The Islamic nation welcomes in the month of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Hijri calendar, one of the most prominent holidays in Islam, the blessed Eid al-Adha. It brings with it days full of blessings and goodness for all Muslims, and one of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj, is held during this time. Eid al-Adha falls on the tenth day of Dhul Hijjah, while the Day of Arafah falls on the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah. The Eid days last for four days, during which Muslims all over the world celebrate the blessed Eid al-Adha by slaughtering sacrificial animals and distributing them to family and relatives, with the largest share going to the poor and needy Muslims to magnify the rituals of Allah, spreading joy and happiness to everyone.
The manifestations of celebrating the blessed Eid al-Adha may differ among Muslims in different parts of the world, but they all come together to perform its prayer, which is considered one of the most important rituals of the blessed Eid al-Adha and one of the most important manifestations that show the joy of Eid, in addition to slaughtering the sacrifice, which is a distinctive feature of Eid al-Adha and is also shared by Muslims in different parts of the world.
The Ruling on Eid Prayer
Eid prayer is considered a confirmed Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), although the four schools of thought differ in their ruling on Eid prayer with three opinions:
The first opinion: It is a confirmed Sunnah, which is the school of thought of Imam Malik and Imam Shafi’i.
The second opinion: It is a communal obligation, which is the school of thought of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
The third opinion: It is obligatory for every able Muslim, so it is obligatory for every man, and it is not permissible for any responsible free settled man to miss it, which is the school of thought of Imam Abu Hanifa.
However, the most likely opinion is that Eid prayer is a confirmed Sunnah according to the Maliki and Shafi’i schools of thought, and they are supported by what was narrated by Bukhari and Muslim from the hadith of Talha ibn Ubaidullah who said: (A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was asking him about Islam, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Five prayers in the day and night,” so he said: Is there anything else on me? He said: “No, unless you volunteer”). They said: If Eid prayer was obligatory, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would have explained it to him.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also commanded women to attend it, so it is recommended for women to go out for Eid prayer, while adhering to the Islamic hijab and not wearing perfume or adornment, as it was proven in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from Umm Atiyah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said:
(The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to go out on the two Eids, the young and the menstruating women, to witness the good and the supplication of the Muslims, and the menstruating women should stay away from the prayer area), and in another narration, one of them said: O Messenger of Allah, one of us does not find a jilbab to go out in, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Let her sister lend her from her jilbab).
There is no doubt that this is clear evidence of the confirmation of the permissibility of women going out to perform Eid prayer, to witness the good and the supplication of the Muslims.
The Time of the Blessed Eid al-Adha Prayer
Eid prayer coincides with the first day of the blessed Eid al-Adha in the morning, as it was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he regularly performed it on the morning of the first day of Eid, and commanded men and women to perform it. The time for Eid prayer begins after the sun’s rays have risen to the height of a spear, which scholars have defined as the disappearance of its redness, and the time for prayer ends with the disappearance of the sun.
According to the opinion of jurists, the Eid al-Adha prayer must be performed شرعاً after sunrise and the rise of its rays to the height of a spear, which is equivalent to approximately 15 to 20 minutes after sunrise. Jurists have also permitted extending the time for its performance until the call to noon prayer is made.
It is Sunnah to perform Eid al-Adha prayer early and Eid al-Fitr prayer late, as Imam Shafi’i narrated saying: (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote to Amr ibn Hazm: Hasten the sacrifice, delay the breakfast, and remind the people), so that the time for sacrifice is extended by performing the prayer early on Eid al-Adha, as it is Sunnah to slaughter the sacrifices immediately after the Eid prayer, and to allow time for paying Zakat al-Fitr before the Eid al-Fitr prayer.
The Place of Performing the Blessed Eid al-Adha Prayer
The best place to perform Eid prayer is a matter of disagreement among scholars. Some believe that it is preferable to pray in an open area or outside the prayer hall, based on the apparent action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while others believe that the place of Eid prayer in the mosque is better and more beloved if the mosque can accommodate the number of worshipers, and they are the Shafi’is. They said: The mosque is better than the open area because of its honor, and they responded to the evidence of those who preferred outside the prayer hall by saying that the reason for the Prophet’s prayer (peace and blessings be upon him) in the open area was because his noble mosque could not accommodate the number of worshipers who used to go out to perform Eid prayer at that time. Therefore, if the mosque can accommodate the number of worshipers, the reason is removed and the preference returns to the mosque because of its honor, because the reason, from their point of view, revolves around the existence and absence of the effect.
How to Perform the Blessed Eid al-Adha Prayer
The Eid prayer consists of two rak’ahs, in which the imam recites aloud, and there is no call to prayer or iqamah for the Eid prayer, as Muslim narrated from Jabir: (I prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Eid more than once or twice, and he started the prayer before the sermon, without the call to prayer or iqamah).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to start the prayer before the sermon, so he would pray two rak’ahs.
In the first rak’ah, after the opening takbeer or after the opening of the prayer, he would say seven consecutive takbeers, pausing briefly between every two takbeers, and raising his hands with each takbeer. When the takbeer is completed, he begins the recitation, so he recites Surat al-Fatihah, then after al-Fatihah, he recites (Qaf, By the Glorious Quran) in one of the two rak’ahs.
In the other rak’ah, he recites (The Hour has come near, and the moon has split), and he may have recited in both of them (Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High) in one rak’ah, and (Has there come to you the story of the Overwhelming) in the other rak’ah. This and that have been narrated from him, and nothing else has been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
It is recommended to say between every two takbeers: Allah Akbaru -Allahu Akbar , walillahi Alhamd ,
that mean God is the greatest praise be to Allah abundantly, and glory be to Allah in the morning and afternoon, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his family, and abundant peace, because of what Uqba ibn Amir said: (I asked Ibn Mas’ud about what he says after the Eid takbeers, he said: He praises Allah, and praises Him, and prays for the Prophet), and al-Bayhaqi narrated with his chain of narration from Ibn Mas’ud saying and doing, and if he comes with a mention other than this, there is no harm because there is no specific mention in it.
And when he finishes the recitation, he says takbeer and bows, then when he completes the rak’ah, he stands up from prostration to the second rak’ah with takbeer, saying five consecutive takbeers without the takbeer of standing up from prostration.
When the takbeer is completed, he begins the recitation, so the takbeer is the first thing he starts with in the two rak’ahs, then followed by the recitation, then the bowing, and finally the prostration.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he finished the prayer, would stand facing the people, and the people would still be sitting in their rows, so he would preach to them, advise them, command them, and forbid them. There was no pulpit for him to ascend to address the people, but he would address them standing on the ground, commanding them to fear Allah, urging them to obey Him, preaching to the people, and reminding them of their duties towards Allah Almighty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qv2ksoRuyU&t=196s
The Ruling for Those Who Missed Eid Prayer
It is permissible to make up the Eid al-Adha prayer for those who missed it during the rest of the day. They can perform it at any time they want during the day or the next day and beyond, or whenever they agree, like other voluntary prayers