The conditions for the Eid prayers
The Eid prayer shares its conditions with the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah), but differs on the sermon, the calls to prayer (adhan and iqamah), and where it may be held.
The Eid prayer needs almost the same things as the Friday prayer. But it also has a few of its own rules that make it different.
How Eid is different from Friday prayer
- On Friday, the sermon (khutbah) is said before the prayer, and if it is left out, the prayer does not count.On Eid, the sermon is said after the prayer, and the prayer still counts even without it, though it is wrong to skip it on purpose.
- On Friday, there is an adhan (call to prayer) and an iqamah before the prayer.For Eid, there is no adhan and no iqamah at all.
| Point | Ordinary daily prayer | Eid prayer |
|---|---|---|
| Adhan (call to prayer) | Yes | No |
| Iqamah | Yes | No |
| Extra takbirs said standing | None | Six in total |
| Sermon | None | Two sermons, said after the prayer |
The conditions for the Eid prayers are the same as those for Jumu'ah, with two differences.
The two differences from Jumu'ah
- In Jumu'ah, the khutbah is a condition of the prayer's validity, and it is delivered before the prayer; if it is not delivered, the prayer is invalid.In Eid, the khutbah is delivered after the prayer, and the prayer remains valid even if it is not delivered at all, though abandoning the sunnah in doing so is a sin.
- In Jumu'ah there are both an adhan and an iqamah.In the Eid prayers there is neither adhan nor iqamah.
| Point | Ordinary daily prayer | Eid prayer |
|---|---|---|
| Adhan | Given | None |
| Iqamah | Given | None |
| Number of takbirs said standing | One (the opening takbir) | Seven: the opening takbir, three more in the first rakat, three more in the second |
| Sermon (khutbah) | Not part of the prayer | Two sermons, sunnah, delivered after the prayer |
In villages where the conditions for the Eid prayer are not met (because a city or town is a condition of it, which rural areas lack), it is severely disliked (makruh tahrimi) to offer the Eid prayer there. Residents of such villages may instead go to a nearby place where the conditions are met.
12The conditions for the ʿīd prayers are identical to the conditions for Jumuʿah, save for two points on which they diverge, and a third, distinct condition, the venue, whose absence carries its own ruling.
| Point | Jumu'ah | Eid |
|---|---|---|
| The khutbah | A condition (sharṭ) of validity; if omitted, the prayer is invalid | Not a condition of validity; if omitted, the prayer still stands, though omitting the sunnah is a sin |
| When the khutbah is delivered | Before the prayer: the prayer is invalid without it having preceded | After the prayer: delivering it before the prayer still leaves the prayer valid, unlike Jumu'ah |
| Adhān and iqāmah | Both are given | Neither is given |
| Point | Ordinary farḍ prayer | Eid prayer |
|---|---|---|
| Adhān / iqāmah | Both given | Neither given |
| Takbirs said standing (outside rukūʿ and sujūd) | One: the takbīrat al-iḥrām | Seven: the takbīrat al-iḥrām, three wājib takbirs in the first rakat before the recitation, and three wājib takbirs in the second after it |
| Sermon | Not part of the ṣalāh | Two sermons, sunnah, delivered after the ṣalāh |
A city or town (miṣr, or its equivalent) is itself a further condition of the Eid prayer, distinct from the conditions it shares with Jumuʿah. Where this condition is absent, in villages, offering the Eid prayer is makrūh taḥrīmī. The residents of such a village should instead go out to a nearby place where the conditions are satisfied.
12This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 240 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Eid Prayers 3. Conditions for Eid Prayers
(1) The conditions for Eid prayers are the same as those for Jumu'ah, with the difference being that while the khutbah (sermon) is a condition in Jumu'ah [If the Eid sermons are not delivered, the prayer will still be valid. (Though the act of abandoning the Sunnah is a sin). Unlike Friday prayers, where not offering the sermon invalidates the prayer.], it should be delivered after the prayer in Eid prayers [If the Eid sermon is delivered before the prayer, the prayer will be valid, unlike Friday, where the prayer is invalid without the sermon.]. In Jumu'ah, there are both adhan and iqamah, while in Eid prayers, there is neither adhan nor iqamah.
(Notice): In villages where the conditions for Eid prayers are not met, it is severely disliked (Makruh Tahrimi) to offer the Eid prayers [This is because the condition of Eid is a city or town, unlike rural areas where it is absent.]. However, the residents of such villages can go to a nearby place to offer the Eid prayer.
Rulings of Eid Prayers 6. Rakat and Takbeers in Eid Prayers
(1) Each Eid prayer consists of two rak'ahs.(2) In the Eid prayers, apart from the regular takbeers, there are three additional takbeers in each rak'ah, totaling six takbeers in each Eid prayer [Each Takbir is obligatory separately.].(3) The takbeer for bowing (ruku) in the second rak'ah is also obligatory [Unlike other prayers, where Takbir is Sunnah.].
Rulings of Eid Prayers 8. Rules Regarding Eid Prayers
(1) It is Sunnah to deliver two sermons after the Eid prayer.
Terms on this page
Related
- The rulings of the Eid sermon The Eid sermon (khutbah) follows the Friday sermon's rules with three exceptions: no sitting first, an opening and closing takbir, and its own subject matter.
- The rules of the call to prayer (adhan) on Friday Why Friday has two calls to prayer, when each is given, and why trading is not allowed once the first one is heard.
- The units of prayer (rakats) and the extra takbirs of the Eid prayer The Eid prayer is two units (rakats) with three extra, necessary (wajib) takbirs in each, six in total, plus a necessary takbir for the bowing (ruku) in the second unit.
- The conditions for the Friday prayer to be valid The six conditions without which the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) does not count at all, how each is defined, why they differ from the conditions of obligation, and praying it in more than one mosque.