Islam has two festivals, and each is called Eid. Eid al-Fitr comes when the fast of Ramadan ends. Eid al-Adha comes during the days of Hajj. Both begin the same way: the community gathers in the morning for a short prayer of two rak’ahs (units of prayer), and the rest of the day is for family, food and giving.
When the Prophet (ﷺ) came to Medina, people there kept two days of play left over from before Islam. He told them that Allah (﷾) had given them something better in their place: the day of Fitr and the day of Adha. So these are not just holidays. They are the two days Allah (﷾) gave Muslims to celebrate.
The two Eids
Each Eid follows a great act of worship. Eid al-Fitr follows a month of fasting, and Eid al-Adha follows the Day of Arafah, the high point of Hajj. That is why the joy of Eid is not a break from faith: it is thanks to Allah (﷾) for the worship He let you complete.
| Eid al-Fitr | Eid al-Adha | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The festival of breaking the fast | The festival of sacrifice |
| When | 1 Shawwal, the day after Ramadan ends | 10 Dhu al-Hijjah, during the days of Hajj |
| It follows | A month of fasting | The Day of Arafah |
| What is given | Zakat al-fitr, before the prayer | A sacrifice, after the prayer |
| The prayer | Two rak’ahs in the morning | Two rak’ahs in the morning |
| Fasting on the day | Forbidden | Forbidden |
The Islamic calendar follows the moon, so both Eids come about eleven days earlier each year and pass through every season. The exact day depends on the new moon, so your local mosque will tell you when it is and when the prayer starts.
The morning of Eid
Wash and dress well
Wash your whole body and put on the best clothes you have. They do not need to be new or expensive. Scholars agree this bath is recommended, and people dressed for the day in the Prophet’s (ﷺ) time: Umar once offered him a cloak to wear for Eid, which he turned down because it was silk.
Pay zakat al-fitr (Eid al-Fitr)
This small charity is paid for each person in the home, young or old, and the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that it be paid before people went out to the prayer. It reaches people in need before the day begins, so no one is left out of Eid.
Eat a few dates (Eid al-Fitr)
The Prophet (ﷺ) did not set out on the morning of Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates, an odd number of them. After a month of fasting, the first thing you do is eat, because the fast is over and this too is obedience.
Set out saying the takbirat
Many people repeat the takbirat on the way and while they wait for the prayer. The words are further down this page. If you do not know them yet, listen to the people around you and join in.
Bring everyone
The Prophet (ﷺ) told women and girls to come out for Eid, even women on their periods, who stayed back from the prayer itself but shared in the takbir and the dua (supplication). So no one misses the blessing of the day. He went out to an open prayer ground for it, and today many people pray at a mosque, a park or a hall.
The Eid prayer, step by step
The Eid prayer is two rak’ahs, prayed together in the morning once the sun has risen. It is like any prayer of two rak’ahs, with three main differences.
How it differs
- No adhan and no iqamah, the two calls that begin other prayers. People simply stand when the imam is ready. Sahih Muslim 887
- Extra takbirs. The imam says Allahu akbar several more times in each rak’ah. Sunan Abi Dawud 1149
- The sermon comes after the prayer, not before it as at Jumu’ah, the Friday prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 957
Intention
Stand in the row and mean in your heart to pray the Eid prayer for Allah (﷾). There are no words to say aloud.
The extra takbirs
The imam says Allahu akbar to begin, then says it several more times. Say it after him each time, and pause when he pauses. Do what those around you do with their hands.
The recitation
The imam recites al-Fatiha and a surah aloud. Any surah will do, but the Prophet (ﷺ) recited al-A’la and al-Ghashiyah at Eid, and also Qaf and al-Qamar.
Bow and prostrate
Follow the imam through the bowing, the rising and the two prostrations, exactly as in any prayer.
The second rak’ah
Stand, and the imam says the extra takbirs again. In some mosques they come before the recitation and in others after it, just before bowing. Follow him.
Sit and end the prayer
Sit as in any prayer, and end with the salam after the imam.
The sermon
Sit and listen to the sermon. This is when the imam reminds people of what the day is for.
| Where | First rak’ah | Second rak’ah |
|---|---|---|
| Many mosques | 7 | 5 |
| Hanafi mosques | 3 | 3 |
You do not need to count. Whatever the number, you follow the imam.
Where the schools differ
The number of takbirs. The Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said seven in the first rak’ah and five in the second. The Shafi’i school counts seven and five after the opening takbir. The Maliki and Hanbali schools count six and five, the opening takbir being the seventh. The Hanafi school says three in each rak’ah. Scholars call this a question of judgement, in which no one should be criticised for following any of these views.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1149 Islam Q&A 138423
How binding the prayer is. The Hanafi school holds it to be required, the Maliki and Shafi’i schools a strongly recommended sunnah, and the Hanbali school a duty on the community as a whole.
If Eid falls on a Friday. The Prophet (ﷺ) allowed those who had prayed Eid to miss Jumu’ah that day, though he prayed it himself. The schools differ on what this means, so follow your mosque or ask a qualified scholar.
The takbirat
The takbirat are the words of the day, and the Qur’an is the reason. At the end of the verse on the fast, it says why Allah (﷾) gave the month:
وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
(He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.
The Arabic for “glorify” here is li-tukabbiru: to say Allah (﷾) is greatest. Several scholars took the takbir of Eid al-Fitr from these words. And the same words, li-tukabbiru Allaha ‘ala ma hadakum, come again in the Qur’an’s verse on the sacrifice, further down this page. So the Qur’an ties the fast and the sacrifice to one purpose: to declare Allah’s (﷾) greatness for guiding you. That is why these words fill both Eids.
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha illa Allah, wa Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa lillahi l-hamd
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.
No fixed wording comes from the Prophet (ﷺ), so it varies a little from place to place. This one is reported from the Companion Ibn Mas’ud. Before Eid al-Fitr, people say it from the night before until the prayer begins. For Eid al-Adha, they say it through the days around it.
After the prayer
Now people greet each other. The usual words are Eid Mubarak, blessed Eid. The Companions, when they met on Eid, used to say:
تَقَبَّلَ اللَّهُ مِنَّا وَمِنْكَ
Taqabbala Allahu minna wa minka
May Allah accept from us and from you.
Notice what that greeting asks for. It does not say well done: it asks that the worship be accepted. Even on the day of joy, a Muslim does not take the fast or the sacrifice for granted.
Go home by a different road if you can, as the Prophet (ﷺ) did. Scholars give several reasons, and one is that you meet and greet more people.
The rest of the day is for family and friends: a meal, visits to relatives, gifts for children. Do not fast: the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade fasting on both Eid days. If you know someone who is alone today, this is the day to invite them.
Eid al-Adha and the sacrifice
Eid al-Adha remembers the Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh), who was ready to give up his son for Allah (﷾), and the sacrifice Allah (﷾) gave in his place.
After the prayer, or during the prescribed days that follow, those who are able offer a sheep, goat, cow or camel. It must be after the prayer: the Prophet (ﷺ) said that an animal slaughtered before it is only meat for one’s family, not the sacrifice. The meat is shared, and the Qur’an names those in need among those it should feed. Many Muslims ask a trusted charity to offer it for them where the need is greatest. Whether it is required or strongly recommended differs between the schools, so ask a qualified scholar.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5545 Qur’an 22:36
The Qur’an says plainly what the sacrifice is for, and it was never the animal:
لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do right.
The three days after Eid al-Adha, the days of Tashriq, are days of eating and drinking, so the celebration carries on.
If this is your first Eid
You do not need to know anything before you go. Find out the time and place from your nearest mosque, get there early, stand at the end of a row, and do what the person beside you does. If you lose track of the takbirs, just keep following the imam.
If your family is not Muslim and you would be alone on the day, tell someone at the mosque that you are new. Few things please Muslims more on Eid than having someone to invite home.
If you are not a Muslim and you are curious, ask a Muslim friend or your local mosque about coming along. Many are glad to welcome guests on Eid.