or commemorations, or special days, or weeks, or whole years—none of that belongs to Islam. Rather, it is a vestige of the Age of Ignorance and an imitation of the unbelieving nations, whether from the West or elsewhere. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them,” and he ﷺ also said, “The most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the worst of matters are those newly introduced; every innovation is misguidance.”

We ask Allah to show us the truth as truth and bless us to follow it, and to show us falsehood as falsehood and bless us to avoid it.

The festival is called ʿEid because it returns and recurs every year, because it returns with joy and happiness, and because Allah returns in it with generosity toward His servants after they have performed acts of obedience—fasting and pilgrimage.

The evidence for the prescription of the ʿEid prayer is His words: “So pray to your Lord and sacrifice” (Q 108:2), and His words: “Successful indeed is the one who purifies himself, remembers the name of his Lord, and then prays” (Q 87:14-15). The Prophet ﷺ and the caliphs after him observed this prayer continuously.

The Prophet ﷺ even commanded the women to attend, so it is recommended for a woman to be present, provided she does not wear perfume or clothes of adornment or ostentation, for he ﷺ said: