Eid: Etiquette and rulings

Praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our
Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.

“Eid” is an Arabic word referring to something habitual, that returns and is
repeated. Eids or festivals are symbols to be found in every nation,
including those that are based on revealed scriptures and those that are
idolatrous, as well as others, because celebrating festivals is something
that is an instinctive part of human nature. All people like to have special
occasions to celebrate, where they can come together and express their joy
and happiness.

The Muslims are distinguished by their festivals

The Prophet’s words “Every nation has its festival, and this is your
festival” indicate that these two Eids are exclusively for the Muslims.The
Muslims have no festivals apart from Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adhaa, because
of the hadeeth narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said:
“The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
to Madeenah and the people had two days when they would play and have fun.
He said, ‘What are these two days?’ They said, ‘We used to play and have fun
on these days during the Jaahiliyyah. The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Allaah has given you something
better than them, the day of Adhaa and the day of Fitr.’” (Sunan Abi Dawood,
1134)

These two Eids are among the signs or symbols of Allaah which we must
celebrate and understand the aims and meanings behind them.

There follows a discussion of some of the rulings and manners of the two
Eids according to Islamic sharee’ah

1 – Ahkaam al-Eid (Rulings on Eid)

Fasting

It is haraam to fast on the days of Eid because of the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed
al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of
Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade fasting on the
day of Fitr and the day of Sacrifice (Adhaa). (Reported by Muslim, 827)

Ruling on the Eid prayers

Some of the scholars say that Eid prayers are waajib (obligatory) – this is
the view of the Hanafi scholars and of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may
Allaah have mercy on him). They say that the Prophet  (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) always prayed the Eid prayer and never omitted to do
it, not even once. They take as evidence the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning), “Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him
only)” [al-Kawthar 108:2], i.e., the Eid prayer and the sacrifice after it,
which is an instruction, and the fact that the Prophet  (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) ordered that the women should be brought out to
attend the Eid prayers, and that a woman who did not have a jilbaab(gown)
should borrow one from her sister. Some scholars say that Eid prayer is fard
kifaaya. This is the view of the Hanbalis. A third group say that Eid prayer
is sunnah mu’akkadah. This is the view of the Maalikis and Shaafa’is. They
take as evidence the hadeeth of the Bedouin which says that Allaah has not
imposed any prayers on His slaves other than the five daily prayers. So the
Muslim should be keen to attend Eid prayers, especially since the opinion
that it is waajib is based on strong evidence. The goodness, blessings and
great reward one gets from attending Eid prayers, and the fact that one is
following the example of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) by doing so, should be sufficient motivation.

Essentials and timing of Eid prayer

Some scholars (the Hanafis and Hanbalis) say that the conditions of Eid
prayer are that the iqaamah should be recited and the prayer should be
offered in jamaa’ah (congregation). Some of them said that the conditions of
Eid prayer are the same as the conditions for Friday prayer, with the
exception of the khutbah, attendance at which is not obligatory. The
majority of scholars say that the time for the Eid prayer starts when the
sun has risen above the height of a spear, as seen by the naked eye, and
continues until the sun is approaching its zenith.

Description of the Eid prayer

‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The prayer of Eid and al-Adhaa
is two complete rak’ahs, not shortened. This is according to the words of
your Prophet, and the liar is doomed.”

Abu Sa’eed said: “The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to come out to the prayer-place on the day of Fitr and
al-Adhaa, and the first thing he would do was the prayer.”

The Takbeer is repeated seven times in the first rak’ah and five times in
the second, the Qur’aan is to be recited after each.

It was reported from ‘Aa’ishah: the Takbeer of al-Fitr and al-Adhaa is seven
in the first rak’ah and five in the second, apart from the takbeer of
rukoo’. (Reported by Abu Dawood; saheeh by the sum of its isnaads)

If a person joining the prayer catches up with the imaam during these extra
takbeeraat, he should say “Allaahu akbar” with the imaam, and he does not
have to make up any takbeeraat he may have missed, because they are sunnah,
not waajib. With regard to what should be said between the takbeeraat,
Hammaad ibn Salamah reported from Ibraaheem that Waleed ibn ‘Uqbah entered
the mosque when Ibn Mas’ood, Hudhayfah and Abu Musa were there, and said,
“Eid is here, what should I do?” Ibn Mas’ood said: “Say ‘Allaahu akbar’,
praise and thank Allaah, send blessings on the Prophet  (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and make du’aa’, then say Say ‘Allaahu akbar’, praise
and thank Allaah, send blessings on the Prophet  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)…etc.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani. It is a saheeh hadeeth
that is quoted in al-Irwaa’ and elsewhere).

Recitation of Qur’aan in Eid prayers

It is recommended (mustahabb) that in the Eid prayers the imaam should
recite Qaaf [soorah 50] and Aqtarabat al-saa’ah [al-Qamar, soorah 54], as it
is reported in Saheeh Muslim that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab asked Abu Waaqid
al-Laythi, “What did the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to recite at [Eid] al-Adhaa and al-Fitr?” He said, “He
used to recite Qaaf. Wa’l-Qur’aan al-majeed [Qaaf 50:1] and Aqtarabat
al-saa’ah wa anshaqq al-qamar [al-Qamar 54:1].

Most of the reports indicate that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to recite Soorat al-A’laa [87] and Soorat
al-Ghaashiyah [88], as he used to recite them in the Friday prayer.
Al-Nu’maan ibn Bishr said: “The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to recite on the two Eids and on Fridays, Sabbih
isma rabbika’l-a’laa [al-A’laa 87:1] and Hal ataaka hadeeth al-ghaashiyah
[al-Ghaashiyah 88:1].” (Saheeh Muslim, 878).

Samurah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite on the two Eids, Sabbih isma
rabbika’l-a’laa [al-A’laa 87:1] and Hal ataaka hadeeth al-ghaashiyah
[al-Ghaashiyah 88:1].” (Reported by Ahmad and others; it is saheeh.
Al-Irwaa’, 3/116)

The prayer comes before the khutbah

One of the rulings of Eid is that the prayer should come before the khutbah,
as is reported in Musnad Ahmad from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas, who
testified that the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) prayed before the khutbah on Eid, then he gave the khutbah.”
(Musnad Ahmad, 1905. The hadeeth is also in al-Saheehayn).

Another indication that the khutbah should be after the prayer is the
hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet  (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to go out to the prayer-place on
the day of al-Fitr and al-Adhaa, and the first thing he would do was to
pray, then he would stand up facing the people, whilst they were still
sitting in their rows, and would advise and instruct them. If he wanted to
send out a military expedition, he would decide about the matter then, or if
he wanted to issue a command, he would do it then.” Abu Sa’eed said: “This
is what the people continued to do until I came out [to the Eid prayers]
with Marwaan, when he was governor of Madeenah, on either Adhaa or Fitr.
When we reached the prayer-place, we saw the minbar, which had been built by
Katheer ibn al-Salt. Marwaan wanted to get on the minbar before the prayer.
I pulled on his cloak, and he pulled on mine in return, then he got on the
minbar and gave the khutbah before the prayer. I said, ‘You have changed it,
by Allaah!’ He said, ‘O Abu Sa’eed, what you know is gone.’ I said, ‘What I
know, by Allaah, is better than what I do not know.’ He said, ‘The people
will not remain sitting after the prayer, so we made it [the khutbah] before
the prayer.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 956).

Anyone who wants to leave during the khutbah is allowed to do so

‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Saa’ib said: “I attended Eid with the Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and when he finished the prayer, he said:
“We will give the khutbah, so whoever wants to sit (and listen to) the
khutbah, let him sit, and whoever wants to leave, let him go.’” (Irwaa’
al-Ghaleel, 3/96)

Not delaying the prayer for too long

‘Abd-Allaah ibn Bishr, the companion of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), went out with the people on the day of Fitr or
al-Adhaa, and objected to the fact that the imaam came very late. He said,
“At the time of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we
would have finished by now,” and that was at the time of al-Tasbeeh .”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari )

Naafil prayers in the prayer-place

There are no naafil prayers to be done either before or after the Eid
prayer, as Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to come out on the day of Eid and pray two rak’ahs,
with nothing before or after them.



This is the case if the prayer is offered in a prayer place or public place.
If, however, the people pray the Eid prayer in a mosque, then they should
pray two rak’ahs for Tahiyat al-Masjid (“Greeting the mosque”) before
sitting down.

If people did not know about Eid until the next day

Abu ‘Umayr ibn Anas reported from his paternal uncles among the Ansaar who
said: “It was cloudy and we could not see the new moon of Shawwaal, so we
started the day fasting, then a caravan came at the end of the day and told
the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that
they had seen the new moon of Shawwaal the day before, so he told the people
to stop fasting, and they went out to pray the Eid prayer the next day.”
(Reported by the five. It is saheeh; al-Irwaa’, 3/102)

If someone misses the Eid prayer, the most correct view is that he may make
it up by praying two rak’ahs.

Women’s attendance at Eid prayers

Hafsah said: “We used to prevent prepubescent girls from attending Eid
prayers. Then a woman came and stayed at the fort of Banu Khalaf, and told
us about her sister. Her sister’s husband had taken part in twelve campaigns
with the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and [she
said], ‘my sister was with him on six of them. She said, “We used to treat
the wounded and take care of the sick. My sister asked the Prophet  (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whether there was anything wrong with
her not going out [on Eid] if she did not have a jilbaab. He said, ‘Let her
friend give her one of her jilbaabs so that she may witness the blessings of
Eid and see the Muslims gathering.’”’ When Um ‘Atiyah came, I asked her,
‘Did you hear the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) [say
this]?’ She said, ‘May my father be sacrificed for him’ – and she never
mentioned him without saying ‘may my father be sacrificed for him’ – ‘I
heard him saying that we should bring out the young girls and those who were
secluded, or the young girls who were secluded, and the menstruating women,
so that they could witness the blessings of Eid and see the gathering of the
believers, but those who were menstruating were to keep away from the
prayer-place itself.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 324).

The ‘young girls’ (‘awaatiq, sing. ‘aatiq) are girls who have reached
adolescence or are close to it, or have reached the age of marriage, or are
very precious to their families, or who are spared from having to do
humiliating work. It appears that they used to prevent these young girls
from going out because of the corruption that arose after the first
generation of Islam; but the Sahaabah did not approve of that and they
thought that the ruling should remain in their time as it had been during
the time of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Where it says “My sister was with him” it seems that there is something
omitted, probably “the woman said”. [This is reflected in the translation
above. Translator].…

“Her jilbaabs” – she should lend her some of her clothes that she does not
need.

“Secluded” – they would have a curtain in the corner of the house behind
which virgins would stay.

“Menstruating women” – huyyad, sing. haa’id – this may refer either to girls
who have reached the age of puberty, or women who are having their period
and are not taahir (pure).

“Menstruating women should avoid the prayer-place itself” – Ibn al-Munayyir
said: “The reason why they should avoid the prayer-place is that if they
stand with the women who are praying even though they are not praying, it
may appear that they have no respect for the prayer or are careless, so it
better for them to avoid that.”

It was said that the reason why menstruating women should avoid the
prayer-place is as a precaution, so that women will not come near men for no
reason if they are not praying, or so that they will not offend others with
their blood or their odour.

The hadeeth urges everyone to attend Eid prayer, and to co-operate with one
another in righteousness and piety. The menstruating woman should not
forsake the remembrance of Allaah or places of goodness such as gatherings
for the purpose of seeking knowledge and remembering Allaah – apart from
mosques. The hadeeth also indicates that women should not go out without a
jilbaab.

This hadeeth tells us that it is not proper for young women and women in
seclusion to go out except for a valid reason. It states that it is
preferable (mustahabb) for a woman to wear a jilbaab, and that it is
permissible to lend and borrow clothes. It also indicates that Eid prayer is
obligatory (waajib).

Ibn Abi Shaybah also narrated that Ibn ‘Umar used to take whoever he could
of his household out to the Eid prayers.

The hadeeth of Umm ‘Atiyah also states the reason for the ruling, which is
so that women may witness the blessings of Eid, see the gathering of the
Muslims, and share the blessings and purification of this day.

Al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Sunan, after quoting
the hadeeth of Umm ‘Atiyah: “Some of the scholars referred to this hadeeth
and allowed women to go out to the Eid prayers, and some of them disliked
this. It was reported that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak said: ‘I do not like
for women to go out to Eid prayers nowadays. If a woman insists on going
out, her husband should let her, if she goes out wearing her shabbiest
clothes and not adorning herself. If she insists on adorning herself, then
she should not go out. In this case the husband has the right to stop her
from going out. It was reported that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) said: ‘If the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had
seen what has happened to women, he would have stopped them from going to
the mosques, just as the women of Bani Israa’eel were stopped.’ It was
reported that Sufyaan al-Thawri did not like women to go to the Eid prayers
in his day.” (Al-Tirmidhi, 495).

Umm ‘Atiyah gave her fatwa in the hadeeth mentioned above a while after the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had died, and it is not
reported that any of the Sahaabah disagreed with this. The words of
‘Aa’ishah, “If the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had
seen what has happened to women, he would have stopped them from going to
the mosques”, do not contradict this (provided that women are meeting the
Islamic conditions attached to their going out)… It is better if permission
is given only to those women who are not  going to look at men or be looked
at, whose attendence will not lead to anything undesirable and who are not
going to rub shoulders with men on the street or in the mosque. (i.e., women
whose going out will not cause fitnah or temptation to her or to men).

Men should check on their womenfolk when they going out for the prayer to
make sure that their hijaab is complete, because they are the “shepherds”
who are responsible for their “flocks”. Women should go out in modest
clothes, not over-dressed or dressed scantily which might lead to
distractions.Menstruating women should not enter the mosque or prayer-place;
they can wait in the car, for example, where they can hear the khutbah.

Aadaab al-Eid (Etiquette of Eid)

Ghusl (taking a bath)

One of the manners of Eid is to take a bathe before going out to the prayer.
It is reported in a saheeh report in Imam Malik's al-Muwatta’ and elsewhere
that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar used to take a bath on the day of al-Fitr before
coming to the prayer-place. (al-Muwatta’ 428)

It was reported that Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said: “Three things are sunnah on
Eid: to walk (to the prayer-place), to take a bath and to eat before coming
out.” This is what Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said, and he may have learned this from
some of the Sahaabah.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned that the scholars were
agreed that it is mustahabb to take a bath before the Eid prayer.

The reason why it is mustahabb to take a bath before Friday prayer and other
public gatherings also applies in the case of Eid, only more so.

Eating before coming out

One should not come out to the prayer-place on Eid al-Fitr before eating
some dates, because of the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari from Anas ibn
Maalik who said: “The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) would not go out on the morning of Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten
some dates… and he would eat an odd number.” (al-Bukhaari, 953)

It is mustahabb to eat before coming out because this confirms that we are
not allowed to fast on this day, and demonstrates that the fast is now over.
Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) explained that this is to prevent
people extending the fast and it also means obeying the commandment of
Allaah. (Fath, 2/446). If a person does not have any dates, he can eat
anything permissible for breakfast. On Eid al-Adhaa, on the other hand, it
is mustahabb not to eat until after the prayer, when one should eat from the
meat of one’s sacrifice.

Takbeer on the day of Eid

This is one of the greatest sunnahs of this day, because of the words of
Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “… (He [Allaah] wants that you) must
complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allaah (say
Takbeer – ‘Allaahu akbar’) for having guided you so that you may be grateful
to Him.” [al-Baqarah 2:185]

Al-Waleed ibn Muslim said: “I asked al-Oozaa’i and Malik ibn Anas about
saying Takbeer aloud on Eid. They said, ‘Yes, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar used to
say it aloud on the day of Fitr until the imaam came out.’”

Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Salami said: “On Eid al-Fitr they would say it louder
than on Eid al-Adhaa.” Wakee’ said, “i.e., the takbeer.” (Irwaa’, 3/122).

Al-Daaraqutni and others reported that when Ibn ‘Umar came out on Eid
al-Fitr and Eid al-Adhaa, he would strive hard in making Takbeer until he
reached the prayer-place, then he would continue making Takbeer until the
imaam came.

Ibn Abi Shaybah reported with a saheeh isnaad that al-Zuhri said: “The
people used to make Takbeer on Eid when they came out of their houses until
they reached the prayer-place and until the imaam came out. When the imaam
came out, they fell silent, until the imaam said Takbeer, then they said
Takbeer.” (Irwaa’, 2/121).

The practice of making Takbeer from home to the prayer-place, and until the
imaam comes in, was well-known among the salaf and was reported by a number
of authors such as Ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Abd al-Razzaaq and al-Firyaabi in his
book Ahkaam al-‘Eidayn from a group of the salaf. An example of this is the
report that Naafi’ ibn Jubayr used to make Takbeer and wondered why people
did not do so. He would say to people, “Why do you not make Takbeer?” Ibn
Shihaab al-Zuhri said, “The people used to make Takbeer from the time they
left their homes until the imaam came in.”

The time for making Takbeer on Eid al-Fitr starts from the night of Eid
until the time when the imaam comes in to lead the prayer.

The wording of the Takbeer

Ibn Abi Shaybah reported in al-Musannaf that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be
pleased with him) used to say Takbeer on the days of Tashreeq as follows:
“Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar,
Allaahu akbar wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allaah is Most Great… there is no god but
Allaah, Allaah is Most Great, and to Allaah be praise).” Ibn Abi Shaybah
reported it elsewhere with the same isnaad, but with the phrase “Allaahu
akbar” repeated three times.

Al-Muhaamili also reported that Ibn Mas’ood used to say: “Allaahu akbaru
kabeeran, Allaahu akbaru kabeeran, Allaahu akbar wa ajall, Allaahu akbar wa
Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allaah is Most Great of All, Allaah is Most Great of all,
Allaah is most Great and Most Glorious, and to Allaah be praise).”
(al-Irwaa’, 3/126).

Congratulating one another

People may exchange congratulations and good greetings on Eid, no matter
what form the words take. For example they may say to one another, “Taqabbal
Allaahu minnaa wa minkum (May Allaah accept [the fast and worship] from us
and from you” or “Eid mubarak” and other similar permissible greetings.

Jubayr ibn Nufayr said: “At the time of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), when people met one another on the day of Eid, they
would say, ‘Taqabbal Allaahu minnaa wa minka (May Allaah accept from us and
from you).’” (Ibn Hajar. Its isnaad is hasan. Fath, 2/446).

The practice of exchanging greetings was well-known at the time of the
Sahaabah and scholars such as Imaam Ahmad and others allowed it. There are
reports which indicate that it is permissible to congratulate people on
special occasions. The Sahaabah used to congratulate one another when
something good happened, such as when Allaah accepted a person’s repentance
and so on.

There is no doubt that congratulating others in this way is one of the
noblest kinds of good manners and one of the highest social qualities among
Muslims.

At the very least, one can return Eid greetings when they are given to you,
and remain silent if nothing is said, as Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: “If someone congratulates me, I return the greeting, but I do
not initiate it.”

Looking one’s best for Eid

‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “ ‘Umar picked
up a jubbah (long outer garment) made of silk that was for sale in the
market, brought it to the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, buy this and wear it
for Eid and when the delegations come.” The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “This is the clothing of the one who
has no share of the Hereafter…” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 948).

The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of ‘Umar’s
idea of looking one’s best, but he rejected and denounced the idea of buying
this jubbah because it was made of silk.

Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had a jubbah that he would wear on Eid and
on Fridays.” (Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah, 1765).

Al-Bayhaqi reported that Ibn Umar used to wear his best clothes on Eid, so
men should wear the best clothes they have when they go out for Eid.

Women, on the other hand, should avoid adornment when they go out for Eid,
because they are prohibited from showing their adornment in front of
non-mahrem men. A woman who wants to go out is forbidden to wear perfume or
to show off in a tempting way in front of men, because she is only going out
for the purpose of worship. Do you think that it is right for a believing
woman to disobey the One Whom she is going out to worship and go against His
commands by wearing attention-grabbing tight and brightly coloured clothes
or by putting on perfume and so on?

Ruling on listening to the Eid khutbah

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Kaafi (p.
234):

“When the imaam has said the salaam (at the end of the prayer), he should
give a khutbah in two parts, like the two Friday khutbahs, because the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this. (The Eid
khutbah) differs from the Friday khutbahs in four ways … the fourth of which
is: that it is sunnah and it is not obligatory to listen to it, because it
was reported that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Saa’ib said: “I attended Eid with the
Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and when
he had finished the prayer, he said: “We are going to give a khutbah, so
whoever wishes to sit (and listen) to the khutbah, let him sit down, and
whoever wants to leave, let him go.’”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Majmoo’ Sharh
al-Muhadhdhab, p. 23: “It is mustahabb for people to listen to the khutbah,
although the khutbah and listening to it are not essential conditions of the
Eid prayer. But al-Shaafa'i said: ‘If someone does not listen to the khutbah
of Eid, at the time of an eclipse, when prayers for rain are offered, or
during Hajj, or he speaks during one of these khutbahs, or leaves, I would
not like this, but he does not have to repeat the prayer.”

In al-Sharh al-Mumti’ ‘ala Zaad al-Mustanfi’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 5/192, it
says:

“[Ibn Qudaamah’s] words, ‘like the two Friday khutbahs’ means that he should
give two khutbahs, even though there is a dispute in this matter, as we have
referred to above. The Eid khutbah is subject to the same rulings as the
Friday khutbah, even to the point that speaking during it is haraam, but it
is not obligatory to attend, whereas attendance at the Friday khutbah is
obligatory, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who
believe! When the call for prayer on the day of Jumu’ah (Friday) is given,
come to the remembrance of Allaah [Jumu’ah khutbah and prayer], and leave
off business …” [al-Jumu’ah 62:9]. Attendance at the Eid khutbahs is not
obligatory, and a person is allowed to leave, but if he stays he must not
talk to anyone. This is what the author is referring to when he says ‘like
the two Friday khutbahs’.”

One of the scholars said: “It is not obligatory to listen to the Eid
khutbahs, because if it was obligatory to attend and listen to them it would
be haraam to leave. But as it is permissible to leave, it is not obligatory
to listen.”

Nevertheless, if talking disturbs those who are listening, it is haraam to
talk because of this disturbance, not because of not listening. On this
basis, if a person has a book with him during the imam’s Eid khutbah, it is
permissible for him to read it, because this does not disturb anyone. But
according to the madhhab followed by this author, it is obligatory to listen
to the khutbah if one is present.

To go out one by one route and come back by another

Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to vary his routes
on the day of Eid. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 986)

It was also reported that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to go out walking, and he prayed without any adhaan or
iqaamah, then he would come back walking by a different route. It was said
that this was so that the two different routes would testify in his favour
on the Day of Resurrection, because on that Day the earth will speak about
everything that was done on it, good and evil. It was also said that this
was done in order to demonstrate the symbols and rituals of Islam along both
routes; to pronounce the remembrance of Allaah; to annoy the hypocrites and
to scare them by the number of people who were with him; to meet the
people’s needs by giving fatwas, teaching them and setting an example for
them to follow; to give charity to those in need; or to visit his relatives
and uphold the ties of kinship.

Warning against wrongdoing

Some people think that Islam tells us to stay up and pray on the night of
Eid, quoting an unsound hadeeth which says that “whoever stays up and prays
on the night of Eid, his heart will not die on the day when hearts die.”
This hadeeth was reported with two isnaads, one of which is da’eef (weak),
and the other is very da’eef. Islam does not tell us to single out the night
of Eid for staying up and praying; if, however, a person habitually stays up
and prays at night (qiyaam), there is nothing wrong with him doing so on the
night of Eid as well.

Mixing of men and women in some prayer-places, streets, etc. It is a pity
that this happens not only in mosques but even in the most sacred of places,
al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah]. Many women – may Allaah guide them – go out
uncovered ,wearing make-up and perfume, flaunting their adornment, when
there is such serious overcrowding in the mosques – the dangers of this
situation are quite obvious. So those who are in charge must organize the
Eid prayers properly, by allocating separate doors and routes for women and
delaying the men’s departure until the women have left.

Some people get together on Eid for the purpose of singing and other forms
of idle entertainment, and this is not permitted.

Some people celebrate on Eid because Ramadaan is over and they no longer
have to fast. This is a mistake, the believers celebrate at Eid because
Allaah has helped them to complete the month of fasting, not because the
fasting ,which some people regard as a heavy burden, is over.

We ask Allaah to accept our worship and our repentance. May Allaah bless our
Prophet Muhammad.






With the very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
[log in to unmask]
Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will
benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and
companions..Amen.




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