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Praise be to Allah, 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 festivals of the kaafir nations may be connected to worldly
matters, such as the beginning of the year, the start of an
agricultural season, the changing of the weather, the
establishment of a state, the accession of a ruler, and so on.
They may also be connected to religious occasions, like many of
the festivals belonging exclusively to the Jews and Christians,
such as the Thursday on which they claim the table was sent down
to Jesus, Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, and holidays on
which gifts are exchanged. These are celebrated in all European
and North American countries nowadays, and in other countries
where Christian influence is prevalent, even if the country is
not originally Christian. Some so-called Muslims may also join
in these holidays, out of ignorance or hypocrisy.
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, and that it is not permissible for Muslims to
imitate the kuffaar and mushrikeen in anything that is a
distinctive part of their celebrations, whether it be food,
dress, bonfires or acts of worship. Muslim children should not
be allowed to play on those kaafir festivals, or to put up
decorations, or to join in with the kuffaar on those occasions.
All kaafir or innovated festivals are haraam, such as
Independence Day celebrations, anniversaries of revolutions,
holidays celebrating trees or accessions to the throne,
birthdays, Labour Day, the Nile festival, Shimm al-Naseem
(Egyptian spring holiday), teachers’ day, and al-Mawlood al-Nabawi
(Prophet’s Birthday).
The Muslims have no festivals apart from Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha,
because of the hadith narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased
with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah 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 Jahiliyyah. The Messenger of
Allah
(peace and blessings of Allaa be upon him) said, ‘Allah has
given you something better than them, the day of Adha and the
day of Fitr.’” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 1134)
These two Eids are among the signs or symbols of Allah 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 shari’ah
Ahkam al-Eid (Rulings on Eid)
Fasting
It is haram to fast on the days of Eid because of the hadith of
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said
that the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade fasting on
the day of Fitr and the day of Sacrifice (Adha). (Reported by
Muslim, 827)
Ruling on the Eid prayers
Some of the scholars say that Eid prayers are wajib (obligatory)
– this is the view of the Hanafi scholars and of Shaykh al-Islam
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him). They say that the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) always prayed the Eid
prayer and never omitted to do it, not even once. They take as
evidence the ayah (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 Allah 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 jilbab should borrow one from her
sister. Some scholars say that Eid prayer is fard kifaya. 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
Shafa’is. They take as evidence the hadith of the Bedouin which
says that Allah 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
wajib 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 Allah 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 iqamah should be recited and the
prayer should be offered in jama’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 Allah be pleased with him) said: “The prayer of Eid
and al-Adha is two complete rak’ahs, not shortened. This is
according to the words of your Prophet, and the liar is doomed.”
Abu Sa’id said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to come out to
the prayer-place on the day of Fitr and al-Adha, and the first
thing he would do was the prayer.”
The Takbir is repeated seven times in the first rak’ah and five
times in the second, the Qur’an 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 takbir of ruku’. (Reported by Abu Dawud; sahih by the sum of
its isnads)
If a person joining the prayer catches up with the imam during
these extra takbirat, he should say “Allahu akbar” with the
imam, and he does not have to make up any takbirat he may have
missed, because they are sunnah, not wajib. With regard to what
should be said between the takbirat, Hammad ibn Salamah reported
from Ibrahim that Walid ibn ‘Uqbah entered the mosque when Ibn
Mas’ud, Hudhayfah and Abu Musa were there, and said, “Eid is
here, what should I do?” Ibn Mas’ud said: “Say ‘Allahu akbar’,
praise and thank Allah, send blessings on the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and make du’a, then
say Say ‘Allahu akbar’, praise and thank Allah, send blessings
on the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)…etc.” (Reported by
al-Tabaraani. It is a saheeh hadeeth that is quoted in al-Irwaa’
and elsewhere).
Recitation of Qur’an in Eid prayers
It is recommended (mustahab) that in the Eid prayers the imam
should recite
Qaf
[surah 50]
and Aqtarabat
al-sa’ah
[al-Qamar, surah 54],
as it is reported in Sahih Muslim that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
asked Abu Waqid al-Laythi, “What did the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to recite at [Eid]
al-Adha and al-Fitr?” He said, “He used to recite
Qaf. Wa’l-Qur’aan al-majid
[Qaf 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 Allah be upon him) used to recite
Surat al-A’laa
[87]
and
Surat al-Ghashiyah
[88],
as he used to recite them in the Friday prayer. Al-Nu’maan ibn
Bishr said: “The Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah 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 hadith al-ghaashiyah
[al-Ghaashiyah 88:1].”
(Saheeh Muslim, 878).
Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to recite on the
two
Eids, Sabbih isma rabbika’l-a’laa [al-A’laa 87:1]
and
Hal ataaka hadith 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 had-th
of Ibn ‘Abbaas, who testified that the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed before the
khutbah on Eid, then he gave the khutbah.” (Musnad Ahmad,
1905. The hadeeth is also in al-Sahihayn).
Another indication that the khutbah should be after the prayer
is the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed (may Allah be pleased with him):
“The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to go out to the
prayer-place on the day of al-Fitr and al-Adha, 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’id said:
“This is what the people continued to do until I came out [to
the Eid prayers] with Marwan, when he was governor of Madinah,
on either Adha or Fitr. When we reached the prayer-place, we saw
the minbar, which had been built by Kathir ibn al-Salt. Marwan
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 Allah!’ He said, ‘O Abu Sa’id, what you know is
gone.’ I said, ‘What I know, by Allah, 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-Bukhari, 956).
Anyone who wants to leave during the khutbah is allowed to do so
‘Abd-Allah ibn al-Sa’ib said: “I attended Eid with the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah 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-Ghalil, 3/96)
Not delaying the prayer for too long
‘Abd-Allah ibn Bishr, the companion of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), went out with the
people on the day of Fitr or al-Adha, and objected to the fact
that the imam came very late. He said, “At the time of the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) we would have
finished by now,” and that was at the time of al-Tasbih .”
(Reported by al-Bukhari )
Nafil prayers in the prayer-place
There are no nafil prayers to be done either before or after the
Eid prayer, as Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah 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
Ansar who said: “It was cloudy and we could not see the new moon
of Shawwal, so we started the day fasting, then a caravan came
at the end of the day and told the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that they had seen
the new moon of Shawwal 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 sahih; al-Irwa’,
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 Allah 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 Allah be upon him) whether there was
anything wrong with her not going out [on Eid] if she did not
have a jilbab. He said, ‘Let her friend give her one of her
jilbabs 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 Allah 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.” (Sahih al-Bukari, 324).
The ‘young girls’ (‘awatiq, sing. ‘atiq) 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 Sahabah 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 Allah 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 jilbabs” – 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. ha’id – this
may refer either to girls who have reached the age of puberty,
or women who are having their period and are not tahir (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 hadith 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 Allah
or places of goodness such as gatherings for the purpose of
seeking knowledge and remembering Allah – apart from mosques.
The hadith also indicates that women should not go out without a
jilbab.
This hadith 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
jilbab, and that it is permissible to lend and borrow clothes.
It also indicates that Eid prayer is obligatory (wajib).
Ibn Abi Shaybah also narrated that Ibn ‘Umar used to take
whoever he could of his household out to the Eid prayers.
The hadith 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 Allah have mercy on him) said in his Sunan,
after quoting the hadith of Umm ‘Atiyah: “Some of the scholars
referred to this hadith and allowed women to go out to the Eid
prayers, and some of them disliked this. It was reported that ‘Abd-Allah
ibn al-Mubarak 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 Allah be pleased with her) said: ‘If the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah 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 Isra’il were stopped.’ It was
reported that Sufyan 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 hadith mentioned above a while
after the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had died, and it is
not reported that any of the Sahabah disagreed with this. The
words of ‘Aa’ishah, “If the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah 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
who are not going to look at men or be looked at, whose
attendance 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 who are 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 hijab is complete, because they
are the “shepherds” who are responsible for their “flocks”.
Women should go out in shabby clothes, not adorned or wearing
perfume. Menstruating women should not enter the mosque or
prayer-place; they can wait in the car, for example, where they
can hear the khutbah.
Aadab al-Eid (Etiquette of Eid)
Ghusl
(taking a bath)
One of the manners of Eid is to take a bath before going out to
the prayer. It is reported in a sahih report in al-Muwatta’
and elsewhere that ‘Abd-Allah 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’id 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’id ibn Jubayr said,
and he may have learned this from some of the Sahabah.
Al-Nawawi (may Allah 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 hadith narrated by al-Bukhari
from Anas ibn Malik who said: “The Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah 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-Bukhari, 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 Allah have mercy on
him) explained that this is to prevent people extending the fast
and it also means obeying the commandment of Allah. (Fath,
2/446). If a person does not have any dates, he can eat anything
permissible for breakfast. On Eid al-Adha, 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.
Takbir on the day of Eid
This is one of the greatest sunnahs of this day, because of the
words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):
“… (He [Allah] wants that you) must complete the same number (of
days), and that you must magnify Allah (say Takbir – ‘Allahu
akbar’) for having guided you so that you may be grateful to
Him.” [al-Baqarah 2:185]
Al-Walid ibn Muslim said: “I asked al-Oozaa’i and Malik ibn Anas
about saying Takbir aloud on Eid. They said, ‘Yes, ‘Abd-Allah
ibn ‘Umar used to say it aloud on the day of Fitr until the imam
came out.’”
Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Salami said: “On Eid al-Fitr they would
say it louder than on Eid al-Adha.” Wakee’ said, “i.e., the
takbeer.” (Irwaa’, 3/122).
Al-Daraqutni and others reported that when Ibn ‘Umar came out on
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, he would strive hard in making
Takbir until he reached the prayer-place, then he would continue
making Takbir until the imam came.
Ibn Abi Shaybah reported with a sahih isnad that al-Zuhri said:
“The people used to make Takbir on Eid when they came out of
their houses until they reached the prayer-place and until the
imam came out. When the imam came out, they fell silent, until
the imam said Takbir, then they said Takbeer.” (Irwaa’,
2/121).
The practice of making Takbir from home to the prayer-place, and
until the imaa comes in, was well-known among the salaf and was
reported by a number of authors such as Ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Abd
al-Razzaq and al-Firyabi in his book Ahkam al-‘Eidayn
from a group of the salaf. An example of this is the report that
Naafi’ ibn Jubayr used to make Takbir and wondered why people
did not do so. He would say to people, “Why do you not make
Takbir?” Ibn Shihaab al-Zuhri said, “The people used to make
Takbir from the time they left their homes until the imam came
in.”
The time for making Takbir on Eid al-Fitr starts from the night
of Eid until the time when the imam comes in to lead the prayer.
The wording of the Takbir
Ibn Abi Shaybah reported in al-Musannaf that Ibn Mas’ud
(may Allah be pleased with him) used to say Takbir on the days
of Tashriq as follows:
“Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allah, wa Allahu
akbar, Allahu akbar wa Lillaahi’l-hamd
(Allah is Most Great… there is no god but Allah, Allah is Most
Great, and to Allah be praise).” Ibn Abi Shaybah reported it
elsewhere with the same isnad, but with the phrase “Allahu
akbar” repeated three times.
Al-Muhamili also reported that Ibn Mas’ud used to say:
“Allahu akbaru kabiran, Allahu akbaru kabiran, Allahu akbar
wa ajall, Allahu akbar wa Lillaahi’l-hamd
(Allah is Most Great of All, Allah is Most Great of all, Allah
is most Great and Most Glorious, and to Allah be praise).” (al-Irwa’,
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 Allahu minnaa wa minkum”
(May Allah 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 Allah be upon him), when people met one
another on the day of Eid, they would say, ‘Taqabbal
Allahu minna wa minka”
(May Allah accepts from us and from you).” (Ibn Hajar. Its isnad
is hasan. Fath, 2/446).
The practice of exchanging greetings was well-known at the time
of the Sahabah and scholars such as Imam Ahmad and others
allowed it. There are reports which indicate that it is
permissible to congratulate people on special occasions. The
Sahabah used to congratulate one another when something good
happened, such as when Allah 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 Imam
Ahmad (may Allah 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-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah 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 Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “O
Messenger of Allah, buy this and wear it for Eid and when the
delegations come.” The Messenger of Allah
(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 Allah 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.
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had a jubbah that he
would wear on Eid and on Fridays.” (Sahih 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 Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book
al-Kafi (p. 234):
“When the imam 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-Allah ibn al-Saa’ib
said: “I attended Eid with the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah 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 Allah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Majmu’
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-Shafa'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 Zad al-Mustanfi’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymin,
5/192, it says:
“[Ibn Qudamah’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 haram, but it is not obligatory
to attend, whereas attendance at the Friday khutbah is
obligatory, because Allah 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 haram 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
haram 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
Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported
that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to vary his
routes on the day of Eid. (Reported by al-Bukhari, 986)
It was also reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to go out
walking, and he prayed without any adhan or iqamah, 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
favor 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 Allah; to annoy the hypocrites and Jews 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 hadith 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 hadith was reported with two
isnads, one of which is da’if (weak), and the other is very
da’if. 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 (qiyam), 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 Allah 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 Ramadhan is over and they
no longer have to fast. This is a mistake, the believers
celebrate at Eid because Allah 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 Allah to accept our worship and our repentance. May
Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
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