Eid al-Fitr — the festival of breaking the fast
Eid al-Fitr falls on the 1st of Shawwal, the day immediately after Ramadan ends, celebrating the completion of a month of fasting.
عِيد
Eid
Islam has two annual celebrations — Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, marking the completion of Hajj and commemorating Ibrahim's sacrifice.
- Pay Zakat al-Fitr before the Eid prayer — see the Ramadan page for the full details on who it's for and how much.
- Eat something before leaving for the prayer — the Prophet ﷺ never went out for Eid al-Fitr prayer without first eating, traditionally an odd number of dates.
- Make ghusl, wear your best clean clothes, and use perfume if you have it — the same general adornment sunnahs as Jumu'ah, elevated for the occasion.
- Attend the Eid prayer in congregation, ideally outdoors or at the largest venue available, since the whole community — including women — is encouraged to attend.
- Exchange greetings — "Eid Mubarak" is common local practice; the greeting reported from the companions was "Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum" ("May Allah accept [good deeds] from us and from you").
Hadith — sahih
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لاَ يَغْدُو يَوْمَ الْفِطْرِ حَتَّى يَأْكُلَ تَمَرَاتٍ
"The Prophet ﷺ never went out on the Day of Fitr until he had eaten some dates."
Sahih al-Bukhari 986
Hadith — sahih
أَمَرَنَا أَنْ نُخْرِجَهُنَّ فِي الْفِطْرِ وَالأَضْحَى الْعَوَاتِقَ وَالْحُيَّضَ وَذَوَاتِ الْخُدُورِ
"We were ordered [by the Prophet ﷺ] to bring out on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha even the young virgin girls staying in seclusion and menstruating women, [though menstruating women were to keep away from the actual prayer place]."
Sahih al-Bukhari 971
Eid al-Adha — the festival of sacrifice
Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, during the days of Hajj, and commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah — a test resolved when Allah provided a ram as ransom in his place.
Qur'an — the ransom sacrifice
وَفَدَيْنَـٰهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍۢ
"And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice."
See the full account in the story of Ibrahim. In remembrance of this, Muslims who are able perform Udhiyah — the ritual sacrifice of a sheep, goat, cow, or camel — distributing the meat between family, friends, and the poor. Unlike Eid al-Fitr, the sunnah on Eid al-Adha is to eat nothing before the prayer, then eat from the sacrifice afterward.
Hadith — sahih
مَنْ ذَبَحَ قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ فَإِنَّمَا ذَبَحَ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَمَنْ ذَبَحَ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَدْ تَمَّ نُسُكُهُ وَأَصَابَ سُنَّةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
"Whoever sacrifices before the prayer, he has sacrificed only for himself; but whoever sacrifices after the prayer, his sacrifice is complete and he has followed the way of the Muslims."
Sahih al-Bukhari 5556
Eid al-Adha also opens the three days of Tashriq (11th-13th Dhul-Hijjah), during which fasting is forbidden and the takbir is recited after every obligatory prayer — see the Practice page for the forbidden fasting days.
The Eid prayer
The Eid prayer is offered in congregation, without an adhan or iqamah beforehand — a detail explicitly preserved by the companions.
Hadith — sahih
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلَّى يَوْمَ الْفِطْرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ لَمْ يُصَلِّ قَبْلَهَا وَلاَ بَعْدَهَا، ثُمَّ أَتَى النِّسَاءَ وَمَعَهُ بِلاَلٌ
"The Prophet ﷺ prayed two rak'ahs on the Day of Fitr, and prayed nothing before or after it. Then he went towards the women along with Bilal..."
Sahih al-Bukhari 964
The prayer itself is two rak'ahs, with extra takbirs — additional declarations of "Allahu Akbar" — added before the recitation in each rak'ah (commonly seven in the first, five in the second, though the exact count is a point where the schools of fiqh differ slightly). It's followed by a khutbah, which — unlike the Friday khutbah — comes after the prayer rather than before it.
The Eid takbir
Recited on the way to the prayer and, on Eid al-Adha, after every obligatory prayer through the days of Tashriq:
The takbir of Eid
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ
"Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest, there is no god but Allah, Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise."
Continue exploring
This page is drawn from the Qur'an and authentic hadith; the exact count of Eid takbirs and some details of the khutbah vary slightly between the schools of fiqh — consult a qualified local scholar for your school's specifics.