Eid al-Adha 2016: Now order sacrifices online; where to download the app

Eid al-Adha, the second most important and the holiest festival for Muslims, has gone digital this year. The Dubai Municipality has launched an app to order livestock online for sacrifices during Eid al-Adha.

Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha, which is also a festival of sacrifice, by slaughtering (sacrificing) an animal – usually a sheep, cow or goat – to mark the offering to Allah. And this year, to make it easy for people, the Dubai Municipality has created an app, Al Mawashi, through which residents can order small livestock online during the festival.

With the help of the app, residents can place an order for small sacrifices online – Australian livestock – from Emirates Livestock & Meat Trading Company (ELMCO) in Jebel Ali, Khaleej Times reported. "It is summer season and there is a rush on cattle markets during Eid. The app is meant to save time and efforts for residents, especially during the season's hot climate," Ali Tahir Al Hammadi, the head of the Abattoirs Section at DM, told Khaleej Times.

"We also want to reduce the queues at Dubai Abattoir during Eid where the majority of the residents get their animals slaughtered," he said.

Residents from across the United Arab Emirates can order online, but they will have to pick up their order from the abattoir in Jebel Ali. Dubai Municipality has created an abattoir under ELMCO.

"We will have tents at the abattoirs as a waiting point for customers who are coming to pick up their sacrifices," Al Hammadi said. He also stated that the app would help residents get the sacrifices at a rate ranging from Dh550 to Dh700, which excludes delivery and slaughter service charge.

"We expect to start with around 300 purchases on the first day of Eid through the app, reaching up to 1,000 on the fourth day," Al Hammadi said.

Al Mawashi app is available on App Store and will be available for Android in the next 48 hours.