408 – ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Part of the Sunnah is to go out to the ʿEid prayer walking.” Reported by al-Tirmidhī, who declared it sound (1).

Hadith grading:
The report is ḥasan li-ghayrih (sound owing to corroborating chains). Al-Tirmidhī remarked, “It is a ḥasan ḥadīth, and most scholars act upon it. Although its individual supporting narrations are weak, taken together they prove that the report has an authentic basis.”

Points derived from the ḥadīth

1. It is recommended to head to the ʿEid prayer-ground on foot. Doing so multiplies good deeds, erases sins, cultivates humility, spares fellow pedestrians the nuisance of one’s mount, and affords physical exercise. Physicians consider walking the best of exercises, and a person is accountable for safeguarding his health.

2. Al-Tirmidhī added: One should ride only when there is a valid excuse. Excuse is the recognised qualifier for all acts of worship and legal duties; only what lies within a person’s capacity is obligatory. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “So fear Allah as much as you are able” (Q 64:16). The Prophet ﷺ said, “When I command you to do something, do of it what you can.”