Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim! (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful!)

My esteemed Muslim brothers and sisters!

On the occasion of the most cherished and sacred day of the Islamic world — the blessed festival of Qurban, a manifestation of worship of the Almighty Creator and of Divine Grace — I congratulate you from the heart, and I wish you all happiness and prosperity from Allah the Almighty, and a life of goodness and success.

Praise be to Allah that this cherished festival is being welcomed with the high spirits of the Great Return in our country, which — for the first time in the history of our independence — has fully secured its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that those returning to their ancestral lands are breathing new life into Karabakh. We offer endless praise and thanks to the Almighty Creator for granting these blessed days to us and to our entire people, and we offer our blessings to the author and commander of the Victory, the great son of the Azerbaijani people, whose name has been inscribed in the golden pages of history as the Conqueror of Karabakh — His Excellency Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev! In light of the unmatched successes of President Ilham Aliyev, who honorably continues the political school of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, we look to the future of the Azerbaijani state with great faith and hope, and we believe that, with Allah's help, our people together with their victorious leader will achieve even greater triumphs, insha'Allah.

This year's festival, according to the calculations of the Shamakhi Observatory of ANAS and as noted in the fatwa of the Council of Qadis, falls on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah of the Hijri lunar calendar — May 27 of the Gregorian calendar. This year the holidays coincide: on the occasion of May 28 — Independence Day, the symbol of our statehood — the dates of May 27, 28, and 29 have been declared non-working days by our state. According to the rulings of Sharia, the slaughter of the Qurban sacrifice, which may be performed over 3 days, is strictly obligatory during the Hajj pilgrimage; for Muslims outside the Hajj, offering a sacrifice and distributing it to those in need is a commendable (mustahabb) act of great reward. As noted in the hadiths, the eve of Qurban and the day of the festival are times when prayers are answered. On this sacred day — a symbol of solidarity, mutual assistance, and spiritual purification — it is our debt of loyalty to remember with prayers of mercy our heroic children who fell as martyrs for the Homeland, to ask Allah the Almighty for healing and happiness for our veterans and wounded, and to show compassion to the elderly and those without means.

My dear compatriots! We bring to your attention that Eid al-Adha prayers will be observed in all the central mosques of our country; in the capital Baku, the festival prayer will be performed at the Ajdarbey Mosque at 08:00 and at the Tazapir Mosque at 09:00. Once again, on the occasion of this cherished festival, we congratulate the Azerbaijani people and the Muslims of the world, and we beseech the Almighty Creator that we remain forever faithful to the spiritual values borne by the festival of Qurban. May Allah the Almighty accept the worship of the entire Muslim Ummah, may He protect the Azerbaijani state and our head of state, and may Allah's merciful gaze remain forever upon our Homeland and our people! May our sacred festival of Qurban be blessed!

Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur PASHAZADE

Baku, 25 May 2026