Chapter: The Prayer of the Two Eids

The fundamental basis for the Eid prayer is the Book (Quran), the Sunnah, and consensus (Ijma'). As for the Book, it is the saying of Allah the Almighty: {So pray to your Lord and sacrifice} (37). The famous interpretation is that what is intended by this is the Eid prayer. As for the Sunnah, it is established by continuous reports (tawatur) that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to perform the prayer of the two Eids. Ibn Abbas said: "I witnessed the Eid al-Fitr prayer with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and with Abu Bakr and Umar, and they all performed it before the khutbah (sermon)." And from him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prayed the Eid without an adhan (call to prayer) or iqamah. Both are agreed upon (38). The Muslims reached a consensus on the prayer of the two Eids. The Eid prayer is a communal obligation (fard kifayah) according to the apparent [view of the] school of thought; if those who are sufficient to fulfill it perform it, it drops from the others. If the people of a city agree to abandon it, the Imam shall fight them. Some of the companions of al-Shafi'i held this view as well. Abu Hanifah said: "It is individually obligatory (wajib 'ala al-a'yan) and not a communal obligation, because it is a prayer for which a sermon has been prescribed, so it is individually obligatory and not a communal obligation (39), just like Jumu'ah." Ibn Abi Musa said: "It is said that it is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah) and not obligatory." Malik and most of the companions of al-Shafi'i held this view, based on the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to the Bedouin when he mentioned the five prayers, he asked: 'Is there any other upon me?' He replied: "No, unless you perform it voluntarily" (40).