Eid prayers, also referred to as Salat al-Eid (), are holy holiday prayers in the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

tradition. The literal translation of the word "Eid" in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

is "festival" or "feast" and is a time when

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

congregate with family and the larger Muslim community to celebrate. There are generally two central Eids that take place in accordance with the Islamic lunar calendar (hence the additional name Ṣalāt al-’Īdayn ( "Prayer of the Two Eids"): *

Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide becaus ...

(), also known as the "Smaller Eid" is a three-day celebration marking the end of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, the Islamic holy month of fasting, and welcoming the new month of Shawwal. Mandatory charity, or

Zakat Zakat (or Zakāh زكاة) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Zakat is the Arabic word for "Giving to Charity" or "Giving to the Needy". Zakat is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam a relig ...

, specifically Zakat al-Fitr (Zakat of Eid Al-Fitr) is offered to the poor by every financially-able Muslim (preferably prior to the offering of the prayer) to ensure that those who are less fortunate may also participate in the joyous holiday. * Eid al-Adha (), the "Greater Eid" or "Eid of Sacrifice", is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah (last month of the Islamic lunar calendar in which the Islamic pillar of

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

pilgrimage to Mecca is performed). This Eid follows what is considered to be the holiest day in Islam, Day of Arafah and serves as a commemoration of Ibrahim's obedience and faith when tested by

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

. Able Muslims sacrifice an animal (

Qurban ''Qurbān'' () or ''uḍḥiyah'' () as referred to in Islamic law, is a ritual animal sacrifice of a livestock animal during Eid al-Adha. The concept and definition of the word is derived from the Qur'an, the sacred scripture of Muslims, and i ...

i) whose provisions are to be distributed among friends, family, and the poor, in three equal parts as charity. Those who are unable to offer Qurbani but meet the requirements for it may offer a donation of

in its place. These obligations apply to every adult Muslim regardless of gender, so long as they meet the requirements of giving. Its duration is 4 days. There is no set date for the Eid holidays, as it changes from year to year. This is due to the nature of the

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...

that calculates months based on the phases of the moon, unlike the solar

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

that is used most widely today. The lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than that of the Gregorian, and so the equivalent date shifts back about 11 days every year. This is true for other holidays, such as the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

, that are also based on the lunar calendar. The date normally varies in locations across the world, but many communities choose to follow the sighting reports of the crescent moon in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

for the sake of consistency.

Name variations

Eid greetings

The customary greeting on the days of Eid Festivals is "Eid Mubarak", meaning "Have a Blessed Eid" and is often accompanied by other forms of cultural greetings and customs.

Location and timing

Eid prayers are traditionally offered in an open space (''such as a Musalla'' or Eidgah) or field available for prayer if weather permits. The technical appointed time of Salat Al-Eid, as specified by the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and

Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

(sayings, teachings, and actions of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

), begins when the sun reaches approximately three meters above the horizon - above the height of a spear, until it reaches its meridian - approaching its

zenith The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (Vertical and horizontal, plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The z ...

. Generally speaking, it is recommended that the prayer is offered in the morning, anytime after sunrise and before noon. The time for ''Eid al-Fitr'' prayer may be delayed while the prayer of ''Eid al-Adha'' is hastened. This is to ensure enough time to facilitate the distribution of the

before the prayer or offer sacrifice after, respectively. This has been a proved Sunnah and has been well recorded in

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

books. Specified times of the prayer vary according to local Masjids and larger communities may offer two prayers to allow as many people as possible the chance to make the prayer.

Degree of importance

The degree of importance of the Eid prayer vary between different

Madhhab A ''madhhab'' (, , pl. , ) refers to any school of thought within fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. The major Sunni Islam, Sunni ''madhhab'' are Hanafi school, Hanafi, Maliki school, Maliki, Shafi'i school, Shafi'i and Hanbali school, Hanbali. They ...

, or schools of Islamic thought. According to

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

scholars, Salat al-Eid is Wajib (obligatory). To Hanbali jurisprudence, it is Fard (necessary; often synonymous with Wajib) and according to

Maliki The Maliki school or Malikism is one of the four major madhhab, schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas () in the 8th century. In contrast to the Ahl al-Hadith and Ahl al-Ra'y schools of thought, the ...

and Shafiʽi schools, it is considered to be ''Sunnah Al-Mu'akkadah'' ("confirmed

, "continuously performed and never abandoned") but not mandatory.

Procedure and ritual

In addition to the actual praying of the

Salah ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific s ...

, another component of the Eid Prayers is the delivering of a Khutbah or Islamic sermon, like that given weekly on Fridays at

Jumu'ah Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

(obligatory Friday prayers). While the sermon is delivered prior to the Salah for Jumu'ah, it is delivered after the Salah for Eid. This is in accordance with the narration by Abdullah ibn Umar that Muhammad performed Eid Prayers in this order. The Eid prayers also take place without the customary calling of the Adhan or Iqama (arabic call to prayer), which is normally called before every Salah. This is per the traditional narration by Jabir sin Samurah, who had prayed Eid Salah behind Muhammad, and noted that the calls were not made. Another specific characteristic of the Eid prayer is the number of Takbir, or calling of the phrase ''" Allahu Akbar"'' ("God is Great") performed in each Rakat (unit of prayer) of Salah. The Takbir for regular Salah (as well as most sunnah and special Salah) is called only once at the start with repetitions between steps of the prayer. According to Hadith narrated by 'Amr bin Shuaib over certified generations, Muhammad completed 7 takbirs in the first rakah of the Eid prayer and 5 in the second, then began with the recitation of the

. The Hanafis complete 3 takbirs before reciting Quran in the first rak'ah and 3 takbirs after reciting Quran before prostrating.

Additional sunnah

To reap further rewards from praying the Eid, there are additional recommended steps that Muhammad did in his time according to his

that Muslims may perform. These include bathing or Ghusl prior to attending the festival, dressing in one's best clothes, eating before the

prayer and waiting until after Eid al-Adha prayer to eat, saying the Takbir to and from the place of Eid and after every prayer for the remaining days of the festival, as well as taking an alternative route home from the one taken to the prayer.

Women and the Eid Salah

Eid festivals are meant to be an event for all members of the Muslim community, including women and children. According to the Hadith narrated by th
Nusaybah Bint Al-Harith (Umm 'Atiyah)
women, young and old, were called to come out and participate in the joy of Eid and reap its blessings.

References

{{Authority control Salah Eid (Islam) Salah terminology