Chapter on the Prayer of the Two Eids

On the day of Eid al-Fiṭr it is recommended that a person eat something before leaving for the muṣallā (outdoor prayer ground), perform a ritual bath (ghusl), apply perfume, and set out for the muṣallā. According to Abū Ḥanīfah he does not recite the takbir on the way; according to his two companions he does.

No supererogatory prayers are performed in the muṣallā before the Eid prayer. When the sun has risen high enough for prayer to be permissible, the time for the Eid prayer enters and continues until the sun passes the meridian; once the meridian is crossed, its time has ended.

The imam leads the congregation in two rakʿahs. In the first he pronounces the opening takbir followed by three additional takbirs, then recites al-Fātiḥah and another surah, utters a further takbir and bows. In the second rakʿah he begins with the recitation, says three takbirs, and with a fourth takbir bows. He raises his hands for the takbirs of both Eids. After the prayer he delivers two sermons in which he teaches the people about the zakat al-fiṭr and its rulings.

Whoever misses the Eid prayer with the imam does not make it up.

If the new moon is obscured and, after the sun has passed the meridian, people testify before the imam that they have sighted it, he holds the Eid prayer the following day. If an excuse then prevents the people from praying on that second day, it is not performed thereafter.

On the Day of Eid al-Aḍḥā it is recommended to bathe, apply perfume, postpone eating until after the prayer, and proceed to the muṣallā while reciting the takbir.

The Eid al-Aḍḥā prayer is two rakʿahs like the Fiṭr prayer, followed by two sermons in which the imam instructs the people concerning the uḍḥiyah (ritual sacrifice) and the tashrīq takbirs. If an excuse prevents the people from praying on the Day of Sacrifice, he may pray it the next day and the day after that, but not beyond.

The tashrīq takbir begins after the dawn prayer on the day