Wednesday, January 05, 2005

The Eid Prayer

The Eid Prayer is a duty for those who must pray Friday Prayer (not travelers, women, the sick, slaves or the blind).

It is a virtue before the prayer on the Eid of Fitr (the Eid after Ramadan) to:

  • eat,
  • take a complete shower (full ghusl),
  • use the siwaak,
  • put perfume before going to the prayer,
  • wear one's best clothing,
  • pay the Sadaqah of Fitr before prayer.
After this one heads for the prayer, saying AllahuAkbar silently and repetitively.

It is a virtue before the prayer on the Eid of ADHaa (the Eid after Hajj) to:

  • postpone eating until after prayer, and eat after prayer from ones own slaughtered meat,
  • take a complete shower (full ghusl),
  • use the siwaak,
  • put perfume before going to the prayer,
  • wear one's best clothing.
After this one heads for the prayer, saying AllahuAkbar loudly and repetitively.

The rules of the two Eid Prayers

  • When prayer becomes allowed by the sun rising high enough, then the Eid prayer time starts and its time lasts until the sun is in its zenith. It ends at the zenith.
  • There is no optional prayer before or after the Eid prayer where it is being held; one goes home if one wishes to pray after it.
  • The way that some people imitate those in Arafaat is invalid, i.e. getting together on the day of Arafaat in special places in order to imitate the pilgrims in Arafaat. This is because staying in Arafaat is a special form of worship in a special place, so it is not a worship in other places, just like all the rites of the pilgrimage.
  • There is no call to prayer for the Eid prayer.

The leader prays two subsets with the group for Eid as follows:

  • After the takbiirah (saying Allahu’Akbar) of the proscription he adds three more (with lifting the hands in all of them). According to Al-Shaafi3iyy the takbiirahs are 7.
  • After that he reads the FatiHa and a suurah and then he makes the takbiirah for bowing.
  • In the second subset he prays normally, but adds three takbiirahs before the takbiirah of bowing. According to Al-Shaafi3iyy the extra takbiirahs are 5 in this subset and are made at the beginning of it.
  • One lifts the hands in the extra takbiirahs of the two Eid prayers. However, one does not raise them when saying "Allahu'akbar" for bowing (rukuu3).

Two speeches are held after the prayer:

  • In the speeches the rules pertaining to the zakat of fitr (the Eid at the end of Ramadan) are taught.
  • In the speeches after the Eid-al-ADHa the rules pertaining to slaughtering and the takbiirahs of tashriiq are taught.

Making up the Eid of Fitr Prayer:

  • The one who missed any Eid prayer with the leader, does not make it up as a single.
  • If the hilaal of shawaal was not visible, and then some bore witness of seeing it after the sun's zenith, then Eid is prayed the next day, because it was postponed for a valid reason.
  • If the Eid of fitr prayer was not made on the second day, then it is not prayed after that.
  • If the Eid of ADhHaa prayer is not performed on the day of Eid, then it is prayed the next day or the day after that, but after that it is not prayed. This is because the prayer time is the time of slaughter, so it is bound by the days the latter is performed. However, one has done something bad if one postpones it for no valid excuse.

The Takbiirahs of tashriiq (a duty):

  • The takbiirahs of tashriiq are to say one time: "Allahu'akbar, Allahu'akbar, laa'ilaaha'illallaah, wallahu'akbar, Allahu'akbar, wa lillaahilHamd."
  • These takbiirahs are started after Fajr Prayer on the day of Arafaat and end after Asr on the last day of tashriiq (23 prayers over 5 days).

These takbiirahs are made immediately after the 5 obligatory prayers by:

  1. Residents of cities (not travelers or villagers of a tiny village) in group prayers that are not disliked (not groups with only women.)
  2. Women and travelers praying behind a male that is a resident. This is because they are followers of the leader.
    • Some scholars say: they are made by anyone, even singles and travelers.
    • The follower does not leave these takbiirahs, even if the leader does.