Audio Courtesy: http://www.ashabulhadith.com
All praise is for Allaah, Lord of all the Worlds, who ordered us to follow His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and to call to His Way, and may Allaah send praises and blessings of peace upon our Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), and upon his family, his Companions, and those who truly follow them until the Day of Judgment.
We implore Allaah, the Most High, to make the approaching Eid a moment of blessing for everyone. May this Eid bring peace and prosperity globally. Indeed, Eid is the day of blessings and great reward by Almighty Allaah for good observance of fasting and Salaah, thus we need to express our gratitude to Allaah, Who has enabled us to observe virtues deed and, at the same time, granted us abundant provision during this blessed month.
Ahlus-Sunnah sees Eid as a day of joy, cooperation, solidarity and brotherhood. They adhere to the below mentioned Sunnah of the Salaf al Ummah while celebrating it.
Bathing and Putting On the Best Clothes :
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahim'ullaah) said, “..He (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would wear his best clothes when proceeding to the two Eids and the day of jumah (Friday)...” refer : Zaad-ul-Ma’aad, 1/441
Imaam Naafi (rahim'ullaah) reports : “Abdullah Ibn Umar (radiyallahu 'anhu) used to bathe on the day of fitr (Eid-al-fitr) before setting out to the musallaa.” refer : Muwatta Imaam Malik, 1/177
Imaam Ibn Qudamah (rahim'ullaah) said, “It is preferred to purify oneself by bathing for Eid. Ibn Umar (radiyallahu 'anhu) used to bathe on the day of fitr (Eid-al-fitr). This is also reported upon Ali (radiyallahu 'anhu) and it is the opinion of ‘Urwah, ‘Ataa, An-Nakhaa’ee, Ash-Sha’bee, Qatadah Abu Zinaad Malik, Ash-Shaafi and Ibn Mundhir..” refer : Al-Mughnee, 2/370
Eating Before Salaah :
Anas (radiyallahu 'anhu) said, “The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would not set out in the morning of Eid-al-fitr until he had eaten some dates.” refer : Sahih Bukhari
Imaam Al-Muhallab (rahim'ullaah) said : “The wisdom behind eating before the Eid Sahah is so that no person doubts that fasting remains until after the Salaah. So it is as if he (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) wanted to stop this from occurring.” refer : Fath-ul-Bari, 2/447
Takbeer :
The Imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah, our beloved Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to emerge on the day of Eid-al-fitr and say the takbeer up until he reached the musallaa and up until he had performed the Salaah. So when he had performed the Salaah he stopped saying the takbeer. refer : Silsilatul Ahadeeth As-Saheehah, 170, Shaykh Al-Albani (rahim'ullaah) said, “This Hadith contains evidence of saying the takbeer aloud on the way to the musallaa; even though many Muslims have become negligent of this Sunnah to such an extent that it has nearly become a “thing of the past”.
Ibn Masud (radiyallahu 'anhu) used to say : “Allaahu-Akbar. Allaahu-Akbar. Laa ilaaha illallah. Wa-Allaahu Akbar. Allaahu-Akbaar. Wa lillaahil-Hamd” (Allaah is the Greatest. Allaah is the Greatest. There is none who has the right to be worshipped except Allaah. Allaah is the Greatest. Allaah is the Greatest and to Allaah belongs all praise.) refer : al-Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah
Saying the Takbeer aloud does not mean that it is permitted to say it in unison, as some people do. Likewise, all other supplications in which raising the voice has or has not been prescribed, then reciting the supplication in unison is not permissible. So be cautious of this and let us always focus upon the fact that the best guidance is the guidance of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam).
Taking Different Route :
Jabir Bin Abdullah (radiyallahu 'anhu) said, “When it was the day of Eid the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to alter his route (of returning).” refer : Sahih Bukhari
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahim'ullaah) wrote, “The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to change his route on the days of Eid, such that he went by one route and returned by another. According to the m ost correct opinion, he did this to make manifest the rituals of Islam.” refer : Zaad-ul-Ma’aad, 1/449
Praying Eid at Musallaa is Mustahab (recommended) :
Abu Saeed Al-Khudree (radiyallahu 'anhu) said : “The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) on the days of Eid-al-fitr and Eid-al-adhaa used to go out to the Musallaa and the first thing that he would begin with was the Salaah...” refer : Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
Musallaa (literally means an open place where Salaah is performed or where congregations are held, it is also referred to a place where Eid Salaah is held), it is even permitted to pray Eid atmasajid.
Listening Eid Khutbah :
Imaam Nawawi (rahim'ullaah) said : “ It is Mustahab (recommended) for people to listen to thekhutbah, although the khutbah and listening to it are not essential conditions of Eid Salaah. But Imaam Ash-Shaafi (rahim'ullaah) said : “I do not like it that someone does not listen to thekhutbah of Eid, (or) at the time of an eclipse, when Salaah for rain are offered, or during Hajj, or he speaks during one of these khutbahs or leaves, but he does not have to repeat the Salaah.”refer : al-Majmoo, p. 23
Women’s attendance of Salaat al-Eid :
Hafsah (radiyallahu 'anha) said : “We used to prevent pre-pubescent girls from attending Salaatal-Eid ’. Then a woman came and stayed at the fort of Banu Khalaf, and told us about her sister. Her sister’s husband had taken part in twelve campaigns with the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and [she said], ‘My sister was with him on six of them. She said, “We used to treat the wounded and take care of the sick. My sister asked the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) whether there was anything wrong with her not going out [on Eid] if she did not have a jilbaab. He said, ‘Let her friend give her one of her jilbaab so that she may witness the blessings of Eid and see the Muslims gathering.’’ When Um ‘Atiyah came, I asked her, ‘Did you hear the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) [say this]?’ She said, ‘May my father be sacrificed for him’ – and she never mentioned him without saying ‘may my father be sacrificed for him’ – ‘I heard him saying that we should bring out the young girls and those who were secluded, or the young girls who were secluded, and the menstruating women, so that they could witness the blessings ofEid and see the gathering of the believers, but those who were menstruating were to keep away from the Salaah-place itself.” refer : Sahih Bukhari
Imaam at-Tirmidhi (rahim'ullaah) said in his Sunnan, after quoting the hadith of Umm ‘Atiyah : “Some of the Scholars referred to this hadeeth and allowed women to go out to the Salaat al-Eid , and some of them disliked this. It was reported that Imaam Abdullaah Ibn al-Mubaarak (rahim'ullaah) said : ‘I do not like for women to go out to Salaat al-Eid nowadays. If a woman insists on going out, her husband should let her, if she goes out wearing her shabbiest clothes and not adorning herself. If she insists on adorning herself, then she should not go out. In this case the husband has the right to stop her from going out. It was reported that Aishah (radiyallahu 'anha) said : ‘If the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) had seen what has happened to women, he would have stopped them from going to the mosques, just as the women of Bani Israaeel were stopped.’ It was reported that Imaam Sufyaan al-Thawri did not like women to go to the Salaat al-Eid in his days.” refer : Sunnan Tirmidhi
Men should check on their womenfolk when they going out for the Salaah to make sure that their hijaab is complete, further they the women should not be adorned or wear perfume. Menstruating women should not enter the mosque or Salaah-place; they can wait in the car, for example, where they can hear the khutbah.
Eid Greetings :
Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahim'ullaah) said : “As for people greeting each other after theeid Salaah by, ‘Taqaballaahu Minna Wa Minkum‘ (may Allaah accept it (i.e. good deeds) from us and you) – it is reported that some of the Shahabah practiced it, and the scholars permitted it. refer : Majmoo al-Fataawaa, 24/253.
Imaam Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr Al-Asqalani (rahim'ullaah) said : “We have related in “Mahaamiliyaat” with a chain of narration that is hasan, from Jabyr ibn Nufayr who said : ‘When the companions of Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) met on the day of Eid, they would say to each other, ‘Taqaballaahu Minna Wa Minkum” refer : Fath ul Bari, 2/446.
Imaam Ibn Qudaamah (rahim'ullaah) mentioned that Muhammad Ibn Ziyad said : I was with Abu Umamah al Bahili and some other companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) When they returned from the Eid (salaah), they said to each other, ‘Taqabbalallaahu Minna Wa Minkum . refer : Al-Mughnee, 2/259.
