Rulings Related to ‘Eed

26/07/2018| IslamWeb

It was narrated on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , arrived at Madeenah and found its people celebrating two days. The Prophet, , asked: "‘What are these two days?”They replied,“These are two days that we used to celebrate in the pre-Islamic era.”The Prophet, , said:“Allah has given you instead two days better than them: Eed Al-Fitr and ‘Eed Al-Adh’haa." [Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa’i, Ahmad, and Abu Ya‘la] [Al-Haakim: Saheeh (it meets the conditions stipulated by Muslim)] [Ibn Hajar: Saheeh] [Al-Albaani: Saheeh]

Abu ‘Ubayd, the freed slave of Ibn Azhar, said, “I witnessed the ‘Eed with ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, and he said, ‘These are two days which the Messenger of Allah forbade us from fasting: the day when you end your fast (of Ramadan) and the other day when you eat of your sacrifices.’”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said, "The Prophet forbade us from fasting the day of ending the fast [i.e. ‘Eed Al-Fitr] and the day of slaughtering [i.e ‘Eed Al-Adh’haa]." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , went out on the day of [‘Eed] Al-Fitr and performed two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer) with no prayer before or after them. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It was narrated on the authority of Umm ‘Atiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said, "The Messenger of Allah ordered us to bring out the adolescent girls, menstruating women and the virgins on ‘Eed Al-Fitr and Al-Adh’haa, but (stated that) the menstruating women should keep away from the prayer place and witness the goodness and the Muslims' gathering and supplications." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

 

Benefits and rulings:

 

First: Allah The Almighty blessed the Muslims with ‘Eed Al-Fitr and ‘Eed Al-Adh’haa that made them in no need of any of the festivals of the pre-Islamic era.

 

Second: The two Sharee‘ah-approved ‘Eeds are distinct from the festivals of the disbelievers with all their various ideologies and beliefs in many ways, such as:

1-    Their times are established by the visual sighting of the moon, not by astronomical calculations. Unlike the disbelievers' festivals; which are established by astronomical calculations.

2-    The two ‘Eeds are connected with great acts of worship and rituals, such as fasting, Zakat-ul-Fitr, (post Ramadan obligatory charity) Hajj and Udh’hiyah (sacrificial animals).

3-    The rituals of the two ‘Eeds are acts of worship which bring the Muslim closer to Allah The Almighty, such as the Takbeer (saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ (Allah is the greatest), the ‘Eed Prayer and its Khutbah (sermon). This is contrary to the disbelievers' festivals; which combines various rituals of disbelief and misguidance and includes activities that are based on desires and misconceptions.

4-    Righteousness, kindness and mutual support appear in the ‘Eeds by the payment of Zakat-ul-Fitr and the giving away the meat of Hady and Udh’hiyah (sacrificial animals). None of the two ‘Eeds has any connection with the other false beliefs, such as Christmas Day, the stars, memorials, or sanctification of human beings, ethnicities and nationalisms. All rituals of the two ‘Eeds are offered with full sincerity to Allah The Almighty.

 

The Muslim has to thank Allah The Almighty for this immense favor by adhering to His commands and avoiding His prohibitions even on the days of ‘Eed and other happy occasions.

Third: Neglecting religious obligations is a sign of being ungrateful for the blessing of ‘Eed as is women's non-observance of their Islamic dress, intermixing with men, forms of extravagance in clothing, food and celebrations, and prevalence of musical instruments and singing.

Fourth: It is an act of Sunnah that the Muslim takes a bath before the ‘Eed Prayer and wears the best of his clothes. This was the practice of the righteous predecessors.

Fifth: It is an act of Sunnah that the Muslim eats some dates in the morning before he goes to the place of the ‘Eed Prayer. The Prophet, , did so. He should also hasten to have his breakfast in the morning of ‘Eed in compliance with the order of Allah The Almighty.

Sixth: It is an act of Sunnah that women and children go out to attend the ‘Eed Prayer and witness the Muslims' supplications. However, the menstruating women should avoid the place of prayer, although they can listen to the Khutbah and supplications.

Seventh: It is an act of Sunnah that the Muslim goes to the place of the ‘Eed Prayer on foot and takes one road for going and another road for returning, as the Prophet, , was authentically reported to have done this.

Eighth: It is preferable for the Muslim to wait in the prayer place to listen to the Khutbah and say amen to the supplications. The Prophet, , said regarding the menstruating women: "To witness goodness and the Muslims gatherings and supplications."

Ninth: There is no voluntary prayer before or after the ‘Eed Prayer. However, if the Muslim entered the prayer place or the Masjid, he is required to perform Tahiyyat-ul-Masjid (two Rak’ahs for greeting the mosque) even if it is at a time in which prayer is prohibited. That is because Tahiyyat-ul-Masjid is one of the prayers that could be performed at the prohibited times.

Tenth: It is recommended for the Muslim to busy himself with Takbeer till the Imaam comes for prayer, because Takbeer is the recommended act of worship at that time. Nonetheless, the Muslim may recite the Quran or perform voluntary prayers on condition that it is not a prohibited time. However, saying Takbeer is preferable.

Eleventh: If people did not recognize the day of ‘Eed except after the sun had become in the middle of the sky, they should perform the ‘Eed Prayer on the next day. If the Muslim joined the Imaam in Tashah’hud (the final, seated part of the prayer), he should sit with him and complete two Rak‘ahs after him, each starting with Takbeer.

Twelfth: If the Muslim misses the ‘Eed Prayer, he should not make up for it. This is the preponderant opinion because there is no evidence on making up for it if the Muslim misses it.

Thirteenth: Showing happiness in ‘Eed is permissible as long as it does not go beyond what is lawful, or involve prohibitions or neglecting obligations. The Muslim should spend generously on his family and children on the day of ‘Eed because happiness is one of the rituals of ‘Eed which in turn is one of the rituals of Islam.

Fourteenth: Muslims should gather for having food together on ‘Eed because this conduct highlights the ritual of ‘Eed, creates harmony and brings hearts together on this great day.

Fifteenth: There is no harm in exchanging congratulations on ‘Eed. It was reported that when the righteous predecessors met on the day of ‘Eed, they would congratulate one another, saying, "May Allah accept it from you and us." Congratulatory formulas may differ according to people's traditions, countries and eras so long as they do not involve prohibited words or imitation of the disbelievers. It is not permissible to congratulate with the words that the disbelievers exclusively use in their prohibited festivals.