The state-run Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has had to warn religious observers ahead of the Eid-al-Adha festival not to improvise the killing of sacrificial goats and sheep using their electricity pylons, power lines and other equipment.

Eid al-Adha, or ‘the feast of the sacrifice’, begins on Friday.

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

It honours Ibrahim’s commitment to God when ordered to offer up his only son - not named in the Qu’ran as Ismail but widely accepted in Islamic literature as so - as a sacrifice.

Shape Created with Sketch. Hajj 2017 Show all 16 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Hajj 2017 1/16 A Muslim pilgrim partakes in the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, near Mecca, which marks the final major rite of the hajj Karim Sahib/AFP 2/16 Muslim pilgrims take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, near Mecca, which marks the final major rite of the hajj Karim Sahib/AFP 3/16 A Muslim pilgrim partakes in the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina Karim Sahib/AFP 4/16 A Muslim pilgrim has his head shaven after throwing pebbles at pillars during the symbolic stoning of the devil Karim Sahib/AFP 5/16 A Muslim pilgrim's head is shaved, after throwing pebbles at pillars during the symbolic stoning of the devil Karim Sahib/AFP 6/16 A Saudi policeman spays Muslim pilgrims with water to cool them off near the Grand Mosque Karim Sahib/AFP 7/16 Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat, southeast of the Saudi holy city of Mecca Bandar Aldandani/AFP 8/16 Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque Karim Sahib/AFP 9/16 Iranian Muslim pilgrims wait at Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 10/16 Muslim worshippers perform prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 11/16 An Iranian Muslim pilgrim reads the Koran as she waits at Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 12/16 Saudi Red Crescent paramedics show the press their emergency equipment Karim Sahib/AFP 13/16 Muslim worshippers perform prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 14/16 Muslim worshippers perform prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 15/16 Muslim worshippers walk around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 16/16 Muslim pilgrims sit around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 1/16 A Muslim pilgrim partakes in the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, near Mecca, which marks the final major rite of the hajj Karim Sahib/AFP 2/16 Muslim pilgrims take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, near Mecca, which marks the final major rite of the hajj Karim Sahib/AFP 3/16 A Muslim pilgrim partakes in the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina Karim Sahib/AFP 4/16 A Muslim pilgrim has his head shaven after throwing pebbles at pillars during the symbolic stoning of the devil Karim Sahib/AFP 5/16 A Muslim pilgrim's head is shaved, after throwing pebbles at pillars during the symbolic stoning of the devil Karim Sahib/AFP 6/16 A Saudi policeman spays Muslim pilgrims with water to cool them off near the Grand Mosque Karim Sahib/AFP 7/16 Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat, southeast of the Saudi holy city of Mecca Bandar Aldandani/AFP 8/16 Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque Karim Sahib/AFP 9/16 Iranian Muslim pilgrims wait at Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 10/16 Muslim worshippers perform prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 11/16 An Iranian Muslim pilgrim reads the Koran as she waits at Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 12/16 Saudi Red Crescent paramedics show the press their emergency equipment Karim Sahib/AFP 13/16 Muslim worshippers perform prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 14/16 Muslim worshippers perform prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 15/16 Muslim worshippers walk around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP 16/16 Muslim pilgrims sit around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca Karim Sahib/AFP

In remembrance of the Ibrahim story, a goat or sheep is often slaughtered for feasts. One third of the meat is consumed by the family, another given to friends and relatives and the last part is donated to those in need.

It appears that rather than slashing the animal’s throat, as is usual in Muslim halal practices, there is a bizarre trend in the country in which people electrocute their Eid sacrifices instead.

The SEC said in a statement that field teams would be assembled to stop people trespassing on its property, endangering themselves and causing power cuts. Legal action would be taken against those found breaking the law, it added.

Eid al-Adha is one of the holiest celebrations in Islam and marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia which must be undertaken once in a lifetime all physically and financially capable Muslims.

It will be marked by a four or five day public holiday in most Muslim countries - although in Saudi Arabia, celebrations last a whole fortnight.

Earlier this month, the mostly state-controlled SEC announced it had signed loan deals with international banks to the tune of £1.35m in order to finance some of the company’s capital expenditure projects.

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.

At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.

Subscribe now