Eid al-Adha: Sunan, Takbirat, and How to Celebrate Properly

Eid al-Adha is sometimes called the "Greater Eid", not because its celebration is louder or more elaborate than Eid al-Fitr, but because it arrives at the peak of Islamic worship. It falls on 10 Dhul Hijjah, the day after the pilgrims stand on the plain of Arafah, the day Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son was answered by Allah's mercy. For those not performing Hajj, Eid al-Adha is the moment to share in that spirit, through the Eid prayer, through the Udhiya sacrifice, and through the Takbirat that ring out across five days of remembrance.

This guide covers every practice tied to Eid al-Adha: what distinguishes it from Eid al-Fitr, the Takbirat al-Tashreeq and when they are recited, the sunan of the morning, how the Eid prayer is performed, the greeting of Eid, and the rights of the days of Tashreeq that follow.

What makes Eid al-Adha different from Eid al-Fitr?

Both Eids are occasions of worship, gratitude, and celebration, but they arrive from opposite directions. Eid al-Fitr comes after a month of fasting, a month of nightly prayer and self-restraint, and it carries the feeling of relief and reward. Eid al-Adha comes at the height of the Islamic year's most intensive worship: the days of Hajj, culminating in the Day of Arafah, which the Prophet ﷺ described as the day of Hajj itself. For those on pilgrimage, Eid al-Adha is the moment the Hajj reaches its sacrificial conclusion. For those at home, it is a day of solidarity with the pilgrims and a day to fulfill the Udhiya.

One practical difference is immediately noticeable: the food. For Eid al-Fitr, the sunnah is to eat an odd number of dates before going out to the Eid prayer. For Eid al-Adha, the sunnah is the opposite, do not eat anything before the prayer. The Prophet ﷺ did not eat on the morning of Eid al-Adha until he returned from the prayer and the sacrifice, at which point he would eat from the Udhiya meat (Sahih al-Bukhari 985). If you are not performing Udhiya yourself, you may eat anything after the prayer, but the tradition of eating first from the Udhiya connects every household to the spirit of Ibrahim's sacrifice.

The theological ground of this difference makes sense: Eid al-Adha is preceded by the Day of Arafah, a day of fasting for those not on Hajj. The morning arrives in a state of spiritual intensity and anticipation. Delaying food until after the prayer and sacrifice is itself a small act of marking that the day is not ordinary.

Takbirat al-Tashreeq: wording, timing, and rulings

The Takbirat al-Tashreeq are among the most distinctive markers of Eid al-Adha. They are recited after every obligatory prayer beginning from Fajr of the Day of Arafah (9 Dhul Hijjah) through Asr of the last day of Tashreeq (13 Dhul Hijjah), a span of five days covering twenty-three obligatory prayers in total.

The wording established by the companions, including Umar ibn al-Khattab and Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (recorded by Ibn Abi Shaybah and al-Dar al-Qutni), is:

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha ill-Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lil-lahil hamd.

Translation: "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise."

Some scholars and communities follow an extended version that adds: Allahu Akbaru kabiraa, wal-hamdulillahi kathiraa, wa subhanallahi bukratan wa asila, affirming the greatness of Allah abundantly and praising Him morning and evening. Both versions are traced to reliable companions, and neither is incorrect. The core version above is the more widely transmitted and is the one that all four schools of jurisprudence accept without dispute.

As for who is required to recite the Takbirat al-Tashreeq: in the Hanafi school, recitation is wajib (obligatory) after every obligatory prayer for residents during 8–13 Dhul Hijjah. In the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools, it is highly recommended, in some formulations a confirmed sunnah, but not classified at the level of wajib. The practical implication is the same: these are takbirs that every Muslim should be reciting in the days of Tashreeq, and a man who abandons them entirely is missing one of the most visible acts of the season. Men recite them aloud; women recite quietly.

The scriptural basis is broad. Allah says in the Quran: "That they may witness the benefits [provided] for them and mention the name of Allah on known days" (Quran 22:28). The "known days" are understood by the majority of scholars to include the days of Tashreeq, and the "mention of Allah" includes both the Takbirat and the recitation over the Udhiya.

The morning of Eid al-Adha: sunan of the day

The morning of Eid al-Adha has a particular texture, a sequence of acts, each one sunnah, each one drawing the worshipper deeper into the spirit of the day. None of these are obligatory in themselves, but together they form the Islamic way of greeting this celebration.

Perform ghusl before the Eid prayer. The Prophet ﷺ performed ghusl on both Eids. Ibn al-Qayyim recorded that arriving at the Eid prayer in a state of full purity is from the veneration of the day. Wear your best clean clothes, new if you have them. For men, applying a pleasing fragrance is sunnah. The Day of Eid is a day to present oneself well, not out of vanity, but because the gathering at the prayer ground is a gathering before Allah and the community.

Do not eat before the prayer. This is one of the sunan of Eid al-Adha specifically, in contrast to Eid al-Fitr where eating before is sunnah. Walk to the Eid prayer if your circumstances allow; the act of walking itself is part of the sunnah of the day. Recite the Takbir on the way to the musalla, aloud for men. The streets on the morning of Eid al-Adha should resound with Allahu Akbar.

After the prayer, take a different route home than the one you used to arrive. This is authentically established in Sahih al-Bukhari 986, the Prophet ﷺ would differ his route on Eid. Scholars have offered several reasons: to pass by more people and spread the Eid greeting, to make the streets of the city witness to the worship, or to give sadaqah to those one might encounter on a different path. The wisdom is less important than the practice itself.

The Eid prayer: how it is performed

The Eid prayer is performed in congregation and carries significant weight in Islamic law. Regarding its ruling: it is Fardh Kifayah (a communal obligation) in the Shafi'i and Maliki schools; Wajib (obligatory on individuals) in the Hanafi school; and Fardh 'Ayn (an individual obligation that cannot be discharged by others) in the Hanbali school. Regardless of the precise ruling, the call to the Eid prayer is one that the Muslim community should fulfill collectively, and abandoning it entirely without reason is a serious matter.

Its time begins after the sun has risen above the horizon by approximately a spear's length (roughly fifteen to twenty minutes after sunrise) and continues until just before Dhuhr. The Prophet ﷺ preferred to perform the Eid prayer at the open musalla, the designated prayer ground outside the city, rather than in the masjid, except in the case of rain (Sahih al-Bukhari 956). Praying in the open connects the community to the broad spirit of the day and allows larger numbers to gather.

The Eid prayer consists of two rakaat with additional takbirs. In the Hanbali and Shafi'i schools, the view followed by the majority of communities today, the first raka contains seven extra takbirs after the opening takbir and before the recitation of Al-Fatihah. The second raka contains five extra takbirs after standing up from the sajdah and before Al-Fatihah. In the Hanafi school, the additional takbirs are three in each raka at a slightly different position, but the structure of two rakaat remains.

The imam recites Al-Fatihah and a surah aloud in both rakaat, typically Surah Al-A'la in the first and Surah Al-Ghashiyah in the second, or Surah Qaf in the first and Surah Al-Qamar in the second. The congregation follows in the usual manner. After the prayer, the imam delivers two khutbahs. This is the reversal most often confused with Jumu'ah: for Eid, the prayer comes first and the khutbah follows, the opposite order from the Friday prayer. Attending the khutbah is strongly recommended (sunnah) but not obligatory in the same way as Jumu'ah, and it is valid for worshippers to leave after the prayer if they have a pressing need.

The Eid prayer is not preceded by the Adhan (the call to prayer) or the Iqamah (the second call). The announcement is simply "as-salatu jami'ah", "the prayer is gathering."

Can women attend the Eid prayer? Not only can they, they were explicitly invited. The Prophet ﷺ commanded that women be brought out to the Eid prayer, including menstruating women who were asked to stand apart from the prayer area and participate in the celebration and the du'a without performing the salah itself (Sahih al-Bukhari 971). Eid prayer is a communal event, and the Prophet ﷺ wanted the entire community, men, women, the elderly, children, present for it.

Greetings and celebration

The authentically reported Eid greeting among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ is: Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum, "May Allah accept from us and from you." Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani authenticated this greeting in Fath al-Bari as a mawquf narration, meaning it is traced to the companions, not directly to the Prophet ﷺ, but this status is sufficient to establish it as an accepted Islamic practice. It is a du'a as much as a greeting, an acknowledgment that all the worship of the season, the Hajj, the Udhiya, the Eid prayer itself, is only accepted by Allah's grace.

The widespread phrase "Eid Mubarak", "a blessed Eid", is accepted by scholars as a permissible greeting, and many classical and contemporary scholars have affirmed its use. It does not carry the same textual basis as taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum, but it falls within the general Islamic encouragement of expressing joy and goodwill. Combining both is common: many people say Eid Mubarak, taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum as a single greeting.

Eid al-Adha is a day of celebration, visiting family, sharing food, wearing good clothes, and expressing gratitude. The key difference from Eid al-Fitr is that the celebration is intertwined with the Udhiya. The joy of the day is not merely social; it is connected to the act of sacrifice, to the Hajj taking place in Makkah, and to the spiritual station of Ibrahim and his family whose story lies at the heart of every Eid al-Adha.

The days of Tashreeq (11, 12, 13 Dhul Hijjah)

Eid al-Adha does not end on the evening of 10 Dhul Hijjah. The three days that follow, 11, 12, and 13 Dhul Hijjah, are the days of Tashreeq, and they carry their own rights and rulings.

The Prophet ﷺ described them as "days of eating and drinking and remembering Allah" (Sahih Muslim 1141). Fasting on these days is prohibited for those who are not pilgrims (Sahih al-Bukhari 1997), just as fasting on Eid al-Adha itself is prohibited (Sahih al-Bukhari 1993). The prohibition is not merely a permission to celebrate; it is a command: these days are for enjoying the bounty of Allah, and a Muslim who fasts on them without a valid reason (such as making up a missed obligatory fast, which some scholars allow on the days of Tashreeq and others prohibit) is acting contrary to the sunnah.

For those on Hajj, the days of Tashreeq are among the most demanding of the pilgrimage, the days of Mina, of the stoning of the Jamarat, of spending the nights between the sacred stations. Allah says in the Quran: "And remember Allah during the numbered days" (Quran 2:203). The "numbered days" are these days of Tashreeq.

For those at home, the obligations are gentler but no less real. The Takbirat al-Tashreeq continue after every obligatory prayer through Asr of 13 Dhul Hijjah. If Udhiya has not yet been performed, it is valid through the days of Tashreeq, with the first day (10 Dhul Hijjah) being most recommended and the window closing after Asr on 13 Dhul Hijjah. Visiting family, distributing meat from the Udhiya (at least one-third to the poor, at least one-third to relatives and neighbors, and up to one-third kept, though this division is a recommendation, not a strict obligation), and remaining in a spirit of gratitude and remembrance complete the picture of these days.

When the sun sets on 13 Dhul Hijjah, the Takbirat al-Tashreeq end. The Hajj is complete for the pilgrims. The Eid al-Adha season closes. But the remembrance of Ibrahim's willingness and Allah's mercy, and the reminder that what Allah accepts is the taqwa, not the flesh or blood of the sacrifice (Quran 22:37), remains throughout the year.

FAQ

What if I can't make it to the Eid prayer?

If you miss the congregational Eid prayer, the majority view among scholars is that you may pray it individually later, ideally before Dhuhr. The community's obligation is fulfilled when the congregation gathers; those who miss it for a valid reason are not sinful, and they may still pray it on their own. Missing the congregational prayer is a loss of the sunnah of community, but the prayer itself remains available to you.

How early should I arrive at the musalla?

The Prophet ﷺ would walk to the prayer ground and arrive early. Arriving after the sun has risen, once the prayer time has entered, and settling in before the imam begins is ideal. Arriving early allows you to engage in the Takbir, greet your community, and find a good position. The musalla fills quickly on Eid morning.

Can I pray Eid prayer at home?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars across the major scholarly bodies permitted the Eid prayer to be performed at home, individually or with family members. Under normal circumstances, the established sunnah is the congregation at an open prayer ground, and this is strongly preferred. A household Eid prayer does not carry the same communal weight, though it is valid in exceptional circumstances.

Can I fast on Eid al-Adha?

No, fasting on Eid al-Adha is prohibited (Sahih al-Bukhari 1993). It is one of the five days on which fasting is forbidden in Islam. The other four are Eid al-Fitr and the three days of Tashreeq (11, 12, 13 Dhul Hijjah). The Prophet ﷺ explicitly forbade fasting on these days, and the prohibition is agreed upon by all four schools of jurisprudence.

What is the difference between Eid prayer and Jumu'ah prayer in terms of format?

Both are 2 rakaat accompanied by a khutbah, but the differences are significant. The Eid prayer has additional takbirs (7 in the first raka, 5 in the second in the Hanbali/Shafi'i view) that Jumu'ah does not. The khutbah comes after the prayer for Eid, and before the prayer for Jumu'ah. There is no Adhan or Iqamah for the Eid prayer. Attendance at the Eid khutbah is sunnah and not obligatory in the way Jumu'ah attendance is for men. And for Eid, the congregational prayer can be held once, it does not repeat in multiple sessions.