The third view—and it is the correct one—is that whoever attends the Eid prayer is exempt from the obligation to attend Friday prayer. However, the imam must hold Friday prayer so that those who wish to attend, and those who did not attend the Eid prayer, may do so.

This is what is reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions, including ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Abbās, Ibn al-Zubayr, and others. No disagreement among the Companions is known on this matter.

Those who held the first two views had not received the relevant reports from the Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. When the two festivals coincided during his lifetime, he offered the Eid prayer and then permitted people to miss Friday prayer. According to one wording, he said:

“O people, you have attained good. Whoever wishes to attend Friday prayer, let him attend, for we shall be holding it.”

Moreover, attending the Eid prayer fulfils the purpose of gathering together. If a person does not attend Friday prayer, he then offers the noon prayer, so the noon prayer is offered at its proper time, while the Eid prayer fulfils the purpose of Friday prayer. Making Friday prayer obligatory upon people would impose hardship on them and diminish the purpose of their Eid and the joy and relaxation prescribed for them on that day. If they were prevented from enjoying these things, Eid would defeat its own purpose.

Furthermore, Friday is a festival, as are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adhā. It is the Lawgiver’s practice, when two acts of worship of the same kind coincide, to include one within the other, just as He includes ablution within a ritual bath, and one ritual bath within another. And Allah knows best.