The Eid prayer (salatu'l-`idayn) is "waajib"
(obligatory) for every male Muslim. The founder of the Islam religion,
Prophet Muhammad, consistently performed these prayers and commanded
that every Muslim, male and female, attend them. He wanted every
unmarried woman, the virgins and the menstruating women, to attend the
Eid prayer, and witness the good and the supplications of the believers.
While the virgins are considered fit to participate in the prayers, the
menstruating women are not allowed to take part in the ceremonies and
they should stay away from the musalla (Muslim sanctuary).
The time for the Eid prayer begins from the time the sun is three meters
from the horizon until the sun reaches its meridian.
The Eid prayer consists of two Rak`at (full prayer units). During these
prayer services, it is sunnah/hadith (prescribed) to pronounce the
takbir, a proclamation of the greatness of Allah, such as "Allahu akbar".
The first rak`ah (one prayer unit) must be started with Takbirul-ihram;
this is followed by the opening supplication. The opening supplication
in the first rak`ah is followed by seven other Takbirs.
During the second rak'ah, a takbir is practiced for standing after
praying in a lying down position. This is followed by five more Takbirs.
During each pronouncement of the takbir, one is supposed to raise
his/her hands. The custom is based on an account by Umar and his son
Abdullah. However, the tradition has been contested by other schools of
thought.
The prayer is followed by the Khutbah (public sermon), which is part of
the worship. Making the Khutbah is a sunnah and so is listening to it.
The preaching is traditionally done by the Imam (the man leading the
prayers in a mosque), who reminds the faithful congregation about its
responsibilities and obligations towards Allah, and people of their own
as well as of other faiths. He encourages the assembled people to abide
by the scriptural laws, to do good (specially through almsgiving, an
important part of Eid) and get rid of all evil propensities.
As the prayer ends, Muslims greet each other with festive wishes,
present young ones with nice gifts to the young ones and visit the homes
of friends and relatives. This is also a time when Muslims invite their
non-Muslim neighbors, friends, colleagues, classmates and clients to
their homes and treat them to Eid delicacies thus giving them a glimpse
of the Muslim culture and joyful Islamic celebrations.
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