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The Prophet ﷺ and his Rightly Guided Caliphs consistently performed this outward act. Some scholars regard this as evidence of its being obligatory. They say: The Prophet’s ﷺ regular observance of this outward act, without ever failing to perform it, indicates its strong emphasis and obligatory nature. This, however, is open to question, since the basic ruling concerning consistent observance of an act for which there is no command is that it is recommended.
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It is among the manifest rites of the religion, and the manifest rites of the religion are obligatory, like the call to prayer. The call to prayer and the commencement call are communal obligations because they are manifest and publicly proclaimed rites of the religion. This is what some scholars have said.
However, the soundest basis for proving that the Eid prayer is obligatory is the Prophet’s ﷺ command to perform it. His consistent observance of it, and its being among the manifest rites of the religion, support the view that it is obligatory, but do not independently establish it.
And it is a communal obligation …
His statement: “A communal obligation.” A communal obligation is that which is sought for its own sake, irrespective of the one who performs it; that is, the act itself is intended, regardless of its performer, such as the call to prayer. Accordingly, a communal obligation is required of the community as a whole, not of every individual. That is, the people collectively are required to carry out the communal obligation, rather than each particular individual being personally bound by it. Thus, if a sufficient number undertake it, the obligation is waived for the rest. If forty men establish the Eid prayer, the rest of the town’s inhabitants are not required to perform the Eid prayer. This is the meaning of its being a communal obligation.
The second view is that it is a sunnah.
Those who hold this view cite the fact that when the Prophet ﷺ taught the Bedouin the obligatory duties of Islam, including the five daily prayers, the Bedouin said: “Are there any other prayers required of me?”