for alms as she sits in the middle of the road after the Eid al-Adha prayers in Kabul on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
An Afghan Muslim devotee reacts during the Eid al-Adha prayers at the Abdul Rahman Mosque in Kabul on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
Muslim devotees offer Eid al-Adha prayers at Langde Hafiz mosque in Varanasi on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Niharika KULKARNI / AFP)
A Muslim woman offers prayers at the Badshahi Mosque during the Eid al-Adha, or feast of sacrifice, in Lahore on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Muslims offer special prayers during celebrations of Eid al-Adha at Cholia Jamah mosque in Yangon on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)
A Muslim offers special prayers during celebrations of Eid al-Adha at Cholia Jamah mosque in Yangon on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)
A Muslim girl looks on as people offer Eid al-Adha prayers in Guwahati on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Biju BORO / AFP)
A vendor applies henna on a customer’s hand during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice locally known as Tabaski, in Dakar, on June 7, 2025. (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP)
A boy looks on from outside as he stands behind girls attending the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice, at the make-shift prayer room of the Nour mosque in the Abu Amin neighbourhood in northeastern Gaza City on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)Two girls pray together at the back of the make-shift prayer room of the Nour mosque during the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, in the Abu Amin neighbourhood in northeastern Gaza City on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Muslim worshippers on Friday June 6, 2025, converged on the Dzuko Eid prayer ground to observe the two Rakat prayers, nine days after the devastating flood that claimed lives and property.
A boy looks on as he sits between Muslim worshippers prostrating as they perform the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, at the make-shift prayer room of the Nour mosque in the Abu Amin neighbourhood in northeastern Gaza City on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Muslims gather for the prayer that marks the beginning of the celebrations of the Eid al-Adha in Nairobi on 6 June 2025. Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Cows, camels, goats and sheep are traditionally slaughtered on the holiest day. (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP)
Muslim worshippers exit after attending the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, at the Nour mosque in the Abu Amin neighbourhood in northeastern Gaza City on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Muslim devotees offer prayers on the first day of Eid al-Adha marking the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage, in Male on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Mohamed Afrah / AFP)
This aerial view shows Albanian Muslim worshippers performing the Eid Al-Adha prayer near the Grand Mosque at the main square in Durres on June 6, 2025. Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Cows, camels, goats and sheep are traditionally slaughtered on the holiest day. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
Muslims arrive to participate in a special morning prayer to mark the start of the Eid al-Adha festival at the shrine of 12th-century Sunni cleric Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Baghdad on June 6, 2025. (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF / AFP)
Men transport cattle in a vehicle after buying from a livestock market for sacrificing on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, in Lahore on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Muslim worshippers offer Eid al-Adha special prayers at the Baiturrahman grand mosque in Banda Aceh on June 6, 2025. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)
This aerial picture shows Muslim worshippers offering Eid al-Adha special prayers at the Baiturrahman grand mosque in Banda Aceh on June 6, 2025. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)
Muslims participate in a special morning prayer around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in Mecca on June 6, 2025, to mark the start of the Eid al-Adha festival, which marks the end of their Hajj pilgrimage. (Photo by AFP)
A man carries a goat ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Nairobi on 6 June 2025. Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Cows, camels, goats and sheep are traditionally slaughtered on the holiest day. (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP)
Filipino Muslims gather during the celebration of Eid Al-Adha at the Blue Mosque in Taguig, Metro Manila on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)
Muslim worshippers perform the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, near the ancient Egyptian Abusir pyramids necropolis in the village of Abusir in the south of Giza province on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Mahmoud el-KHAWAS / AFP)
Muslim worshippers offer Eid al-Adha special prayers in Denpasar, on Indonesia resort island of Bali on June 6, 2025, as they celebrate religious festival. (Photo by SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP)
Muslims carry a sacrificed sheep during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice locally known as Tabaski, at a Mosque in the neighborhood of Mermoz in Dakar, on June 6, 2025. (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP)
Muslims arrive to offer Eid Al-Adha special prayers at a mosque in Beijing on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
Muslim devotees offer Eid Al-Adha special prayers at a mosque in Beijing on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
Muslim men butcher sacrificed sheep after Eid Al-Adha special prayers at a mosque in Beijing on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
Muslim worshippers perform the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha, at the Grand Mosque in Pristina, Kosovo on June 6, 2025. Eid al-Adha, one of the main religious festivals on the Muslim calendar, is an annual feasting holiday marked by the slaughter of an animal — typically a goat, sheep, cow, bull or camel. (Photo by Armend NIMANI / AFP)
Muslim devotees offer Eid al-Adha prayers on a street in central Saint Petersburg on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP)
Muslim worshippers attend the sermon after the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, in Ashishi island in the Meroe district of northern Sudan on June 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians participate in a special morning prayer on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, on June 6, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant movement Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman stands in front of tents for displaced people on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on June 6, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
Muslims gather for the prayer that marks the beginning of the celebrations of the Eid al-Adha in Nairobi on 6 June 2025. Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Cows, camels, goats and sheep are traditionally slaughtered on the holiest day. (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP)
