403 – Abu Saʿīd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would go out on the Day of Fitr and the Day of Adḥā to the prayer-ground. The first thing he would begin with was the prayer; then he would leave, stand facing the people while they remained in their rows, and there he would admonish them and instruct them.” Agreed upon (1).

Points derived from the hadith
1 – His words “he would go out to the prayer-ground” show that it is prescribed to perform the two ʿEid prayers in an open area outside the built-up zone, even in Madinah itself.

2 – Therefore the ʿEid prayer is not to be held in the mosque unless there is a need, such as rain and the like.

3 – The prayer must precede the sermon; if the sermon is delivered before the prayer it is disregarded. A fuller discussion of this has already been given.

4 – It is disliked to offer any prayer in the ʿEid ground before the ʿEid prayer itself, for the very first act the Prophet performed there was the obligatory prayer.

5 – The two ʿEids each have two sermons, identical to the two Friday sermons in their rulings, but the ʿEid sermons contain additional takbīr. Several scholars have said that both those who regard the ʿEid prayer as obligatory and those who do not agree that its sermon is not obligatory; we know of no one who considers it compulsory.

6 – After the prayer the imam turns away from the qiblah, faces the congregation, and exhorts and guides them with whatever is appropriate for the time.

7 – It is recommended that the people remain in their rows to listen to the two sermons. Many people disperse after the prayer and so miss the admonition, and there is no doubt that this shows a lack of concern for goodness and deprives them of Allah’s bounty at this great gathering.