Eid prayers

Eid prayer during Eid al-Fitr at Taipei Grand Mosque, Taiwan

Muslim males can be seen attending Khutbah as part of the Eid-ul-Adha prayers. Photo taken at Barashalghar union of Comilla's Debidwar upazila.

Eid prayers, also known as Salat al-Eid (Arabic: صلاة العيد‎) and Șālat al-’Īdayn (Arabic: صلاة العيدين‎ "Prayer of the Two Eids"), is the special prayers offered to commemorate two Islamic festivals traditionally in an open space allocated (musalla or Eidgah) or field available for prayer. The two festivals on which these prayers are conducted in large congregations are:

• Eid al-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر‎), celebrated on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal after the fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.
• Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى‎), celebrated on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah after the Day of Arafah, the main day of the Hajj pilgrimage season.

Name variations

Importance

Different scholars interpret the importance of this salat (prayer) differently. Salat al-Eid is Wajib (necessary/mandatory) according to Hanafi scholars, Sunnah al-Mu'kkadah according to Maliki and Shaf'i jurisprudence, and Fard according to Hanbali scholars. Some scholars say it is fard al-ayn and some say it is fard al-kifaya.^[1]

Timing

The time of Salat al-Eid begins when the sun reaches approximately two meters above the horizon until it reaches its meridian before Zuhr. Adhering to the Sunnah, the time for Eid al-Fitr prayer is delayed and Eid al-Adha prayer is hastened, so as to facilitate distribution of Fitrah before the Eid al-Fitr prayer and offer sacrifice after the Eid al-Adha prayer. This has been a proved Sunnah and has been well recorded in Hadith books.

See also

• Eid al-Fitr
• Eid al-Adha
• Eidgah

References

2. Description of Eid Prayer.