The Eid Prayer

Salat al-Eid (صَلَاة العِيد) is the prayer of the two festivals, Eid al-Fitr (after Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (the day of sacrifice). It is 2 rak’at, prayed in congregation on the morning of Eid, recited aloud, with extra takbirs, and followed by a khutbah.

Its ruling

The Eid prayer is greatly emphasized — the Prophet ﷺ never left it, and he even commanded the women to come out to it. The Hanbali madhhab holds it to be fard kifayah (a communal obligation: if enough of the town prays it, the obligation is fulfilled for all). A strong view, that of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, is that it is wajib upon every man ( fard ayn ), like Jumu’ah. On any view, no one able to attend should stay away from it.

At a glance

When it is prayed

The Eid prayer’s time begins when the sun has risen to about a spear’s length above the horizon (roughly 15–20 minutes after sunrise) and lasts until just before zawal (midday). By the Sunnah:

• Eid al-Adha is prayed early in this window, so people can go on to their sacrifice.
• Eid al-Fitr is prayed a little later, to leave time to pay زكاة الفطر ( zakat al-fitr ) before the prayer.

There is no adhan and no iqama for Eid. People simply gather and the imam begins.

How the Eid prayer is performed

It is prayed like any 2-rak’ah prayer, with one distinctive addition: a series of extra takbirs in each rak’ah, raising the hands with each.

Rak’ah 1

1. Takbirat al-ihram (raising the hands) and the opening du’a, as in any prayer.
2. Then seven takbirs (this is the well-known number; scholars differ over whether the opening takbir is counted among the seven), raising your hands with each one.
3. Between each pair of takbirs it is good to praise Allah quietly, the Companions would say, between them, words such as:

4. Then the ta’awudh and basmalah (silently), and Al-Fatiha aloud, followed by a surah aloud, the Prophet ﷺ often recited Surat al-A’la (87).
5. Then ruku and the two sujood as normal.

Rak’ah 2

1. Stand for the second rak’ah with its takbir.
2. Before reciting, say five takbirs (besides the takbir for standing), again raising the hands with each, with the same quiet praise between them.
3. Al-Fatiha aloud, then a surah aloud, the Prophet ﷺ often recited Surat al-Ghashiyah (88).
4. Ruku, two sujood, then the tashahhud (iftirash) and tasleem.

If you lose count of the extra takbirs, do not worry, they are a sunnah of the prayer, not a pillar. The prayer is valid even if a takbir is missed, and there is no sujud al-sahw required for them.

The khutbah

After the tasleem, the imam delivers the khutbah — and for Eid it comes after the prayer (the opposite of Jumu’ah). Staying to listen is part of the goodness of the day. (Unlike Jumu’ah, attending the Eid khutbah is not a strict condition, but leaving before it forgoes a benefit; the better practice is to stay.)

The sunnahs of Eid

The day of Eid has a beautiful etiquette:

• Ghusl before going out (see How to perform ghusl).
• Wear your best clean clothes; men apply perfume.
• Eat before Eid al-Fitr — the Prophet ﷺ would eat an odd number of dates before leaving for the prayer. On Eid al-Adha, the Sunnah is the reverse: do not eat until after the prayer, then eat from your sacrifice.
• Say the takbir aloud on the way to the prayer (and, for Eid al-Adha, through the days of Tashreeq ). A well-known wording:

• Go to the prayer by one route and return by another, as the Prophet ﷺ did (Bukhari).
• Congratulate one another, the Companions would say: “Taqabbalallahu minna wa minkum” — “May Allah accept from us and from you.”

The women come out to Eid

Eid is one occasion where women are specifically encouraged to attend. Umm Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:

“We were commanded to bring out the young women and the women in seclusion to the two Eids, to witness the good and the gathering of the Muslims, but the menstruating women would keep away from the prayer area (the musalla ).”

Bukhari, Muslim

So a woman in her period still goes out for the goodness and the takbir of the day, but does not pray and stays back from the prayer lines.

If you miss the Eid prayer in congregation

If you arrive after the imam has finished, or could not reach the congregation, you may still pray it: pray 2 rak’at on your own (or with your household) in the same form — with the seven and five extra takbirs and the aloud recitation. You pray it within the Eid time window (before zawal).