The Wisdom of Holding the Prayer in the Open Musalla

This Sunnah—the practice of performing the ʿId prayer in the open plain—carries a profound wisdom: that the Muslims should have two days each year on which all the inhabitants of every town, men, women, and children alike, gather together. They turn to Allah with united hearts, stand behind a single imam, proclaim His greatness and oneness, and call upon Him with sincere devotion, as though they were one beating heart. Filled with joy and gratitude for Allah’s bounty, they make the day of ʿId a true festival.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered the women to go out to the ʿId prayer with the rest of the people, making no exception whatsoever. Even a woman who owned no suitable garment was not excused; he instructed her to borrow a dress from another. He further commanded those who were unable to perform the prayer itself because of a valid excuse to still come out to the musalla “so that they may witness goodness and the Muslims’ supplication.”