Ruling on ‘Eid prayers

Praise be to Allah.

Is ‘Eid prayer obligatory?

The scholars differed concerning the ruling on ‘Eid prayers . There are three scholarly points of view: 

• That ‘Eid prayer is Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah). This is the view of Imam Malik and Imam al-Shafi’i. 

• That it is a communal obligation. This is the view of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him). 

• That it is a duty for each Muslim and is obligatory for men; those who do not do it with no excuse are sinning thereby. This is the view of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), and was also narrated from Imam Ahmad. Among those who favoured this view were Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on them). (Al-Majmu’, 5/5; al-Mughni, 3/253; al-Insaf, 5/316; al-Ikhtiyarat, p. 82)

Support of the view that ‘Eid prayer is obligatory

Those who held the third view quoted several texts as evidence, including the following:

• The verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).” [al-Kawthar 108:2]

Ibn Qudamah said in al-Mughni: “The well-known view is that what is meant by this is the ‘Eid prayer.” 

Some of the scholars were of the view that what is meant in this verse is prayer in general, not just ‘Eid prayer, so what the verse means is that we are commanded to devote our prayer and sacrifice to Allah Alone, so it is like the verse in which He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘Verily, my Salah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists)’” [al-An’am 6:162]

This view concerning this meaning of the verse was shared by Ibn Jarir (12/724) and Ibn Kathir (8/502). 

• The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded the people to go out to it (the ‘Eid prayer) and even commanded the women to go out too.

Al-Bukhari (324) and Muslim (890) narrated that Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to bring them (women) out on (‘Eid) al-Fitr and (‘Eid) al-Adha, and to bring out adolescent girls, menstruating women and virgins, but the menstruating women were to stay away from the prayer, but were to witness goodness and the gathering of the Muslims. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, what if one of us does not have a jilbab?” He said: “Let her sister lend her a jilbab.”  

The evidence of this hadith that the ‘Eid prayer is obligatory is stronger than the evidence of the verse quoted above. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said in Majmu’ al-Fatawa (16/214): 

“What I think is that the ‘Eid prayer is fard ‘ayn (an individual obligation), and that it is not permissible for men to miss it, rather they have to attend, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined that. He even commanded the women – including virgins and those who usually stayed in seclusion – to come out to the ‘Eid prayer, and he commanded menstruating women to come out to the ‘Eid prayer , but told them to keep away from the prayer-place itself. This indicates that it is confirmed.” 

He also said (16/217): 

“What seems more likely to be correct in my view, based on the evidence, is that it is fard ‘ayn (an individual obligation), and that it is obligatory for every male to attend the ‘Eid prayer apart from those who have an excuse.” 

Shaykh Ibn Baz said in Majmu’ al-Fatawa, 13/7 concerning the view that it is fard ‘ayn: 

“This view is more likely to be correct, based on the evidence.”

And Allah knows best.

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/48983/is-eid-prayer-obligatory

Etiquettes of Eid

Sunnah acts and etiquettes of ‘Eid

The Sunnahs that the Muslim should observe on the day of ‘Eid are as follows: 

1.     Doing ghusl before going out to the prayer . 

It was narrated in a sahih hadith in al-Muwatta and elsewhere that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar used to do ghusl on the day of al-Fitr before going out to the prayer-place in the morning. (Al-Muwatta 428) 

Al- Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that the Muslims were unanimously agreed that it is recommended to do ghusl for ‘Eid prayer . 

The reason why it is recommended is the same reason as that for doing ghusl before Jumu’ah and other public gatherings. Rather on ‘Eid the reason is even stronger. 

2.           Eating before going out to pray on ‘Eid al-Fitr and after the prayer on ‘Eid al-Adha: 

Part of the etiquette is not to go out to pray on ‘Eid al-Fitr until one has eaten some dates, because of the hadith narrated by al-Bukhari from Anas ibn Malik, who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used not to go out on the morning of ‘Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates… of which he would eat an odd number. Al-Bukhari, 953. 

It is recommended to eat before going out to emphasize the fact that it is forbidden to fast on that day and to demonstrate that the fast has ended. 

Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) suggested that the reason for that was so as to ward off the possibility of adding to the fast, and to hasten to obey the command of Allah. (Al-Fath, 2/446) 

Whoever does not have any dates may break his fast with anything that is permissible. 

But on ‘Eid al-Adha it is recommended not to eat anything until one comes back from the prayer, so he should eat from the udhiyah if he has offered a sacrifice. If he is not going to offer a sacrifice there is nothing wrong with eating before the prayer. 

3.           Takbir on the day of ‘Eid 

This is one of the greatest Sunnahs on the day of ‘Eid because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“(He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allah [i.e. to say Takbir (Allahu Akbar: Allah is the Most Great)] for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him.” [al-Baqarah 2:185] 

Al-Walid ibn Muslim said: “I asked al-Awza’i and Malik ibn Anas about saying Takbir out loud on the two ‘Eids. They said, Yes, ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar used to say it out loud on the day of al-Fitr until the imam came out (to lead the prayers).” 

‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami said, “They emphasized it more on the day of al-Fitr than the day of al-Adha.”. Waki’ said, this refers to the takbir. (See Irwa al-Ghalil, 3/122) 

Al-Daraqutni and others narrated that on the morning of ‘Eid al-Fitr and ‘Eid al-Adha, Ibn ‘Umar would strive hard in reciting takbir until he came to the prayer place, then he would recite takbir until the imam came out. 

Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated with a sahih isnad that al-Zuhri said: “The people used to recite Takbir on ‘Eid when they came out of their houses until they came to the prayer place, and until the imam came out. When the imam came out they fell silent, and when he said takbir they said takbir.” (See Irwa al-Ghalil, 1/121) 

Saying takbir when coming out of one’s house to the prayer place and until the imam came out was something that was well known among the salaf (early generations). This has been narrated by a number of scholars such as Ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Abd a l-Razzaq and al-Firyabi in Ahkam al-’Eidayn from a group of the salaf. For example, Nafi’ ibn Jubayr used to recite takbir and was astonished that the people did not do so, and he said, “Why do you not recite takbir?” 

Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say, “The people used to recite takbir from the time they came out of their houses until the imam came in.” 

Time for takbir on ‘Eid al-Fitr

The time for takbir on ‘Eid al-Fitr starts from the night before ‘Eid until the imam enters to lead the ‘Eid prayer . 

Time for takbir on ‘Eid al-Adha

In the case of ‘Eid al-Adha, the takbir begins on the first day of Dhu’l-Hijjah and lasts until sunset on the last of the days of tashriq. 

Description of the takbir 

It was narrated in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah with a sahih isnad from Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to recite takbir during the days of tashriq: 

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha ill-Allah, wa Allahu akbar, Allah akbar, wa Lillah il-hamd (Allah is Most Great, Allah is most Great, there is no god but Allah, Allah is Most great, Allah is most great, and to Allah be praise). 

It was also narrated elsewhere by Ibn Abi Shaybah with the same isnad, but with the phrase “Allahu akbar” repeated three times. 

Al-Mahamili narrated with a sahih isnad also from Ibn Mas’ud: “Allahu akbaru kabira, Allahu akbaru kabira, Allahu akbar wa ajallu, Allahu akbar wa Lillah il-hamd (Allah is Most Great indeed, Allah is Most Great indeed, Allah is most Great and Glorified, Allah is Most Great and to Allah be praise).” (See al-Irwa, 3/126) 

4.           Offering congratulations 

The etiquette of ‘Eid also includes the congratulations and good wishes exchanged by people , no matter what the wording, such as saying to one another Taqabbala Allah minna wa minkum (May Allah accept (good deeds) from us and from you” or “‘Eid mubaarak” and other permissible expressions of congratulations. 

Jubayr ibn Nufayr said: “When the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) met one another on the day of ‘Eid, they would say to one another, “May Allah accept (good deeds) from us and from you.” Ibn Hajar said, its isnad is hasan. (Al-Fath, 2/446) 

Offering congratulations was something that was well known among the Companions, and scholars such as Imam Ahmad and others allowed it. There is evidence which suggests that it is prescribed to offer congratulations and good wishes on special occasions, and that the Sahabah congratulated one another when good things happened, such as when Allah accepted the repentance of a man, they went and congratulated him for that, and so on. 

Undoubtedly these congratulations are among the noble characteristics among the Muslims. 

The least that may be said concerning the subject of congratulations is that you should return the greetings of those who congratulate you on ‘Eid, and keep quiet if others keep quiet, as Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If anyone congratulates you, then respond, otherwise do not initiate it. 

5.               Adorning oneself on the occasion of ‘Eid . 

‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said that ‘Umar took a brocade cloak that was for sale in the market and brought it to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and said, “O Messenger of Allah, buy this and adorn yourself with it for ‘Eid and for receiving the delegations.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him, “Rather this is the dress of one who has no share (of piety or of reward in the Hereafter)…” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 948) 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) agreed with ‘Umar on the idea of adorning oneself for ‘Eid, but he denounced him for choosing this cloak because it was made of silk. 

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had a cloak which he would wear on the two ‘Eids and on Fridays.” (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, 1756) 

Al-Bayhaqi narrated with a sahih isnad that Ibn ‘Umar used to wear his best clothes on ‘Eid. 

So a man should wear the best clothes that he has when going out for ‘Eid. 

Can women adorn themselves when they go out for ‘Eid?

With regard to women, they should avoid adorning themselves when they go out for ‘Eid , because they are forbidden to show off their adornments to non-mahram men. It is also haram for a woman who wants to go out to put on perfume or to expose men to temptation, because they are only going out for the purpose of worship. 

6.           Going to the prayer by one route and returning by another. 

Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “On the day of ‘Eid, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to vary his route.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 986) 

It was said that the reason for that was so that the two routes would testify for him on the Day of Resurrection, for the earth will speak on the Day of Resurrection and say what was done on it, both good and bad. 

And it was said that it was in order to manifest the symbols of Islam on both routes, or to manifest the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), or to annoy the hypocrites and Jews, and to scare them with the large number of people who were with him. And it was said that it was in order to attend to the people’s needs, to answer their questions, teach them, set an example and give charity to the needy, or to visit his relatives and uphold the ties of kinship.

 And Allah knows best.

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/36442/what-are-the-etiquettes-of-eid

Sunnah Acts During `Eid

Praise be to Allah.

Allah has set out several rulings concerning `Eid, including the following: 

• It is recommended to recite Takbir during the night of `Eid from sunset on the last day of Ramadan until the Imam comes to lead the prayer. The format of the Takbir is as follows: 

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha ill-Allah, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa Lillahi’l-hamd (Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, there is none worthy of worship except Allah, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, and all praise be to Allah). 

Or you can say Allahu akbar three times, so you say: 

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha ill-Allah, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa Lillahi’l-hamd (Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, there is none worthy of worship except Allah, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great , Allah is Most Great, and all praise be to Allah). 

Both are permissible. 

Men should raise their voices reciting this Dhikr in the marketplaces, mosques and homes, but women should not raise their voices. 

• You should eat an odd number of dates before leaving for the `Eid prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not set out on the day of `Eid until he had eaten an odd number of dates. He should stick to an odd number as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did. 

• You should wear your best clothes – this is for men. With regard to women , they should not wear beautiful clothes when they go out to the `Eid prayer-place, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Let them go out looking decent” i.e., in regular clothes that are not fancy. It is prohibited for them to go out wearing perfume and makeup. 

• Some of the scholars regarded it as recommended to do Ghusl for the `Eid prayer , because it is narrated that some of the Salaf did this. Doing Ghusl for `Eid prayer is recommended, just as it is prescribed for Jumu’ah because one is going to meet people. So if one does Ghusl, that is good.

• Offering the `Eid prayer . The Muslims unanimously agreed that the `Eid prayer is prescribed in Islam. Some of them say that it is Sunnah, some say that it is Fard Kifayah (a communal obligation) and some say that it is Fard `Ayn (an individual obligation), and that not doing it is a sin. 

They quoted as evidence the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded even the virgins and women in seclusion, i.e., those who did not ordinarily come out, to attend the `Eid prayer place, except that those who were menstruating should keep away from the prayer-place itself, because it is not permissible for a menstruating woman to stay in the mosque; it is permissible for her to pass through but not to stay there. 

It seems to me, based on the evidence, that it is an individual obligation and that every male is obliged to attend the `Eid prayer except for those who have an excuse. This was the view favoured by Shaykh  Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him). 

In the first Rak`ah the Imam should recite Sabbih isma rabbika  Al-A`ala (Al-A`la 87) and in the second Rak`ah he should recite Hal ataka Hadith ul-ghashiyah (Al-Ghashiyah 88). Or he may recite Surah Qaf (50) in the first and Surah  Al-Qamar (54) in the second. Both options are narrated in authentic reports from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). 

• If Jumu`ah and `Eid fall on the same day , the `Eid prayer should be held, as should Jumu`ah prayer, as is indicated by the apparent meaning of the Hadith of  Al-Nu`man ibn Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) which was narrated by Muslim. But those who attend the `Eid prayer with the Imam may attend Jumu`ah if they wish, or they may pray Thuhr.

• One of the rulings on `Eid prayer is that according to many scholars, if a person comes to the `Eid prayer-place before the Imam comes, he should sit down and not pray two Rak`ahs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed `Eid with two Rak`ahs, and he did not offer any prayer before or after it. 

Some of the scholars are of the view that when a person comes he should not sit down until he has prayed two Rak`ahs, because the `Eid prayer-place is a mosque, based on the fact that menstruating women are not allowed there, so it comes under the same rulings as a mosque, which indicates that it is a mosque. Based on this, it comes under the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “When any one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit down until he has prayed two Rak`ahs.” With regard to the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not offer any prayer before or after the `Eid prayer, that is because when he arrived the prayer started. 

Thus it is proven that we should pray Tahiyyat  Al-Masjid (two Rak`ahs to “greet the mosque”) when arriving at the `Eid prayer-place, as in the case of all mosques, because if we assume from the Hadith that there is no Tahiyyat  Al-Masjid for the `Eid mosque, then we should say that there is no Tahiyyat  Al-Masjid for the Jumu`ah mosque either, because when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived at the Jumu`ah mosque he would deliver the Khutbah, then pray two Rak`ahs then leave and pray the regular Sunnahs of Jumu`ah in his house, so he did not offer any prayer before it or after it (in the mosque). 

What seems more likely to be correct in my view is that we should pray two Rak`ahs in the `Eid prayer-place to greet the mosque, but we should not denounce one another with regard to this issue, because it is a matter concerning which the scholars differ. We should not denounce others with regard to matters where the scholars differ, unless there is a clear text. So we should not denounce the one who prays (Tahiyyat  Al-Masjid) or the one who sits down without praying. 

• One of the rulings on the day of `Eid – `Eid Al-Fitr – is that Zakat  Al-Fitr is due on this day. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined that it should be paid before the `Eid prayer. 

It is permissible to pay Zakat Al-Fitr one or two days before that, because of the Hadith of Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) which was narrated by Al-Bukhari: “They used to give it one or two days before (`Eid)  Al-Fitr.” If it is paid after the `Eid prayer, it does not count as Sadaqat  Al-Fitr, because of the Hadith of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): “Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is Zakat  Al-Fitr, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is ordinary charity.” 

It is prohibited to delay Zakat Al-Fitr until after the `Eid prayer. If one delays it with no excuse then it is not acceptable Zakah, but if there is an excuse – such as if a person is travelling and does not have anything to give or anyone to give it to, or he is expecting his family to pay it and they are expecting him to pay it, then in this case he should pay it when it is easy for him to do so, even if that is after the prayer, and there is no sin on him because he has an excuse. 

• People should greet one another, but that results in prohibited actions on the part of many people, such as men entering houses without any Mahram being present, and also shaking hands with unveiled women. Some of these evils are worse than others. 

We see some people denouncing those who refuse to shake hands with those who are not their Mahrams, but it is they who are the wrongdoers, not he. But he should explain to them and tell them to ask trustworthy scholars to verify his actions and he should tell them not to get angry and insist on following the customs of his forefathers, because they do not make a permissible thing forbidden or a forbidden thing permissible. He should explain to them that if they do that, they will be like those of whom Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And similarly, We sent not a warner before you (O Muhammad) to any town (people) but the luxurious ones among them said: “We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we will indeed follow their footsteps.” [Az-Zukhruf 43:23] 

Some people have the custom of going out to the graveyard on the day of `Eid to greet the occupants of the graves, but the occupants of the graves have no need of any greeting or congratulations, because they do not fast or pray Qiyam. 

Visiting the graves is not something to be done especially on the day of `Eid or Friday or any particular day. It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) visited the graves at night, as mentioned in the Hadith of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated by Muslim. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Visit the graves for they will remind you of the Hereafter.” 

Visiting graves is an act of worship, and acts of worship are not acceptable unless they are in accordance with Shari`ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not single out the day of `Eid for visiting the graves, so we should not do so either. 

• There is nothing wrong with what men do on the day of `Eid of embracing one another. 

• It is prescribed for the one who goes out to the `Eid prayer to go by one route and return by another , following the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This Sunnah does not apply to other prayers, Jumu`ah or anything else, it only applies to `Eid.” (Majmu` Fatawa Ibn `Uthaymin, 16/216-223)

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/49014/sunnah-acts-during-eid