The conditions for the Eid prayers
The Eid prayer shares its conditions with Jumu'ah, but differs on the sermon, the 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.
The 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.
Terms on this page
Related
- The rulings of the Eid sermon The Eid 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 adhan for 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 rakats and takbirs of the Eid prayer The Eid prayer is two rakats with three extra, wajib takbirs in each, six in total, plus a wajib takbir for ruku in the second rakat.
- The conditions for the Friday prayer to be valid The six conditions without which 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.