Eid Mubarak. This is a guide to help ensure you have a blessed Eid.

﷽

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all creation, and may the prayers and blessings be upon our Prophet ﷺ, his family, and his companions.

To proceed:

Eid Al-Adha is almost upon us. May Allah accept all of our good deeds in these blessed days of Dhul Hijjah. The following are number of rulings and etiquettes of the second Eid in the Islamic calendar. I hope they are of benefit to all my noble brothers.

The Takbir

It is the sunnah to say the takbir out loud during the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah. There are two types of takbir:

The general takbir: “Allah Akbar” The specific takbir: “Allah akbar, Allah akbar, la ilaha illallah, Allah akbar, Allah akbar, wa lillahil hamd”

The general takbir can be said at any time throughout the 10 days, and is in fact somewhat of a forgotten sunnah, as it is not very often practiced. It is reported that Umar and Ali as well as other companions would constantly say the takbir, the Shahada (la ilaha illallah), and the tahmid (al-hamdulillah) out loud wherever they were during the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.

The specific takbir is to be said after every prayer starting from the Fajr prayer on the morning of the Day of Arafah (the 9th of Dhul Hijjah) until the Asr prayer on the third Day of At-Tashriq (the 13th of Dhul Hijjah), and on the way to the Eid prayer.

Ibn Uthaymin said that the takbir should be said immediately after the istighfar that is normally said after the prayer (i.e. after saying astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, Allahumma antas Salam, wa minkas Salam, tabarakta ya dhal Jallalli wal Ikraam)

The specific takbir should be said out loud but not in unison with a group, as the scholars have declared this to be a bid’ah (innovation).

The Eid Prayer is Wajib (Obligatory)

The Prophet ﷺ commanded all the Muslims to attend the Eid prayer, including the women and even ordered the women who are on their menses to attend the prayer but not to pray.

The Eid Prayer is Performed Outside

It is the sunnah to perform the Eid prayer outside in an open area if the weather permits. Otherwise it is to be held in the masjid as usual.

Ghusl on the Day of Eid

It is the sunnah to perform a ghusl (washing of the whole body with intention) in the same manner that one would wash for janabah (impurity after sexual intercourse). The ghusl should be performed after the time for Fajr has entered. Some of the scholars believe that if performed before Fajr then it is not considered the Eid Ghusl, however some permit it before Fajr, because the time between Fajr and the Eid prayer is short. Therefore, if time permits one should strive to do the ghusl after the time for Fajr has entered.

Wearing Nice Clothes

It is the sunnah to wear your best clothes for the Eid prayer, without being too extravagant.

Fasting on the Day of Eid

It is not permissible to fast on the day of Eid.

Waiting to Eat After the Eid Prayer

The sunnah for Eid Al-Adha is to wait till after the prayer before you eat. This is the opposite to Eid Al-Fitr.

Walking to the Eid Musalla

It is the sunnah to walk to the Eid prayer and to take a different route on the way back from the prayer.

There Are No Voluntary Prayers at the Eid Musalla

Ibn Mas’ud informed us in an authentic hadith that no voluntary prayers should be prayed at the Eid musalla before the Eid prayer. If the prayer is held at a masjid however, it is permissible to pray the two rak’ahs for entering the masjid.

Missing the Eid Prayer or Some of It

If someone misses the Eid prayer then he should pray two rak’ahs in the same manner as the imam would pray the Eid prayer, including the extra takbirs. It is permissible to pray these two rak’ahs individually or in a group. If someone arrives late missing the first rak’ah, for example, then he should enter the prayer with the imam and follow him until the imam finishes then he should complete the second rak’ah with the additional takbirs. If someone misses some of the takbirs then he should complete the prayer with the imam and there is no need to repeat the takbirs that he missed.

Leaving Before the Khutbah

For the Eid prayer the khutbah takes place after the prayer, unlike the Jumuah prayer, and it is permissible to leave immediately after the prayer is complete without listening to the khutbah.

If the Day of Eid Falls on Jumuah

This year Eid Al-Adha will be on Jumuah, so what is the ruling pertaining to the Jumuah prayer? The Prophet ﷺ told us in an authentic hadith that if we pray the Eid prayer on a Friday then it is not obligatory to pray the Jumuah prayer. Instead one can pray the four rak’ahs for Dhuhr.

Taqaballallah minna wa minkum.

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