Eid Prayer: How the Prophet ﷺ Prayed on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha

Twice a year, Muslims gather in the morning for a prayer unlike the five daily prayers. How did the Prophet ﷺ perform the Eid prayer? These authentic hadith describe it for both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha: where he prayed, how many rak’ahs and takbirs, what he ate before going out, and who he brought with him.

1. Prayer first, then the khutbah

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) described the Prophet’s ﷺ practice on both Eids:

The musalla was an open prayer ground. Imam an-Nawawi said this hadith shows it is sunnah to hold the Eid prayer in an open space, though in the Shafi’i school it may also be held in a mosque, as the Mufti of the Federal Territories explains. The order matters too: prayer first, then the khutbah. When a later governor of Madinah reversed this, a man stood up to object, a story that opens Hadith 34 of an-Nawawi.

Try this: arrive early and stay seated for the khutbah after the prayer, as the people did in their rows.

2. Two rak’ahs, with nothing before or after

Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Eid prayer is two rak’ahs, and at the musalla the Prophet ﷺ prayed nothing before it or after it. The charity in this hadith was not zakat al-fitr: in a parallel narration in Sahih Muslim 885, the narrator ‘Ata’ says it was charity the women gave on the spot.

Try this: bring a little cash to the Eid prayer so you can give charity there, as the women did that day.

3. The extra takbirs: seven and five

‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:

These extra takbirs (“Allahu akbar”) are said at the start of each rak’ah, before the recitation. Scholars differ on their number. In his note under hadith 536, Imam at-Tirmidhi says seven and five is the view of the people of Madinah, Malik, ash-Shafi’i, Ahmad and Ishaq, while ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud is reported to have said nine in total, which is the view of the people of Kufa and Sufyan ath-Thawri. Follow your imam.

Try this: before Eid, ask your imam how many takbirs he will say, so you are not caught off guard in the first rak’ah.

4. Eat before Eid al-Fitr, but after the Eid al-Adha prayer

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

In another chain in the same hadith, Anas adds that he ate them in an odd number. Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) adds the other half for Eid al-Adha:

So the two Eids differ: on Eid al-Fitr, eat first (dates, in an odd number, if you have them); on Eid al-Adha, wait until after the prayer.

Try this: put three dates by the door the night before Eid al-Fitr, so you don’t forget them in the morning rush.

5. Take a different route home

Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

The hadith does not give a reason, and scholars have suggested many, from greeting more people to giving charity along the way; Ibn Hajar listed several, as IslamQA 49010 summarizes. It is enough that the Prophet ﷺ did it.

Try this: plan your two routes before Eid morning, and use the second one to greet neighbors you rarely see.

6. Everyone comes out, even those not praying

Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

Even women who could not pray were told to come. HadeethEnc explains that Eid is a day when the rituals of Islam are shown openly and Muslims gather as one, and cites another wording in which these women said the takbir and joined the dua of the Muslims, hoping for the blessing of that day.

Try this: bring the whole household to the Eid prayer this year, including anyone who will only listen and make dua.

How to pray Eid prayer, following these hadith

Putting the six hadith together, the Eid day the Prophet ﷺ followed looks like this:

1. On Eid al-Fitr, eat a few dates before leaving; on Eid al-Adha, wait to eat until after the prayer.
2. Go out to the place of prayer, with your family.
3. Pray two rak’ahs, with extra takbirs before the recitation (seven and five in Abu Dawud 1149; scholars differ on the number).
4. Stay for the khutbah, which comes after the prayer.
5. Return home by a different route.

This list only follows the hadith above. Details such as the recitation and the number of takbirs differ between the schools of fiqh, so follow your local imam or ask a qualified scholar.

Bringing it together

Reflection: Almost every hadith here is about people as much as prayer: the people sitting in their rows for the khutbah, the women giving charity, the family brought out together, the route that passes more homes. The Eid prayer is short, two rak’ahs, but the Prophet ﷺ made the whole morning a gathering of the community.

Questions people ask

Key lessons

• The Eid prayer comes first, then the khutbah.
• It is two rak’ahs, with nothing prayed before or after at the musalla.
• Extra takbirs are said before the recitation; scholars differ on their number.
• Eat dates before Eid al-Fitr; wait until after the Eid al-Adha prayer.
• Take a different route home, and bring the whole family out.

Part of our Salah series: see all our salah articles in one place.

May Allah let us reach both Eids in good health, and accept our prayers, our fasting and our sacrifice.

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