Chapter: The Rulings Pertaining to the Two Eid Prayers

The prayer of the two Eids—Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha—is established by the Quran, the Sunnah, and the unanimous agreement of the Muslims. The polytheists once observed a variety of time-bound and place-bound festivals, but Islam abolished them and substituted in their place Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as an expression of gratitude to Allah for completing two momentous acts of worship: the fast of Ramadan and the pilgrimage to the Sacred House.

It is authentically reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived in Madinah and found its people celebrating two festival days, he said, “Allah has replaced them for you with something better than those two: the Day of Sacrifice and the Day of Breaking the Fast.”

Accordingly, it is not permissible to add to these two Eids by inventing other celebrations such as mawlid festivals and the like, for that would constitute an addition to what Allah has legislated, an innovation in the religion, a departure from the Sunnah of the Master of the Messengers, and an imitation of the disbelievers, whether they are called “festivals,”