Islamic Manual

The etiquettes of Eid day

The recommended acts of Eid day, from ghusl and best clothes to the takbir said on the way, and how Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha differ.

On the day of Eid, there are many good things to do before the prayer. None of them are required, but the Prophet ﷺ loved doing them, so we love doing them too.

Things to do on the morning of Eid

  1. Make yourself look nice: get a haircut, trim your nails, take a bath (ghusl), and use miswak.
  2. Wear your best clothes and put on perfume.
  3. Pray Fajr at your local mosque.
  4. On Eid al-Fitr, give your Zakat al-Fitr before you go to pray, and eat a few dates or something sweet first.
  5. On Eid al-Adha, do not eat anything before the prayer. If you are sacrificing an animal, eat some of its meat after you come back.
  6. Go early to the Eid ground (an open field is better than a mosque, unless it is raining).
  7. Walk there if you can, take one path there and a different path back, and say the takbir on the way.
The takbir said on the way to the Eid prayer

اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illa'llāh, wa'llāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, wa lillāhi'l-ḥamd

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.

A number of acts are recommended (mustahabb) on the day of Eid, before the prayer itself.

Recommended on the day of Eid

  1. Beautifying oneself: getting a haircut and trimming the nails.
  2. Taking a ritual bath (ghusl).
  3. Using a miswak before heading to the Eid ground.
  4. Wearing the best clothes available.
  5. Applying perfume.
  6. Offering the Fajr prayer in the local mosque.
  7. Going to the Eid ground early.
  8. On Eid al-Fitr, giving Zakat al-Fitr before going to the Eid ground.
  9. On Eid al-Fitr, eating dates or some sweet food beforehand, in odd numbers, if dates are used.
  10. On Eid al-Adha, going to the prayer without eating anything first, whether or not the sacrifice is obligatory on that person; eating from the sacrifice's meat is left until after the prayer.
  11. Offering the Eid prayer specifically at the Eid ground rather than a mosque.
  12. Going to the Eid ground by one path and returning by another.
  13. Going on foot to the Eid ground, where possible.
  14. Reciting the takbir on the way, completing it on arrival at the Eid ground.
The takbir recited on the way to the Eid prayer

اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illa'llāh, wa'llāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, wa lillāhi'l-ḥamd

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.

Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha: two points where the etiquette differs
Point Eid al-FitrEid al-Adha
Eating before the prayer Recommended: eat dates or something sweet, in odd numbersNot recommended: go to the prayer without eating; eat the sacrifice's meat afterwards
Volume of the takbir on the way Said quietlySaid aloud
Sunnahthe Prophet’s way

Although the Eid prayer is permitted in a mosque, it is an emphasized sunnah to offer it at the Eid ground instead. The Prophet ﷺ went out to the Eid ground for the Eid prayers and never prayed them in the mosque despite its greater sanctity; praying in the mosque without an excuse goes against this sunnah.

The muʾakkad mustaḥabbāt of ʿīd day are numerous; none of them bear on the validity of the prayer, but they are the transmitted practice and their omission forfeits the reward and completeness attached to it.

The mustaḥabbāt of Eid day, in order

  1. Beautifying oneself: a haircut, trimming the nails.
  2. Ghusl.
  3. The miswāk, on the same footing as its use in wuḍūʾ, before setting out for the Eid ground.
  4. The best clothing available.
  5. Perfume.
  6. Fajr in the local mosque.
  7. Going out to the Eid ground early.
  8. On Eid al-Fitr, paying Zakāt al-Fiṭr before going out.
  9. On Eid al-Fitr, eating dates or something sweet beforehand, in an odd number, where dates are used.
  10. On Eid al-Adha, going out without having eaten, whether or not the Qurbānī is wājib upon that person; the meat of the sacrifice is eaten only after returning from the prayer.
  11. Praying specifically at the Eid ground rather than in a mosque.
  12. Going by one route and returning by another.
  13. Going on foot, where feasible.
  14. Reciting the takbir along the way, completed on reaching the Eid ground.
The takbir recited on the way to the Eid prayer

اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illa'llāh, wa'llāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, wa lillāhi'l-ḥamd

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.

Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha: where the etiquette diverges
Point Eid al-FitrEid al-Adha
Eating before the prayer Mustaḥabb to eat dates or something sweet first, in an odd numberMustaḥabb to go without eating; the sacrifice's meat is eaten only after the prayer
Volume of the takbir en route Recited softly (sirran)Recited aloud (jahran)
Sunnahthe Prophet’s way

Praying the ʿīd ṣalāh at the Eid ground rather than in a mosque is sunnah muʾakkadah: it embodies following the sunnah and displaying the visible strength of Islam. The Prophet ﷺ always went out to the Eid ground for the two Eids and never once offered the ʿīd prayer inside the mosque, notwithstanding its greater sanctity; those who abandon the Eid ground for the mosque without an excuse depart from this practice.

Terms on this page

takbir

Related