Hadith 5
Umm ʿAṭiyya Nusaybah al-Ansariyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “The Prophet ﷺ instructed us to bring out, on both ʿĪds, the adolescent girls and those who normally stay behind their curtains, and he ordered the menstruating women to keep away from the Muslims’ place of prayer.”

In another wording: “We were commanded to go out on the day of ʿĪd, to the extent that we would bring the virgin girl from her curtained chamber and even bring out the menstruating women, who would join in the takbīr with the people and supplicate along with their supplication, hoping for the blessing and purification of that day.”

Glossary of terms
• al-ʿawātiq (sing. ʿātiq): young women who have just reached puberty.
• dhawāt al-khudūr (sing. khidr, with a kasrah on the khāʾ): girls who remain behind a screen—the part of the house set off by a curtain for an unmarried maiden.
• yadʿūna, yarjūna: the wāw in both verbs is part of the root, not the plural suffix.
• ḥattā nukhrija: the first ḥattā denotes limit, the second intensification.
• ṭuhurati-hi: the cleansing from sins that occurs on that day.

Overall meaning
The days of ʿĪd al-Fiṭr and ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā are among the most distinguished occasions. They showcase the symbols of Islam and make manifest the brotherhood of the Muslims when they gather shoulder to shoulder. The people of every town converge upon one plain, displaying their unity, the harmony of their hearts, and their common resolve to support Islam, exalt the word of Allah, remember Him, and make His rites visible.

At such gatherings Allah’s kindness befalls them, His blessings descend upon them, and they are enveloped in a mercy befitting His grace, generosity, and beneficence.

For this reason the Prophet ﷺ ordered and urged everyone to go out—even young maidens who normally stay behind their curtains and menstruating women—provided that the latter stay in a place apart from the praying congregation. In this way they witness the goodness present, share in the Muslims’ supplications, and obtain their portion of the scene’s blessings: the mercy and good pleasure of Allah for which they are in the greatest need.

Scholarly disagreement
The jurists have differed over the ruling of the ʿĪd prayer.

The predominant view transmitted from Imam Aḥmad is that it is a communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah): if a sufficient number of people perform it, the duty is lifted from the rest.

His evidence is that this is a prayer for which no adhān or iqāmah has been legislated; therefore it is not individually obligatory.