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I would like to know some of the Sunnah practices and rulings that are observed on Eid.

2 min readAlso available in العربية

The Eid has multiple rulings, including:

1. Takbeer (Glorifying God): It is recommended to perform Takbeer on the night of Eid, from sunset until the Imam arrives for the prayer, with the formula "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahil Hamd" (Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise), or by saying Takbeer three times. Men raise their voices with it in markets, mosques, and homes, but women do not.

2. Eating before going out: One should eat an odd number of dates before going out for the Eid prayer.

3. Clothing: Men wear their best clothes. As for women, they go out in ordinary clothes (unadorned), without displaying their beauty or wearing perfume.

4. Ghusl (Ritual Bath): Some scholars recommended taking a bath for the Eid prayer, following the example of some of the Salaf (pious predecessors).

5. Eid Prayer: Muslims have agreed upon its legitimacy, and its individual obligation (fard ayn) on every capable male is the more preponderant view. The Imam recites "Sabbiḥ isma Rabbika al-Aʿla" (Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High) in the first unit (rak'ah) and "Hal atāka ḥadīth al-Ghāshiyah" (Has there come to you the narrative of the Overwhelming?) in the second, or Surah "Qaf" in the first and "Al-Qamar" in the second.

6. Coincidence of Eid and Friday: Both Eid prayer and Friday prayer are observed. Whoever attends Eid prayer may either attend Friday prayer or pray Dhuhr in its place.

7. Greeting the Eid Musalla (Prayer Ground): Scholars differed regarding greeting the Eid prayer ground. The more preponderant view is that two rak'ahs of greeting the mosque should be prayed there. One should not condemn those who pray or sit.

8. Zakat al-Fitr (Charity of Breaking the Fast): It is to be given out one or two days before the Eid prayer. Whoever gives it out after the prayer, it is not sufficient unless there is a valid excuse.

9. Congratulations and Visiting Graves: People congratulate each other, while being cautious of prohibited acts such as men shaking hands with non-mahram women (women who are not close relatives). As for visiting graves, it is not specific to the day of Eid, and it should not be singled out for it.

10. Embracing: There is no harm in men embracing each other on the day of Eid.

11. Changing the Path: It is prescribed for someone who goes out for the Eid prayer to return by a different route, following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This Sunnah is specific to Eid.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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