Whoever held that four rakʿahs must be offered did so by likening the matter to the Friday prayer—and that is a weak analogy. Whoever maintained that it should be made up as two rakʿahs, exactly as the imam had performed it, rests his case on the principle that a make-up prayer must mirror the original performance. The one who denied any make-up at all did so because he regarded the ʿĪd prayer as one whose validity depends on congregation and an imam, like Jumuʿah; therefore no make-up is required—neither two rakʿahs nor four—since the prayer is not a substitute for anything else. These two opinions—the view of al-Shāfiʿī and the view of Mālik—are the only ones that deserve real consideration. As for the other views, they are weak and devoid of substance, for the Friday prayer is a replacement for Zuhr whereas the ʿĪd prayer is not a replacement for anything; how, then, can one be analogically compared to the other regarding make-up? Indeed, when a person misses Jumuʿah his Zuhr is not qaḍāʾ but adāʾ, for once the substitute is missed the original becomes obligatory. Allah alone grants success in arriving at the truth.

They also disagreed about voluntary prayers before and after the ʿĪd prayer. The majority hold that no supererogatory prayer is to be offered either before it or after it; this is reported from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Ibn Masʿūd, Ḥudhayfah, and Jābir, and it is the position of Aḥmad. Others say that one may pray voluntarily both before and after it; this is the school of Anas and ʿUrwah and is likewise adopted by al-Shāfiʿī. A third opinion states that one may pray after it but not before it; this was the view of al-Thawrī, al-Awzāʿī, and Abū Ḥanīfah and is also reported from Ibn Masʿūd. Some scholars differentiate between performing the prayer in the open prayer-ground and performing it in the mosque, and this is the well-known position of Mālik.

The cause of their disagreement is that it is authentically narrated: “The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—went out on the day of al-Fiṭr or the day of al-Aḍḥā and prayed two rakʿahs, offering neither prayer before them nor after them.” He also said, “When one of you enters the mosque, let him pray two rakʿahs.” The question therefore turns on whether, given the nature of the ʿĪd prayer, the ruling on recommending voluntary prayer before and after it is the same as that for the obligatory prayers, or not.

Whoever considers the Prophet’s omission of prayer before and after it to be like his omission of prayer before and after the regular Sunnah prayers—and who does not regard the term “mosque” as applying to the open prayer-ground—does not recommend voluntary prayer either before or after it. For this reason the school hesitates concerning praying before it when it is held inside a mosque, because the evidence of the Prophet’s action conflicts with that view: on the one hand, by entering a mosque it is recommended to pray two rakʿahs, yet on the other hand, as it is the place of the ʿĪd prayer, it is recommended not to pray, in imitation of his practice—peace and blessings be upon him.

Whoever views the matter as a concession and extends the name “mosque” to the prayer-ground considers voluntary prayer before it recommended. And whoever assimilates the ʿĪd prayer to the obligatory prayers recommends voluntary prayer both before and after it, as already mentioned.