401 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “Rain fell on an ʿEid day, so the Prophet ﷺ led them in the ʿEid prayer inside the mosque.” Recorded by Abu Dawud with a weak chain (1).
Hadith grading:
This report is weak. Abu Dawud transmitted it with a frail chain because it contains an unknown narrator, ʿIsa ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla. Al-Dhahabi said of him, “He is scarcely known,” and judged his reports to be objectionable. Ibn Majah also related the hadith with a weak chain. Al-Hakim, however, ruled its chain sound, even though it includes Yahya ibn ʿUbayd Allah, about whom Ibn Maʿin said, “He is nothing,” and Ahmad stated, “His narrations are munkar (deniable).”
Points derived from the hadith
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It is preferable to perform the ʿEid prayer in the open plain outside the built-up area. This was the Prophet’s ﷺ constant practice and sunnah. The wisdom—Allah knows best—is to facilitate the great communal gathering from which no one is excused, not even young girls or menstruating women. Only an open plain can accommodate such a celebration and assembly, and their coming out there manifests their devotion to Allah in clear daylight.
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If there is an excuse—such as rain, or fear (e.g., the town being under siege)—the prayer is offered in the mosques, even if several mosques are required because one is too small.
That the ʿEid prayer should be held in the open plain except when a valid excuse necessitates moving it into the mosque is the position of the majority of scholars.