How to pray the Eid prayer, step by step
The full method of the Eid prayer in order, from the intention and the extra takbirs to the two sermons that follow it.
Here is how to pray the Eid prayer, one step at a time. It is prayed behind an imam, in a group.
How to pray Eid
- Make the intention in your heart: "I intend to pray the two rakats of Eid al-Fitr with six takbirs for the sake of Allah."For Eid al-Adha, say Eid al-Adha instead.
- The imam makes his own intention to lead, and everyone behind him intends to follow him.
- Say the opening takbir ("Allahu Akbar"), raise your hands to your ears, then fold them, and say the opening dua (Thana) quietly.
- Say "Allahu Akbar" again, raising your hands to your ears, then let them fall to your sides. Stay quiet and still for a moment, saying "Subhan Allah" to yourself three times.
- Say "Allahu Akbar" again the same way, raise your hands, let them fall, and pause again.
- Say "Allahu Akbar" a third time. This time, keep your hands folded afterwards, ready to listen to the recitation.
- The imam recites Surah al-Fatiha and another surah out loud. Then bow (ruku) and prostrate (sujood) as usual, and stand up for the second rakat.
- In the second rakat, after the recitation, say "Allahu Akbar" three more times, raising your hands each time and letting them fall. After the third one, do not fold your hands.
- Say "Allahu Akbar" a fourth time and go straight into ruku. Finish the rest of the prayer as normal.
- After the prayer, sit and listen quietly while the imam gives two short talks (khutbahs).
اللہ اکبر
Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest.
سبحان اللہ
Subḥān Allāh
Glory be to Allah.
The Eid prayer is prayed in congregation, behind an imam. The procedure is as follows.
The method of the Eid prayer
- Make the intention: "I intend to pray the two rakats of Eid al-Fitr with six takbirs for the sake of Allah the Almighty" (for Eid al-Adha, the intention names Eid al-Adha instead).
- The imam makes the intention to lead the prayer, and the followers intend to pray behind the imam.
- Begin with the takbirat al-tahrima, raising both hands, and recite the thana (the opening praise of Allah).
- Both imam and followers say "Allahu Akbar" a second time, raising the hands up to the ears and then letting them drop. After dropping the hands, pause for a moment, reciting "Subhan Allah" silently three times; no other dhikr or recitation is said during this pause.
- Say "Allahu Akbar" a third time, again raising the hands to the ears, and pause once more.
- On this third takbir, raise the hands again but this time keep them folded as usual, since a recitation is now due.
- The imam recites the isti'adhah and basmalah, then Surah al-Fatiha and another surah, aloud.
- Complete the rest of the rakat as normal, ruku and the two sajdahs, then rise for the second rakat.
- After completing the recitation in the second rakat, both imam and followers raise their hands for three more takbirs, without folding the hands again after the third.
- Go directly into a fourth takbir and then into ruku; this fourth takbir (the takbir for ruku) is itself obligatory in the Eid prayer. Complete the prayer as usual.
- After the prayer, the imam delivers two khutbahs, and the congregation listens in silence, unlike Friday, the imam does not sit down again after standing up for the sermon.
اللہ اکبر
Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest.
سبحان اللہ
Subḥān Allāh
Glory be to Allah.
| Rakat | Comes after | Hands |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | The opening takbir and thana, before the recitation (three takbirs) | Raised then dropped on the 1st and 2nd; raised and kept folded on the 3rd |
| 2nd | The recitation, before ruku (three takbirs) | Raised then dropped on all three; not folded again after the 3rd |
The ʿīd ṣalāh is prayed only in congregation. Its method, in the order transmitted, is as follows.
The method of the Eid prayer, in full
- The niyyah: "I intend to pray the two rakats of Eid al-Fitr with six takbirs for the sake of Allah the Almighty", substituting Eid al-Adha where that is the occasion.
- The imam forms the intention to lead; the muqtadīs form the intention to follow him.
- Takbīrat al-taḥrīmah, with both hands raised, followed by the thanāʾ.
- A second takbīr, hands raised to the ears then dropped; a brief pause follows in which nothing but sirran-recited Subḥān Allāh, three times, is said; no other dhikr or supplication.
- A third takbīr, raised and dropped the same way, and a further pause.
- A fourth position, described in the source as "the third takbīr" counting only the zāʾid ones, on which the hands are raised and, this time, folded as before a recitation, since the qirāʾah now follows: the rule given is that the hands are folded after any takbīr that is followed by a recitation, and left open after one that is not.
- The imam recites the istiʿādhah and basmalah, then al-Fātiḥah and a sūrah, aloud, and the rakat is completed with rukūʿ and the two sajdahs as usual.
- In the second rakat, after the qirāʾah, three further takbirs are said by imam and muqtadīs alike, hands raised and dropped each time; the hands are not folded again after the third.
- A further takbīr, the takbīr for rukūʿ, follows directly, and rukūʿ is entered on it; this takbīr is itself wājib in the ʿīd ṣalāh (unlike in the ordinary prayers, where it is sunnah). The rest of the rakat proceeds as usual, concluding with the tashahhud and salām.
- After the salām, the imam delivers two khutbahs, which the congregation hears in silence; unlike the Friday khuṭbah, the imam does not sit again after rising to deliver it, since ʿīd has no adhān to have been sitting through.
اللہ اکبر
Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest.
سبحان اللہ
Subḥān Allāh
Glory be to Allah.
| Rakat | Takbir | Hands |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2nd (of the extra three) | Raised to the ears, then dropped; pause with silent Subḥān Allāh ×3 |
| 1 | 3rd (of the extra three) | Raised to the ears, then dropped; a further pause |
| 1 | 4th position, before qirāʾah | Raised and folded, since a recitation follows |
| 2 | 3 extra takbirs, after qirāʾah | Raised then dropped each time; not folded again after the last |
| 2 | Takbīr for rukūʿ (wājib) | Directly into rukūʿ |
Terms on this page
Related
- 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.
- Mistakes, forgetfulness and joining late in the Eid prayer What to do if a takbir is said wrongly, forgotten or added to, and how to join the Eid prayer after the imam has already started.
- How to pray the funeral prayer, with the words to say The four takbirs of salat al-janazah in order, and the exact Arabic, transliteration and translation of the thana, durood and duas said at each.
- The method of offering the Friday sermon and prayer The rak'ahs of Jumu'ah in order, the intention to use, who may lead, and step by step how the imam moves from the sermon into the prayer.