571 – Abu Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade fasting on two days: the Day of Breaking the Fast (ʿĪd al-Fiṭr) and the Day of Sacrifice (ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā). Agreed upon. (1)
Points derived from the ḥadīth:
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ʿĪd al-Fiṭr and ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā are the two festivals of the Muslims, during which they openly display happiness, joy, and gladness. They are days of gratitude to Allah, the Exalted—one for completing the fast of Ramadan, the other for performing the rites of ḥajj and slaughtering the sacrificial animals. On these days Muslims rejoice, broadening their enjoyment of what is lawful and wholesome. One wisdom behind forbidding the fast and requiring the breaking of it is to distinguish the month of fasting from the time of feasting at ʿĪd al-Fiṭr, and to enable people to partake of the sacrificial animals (hady and uḍḥiyah) about which Allah says, “And when they fall on their sides, then eat from them” (Qur’an 22:36). Fasting would run counter to this Sunnah.
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Fasting on these two days conflicts with what Allah has legislated and allowed therein; thus the divine law expressly forbids fasting and commands breaking the fast on them.
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By unanimous agreement, fasting on the Days of ʿĪd al-Fiṭr and ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā is forbidden and invalid; it does not constitute a legitimate fast. If a person were to fast them as a make-up, a vow, or a voluntary fast, it would be invalid and would not satisfy any obligation.
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The day of ʿĪd is the day upon which the Muslims collectively agree and whose occurrence has been reliably established among them. No consideration is given to whether the crescent appears large or small, nor to determining the month’s beginning and end by astronomical calculation. What counts is a truthful testimony based on direct sighting with the naked eye. Al-Bukhārī (1767) and Muslim (1799) relate that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When you see it, then begin your fast, and when you …”