Eid guide
How to pray Eid — Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha
Two rakats, extra takbirs, no adhan, and the khutbah after the prayer — not before, unlike Jummah. Hanafi congregations typically add 3+3 extra takbirs; many others do 7 then 5. Follow the imam. Eat before Fitr prayer; on Adha delay if you are sacrificing. Dates belong on the evergreen Eid hubs, not on a year-stamped URL.
Desk-reviewed 2026-08-13. Global Prayer Times keeps two rolling date pages; this article is only the prayer’s shape.
Is Eid prayer the same as Jummah?
No. Jummah replaces Dhuhr on Friday: two khutbahs, then two fard rakats. Eid is a separate two-rakat prayer after sunrise on 1 Shawwal or 10 Dhul Hijjah, with extra takbirs, no adhan, and the khutbah afterwards. Do not mix the sequences. Daily Salah motions still apply once the extra takbirs are done.
What is different on Eid al-Fitr?
1 Shawwal, after Ramadan. Eat before you go. Pay Zakat al-Fitr before the prayer. The two
rakats are the same shape as Adha. Next date:
/eid-al-fitr/
— not a /eid-al-fitr-2026/ slug as your bookmark.
What is different on Eid al-Adha?
10 Dhul Hijjah. If you are sacrificing, delay eating until after the prayer. Udhiyah is a separate ruling from the two rakats. Next date: /eid-al-adha/ — evergreen, not a year path.
How many extra takbirs are there?
Counts below are extra takbirs beyond the opening takbir of ihram. In congregation, the imam’s count wins. This table is a map, not a licence to correct the row in front of you.
| Part | Details |
|---|---|
| Total rakats | 2 — no attached sunnah before or after the Eid prayer itself |
| Adhan / iqamah | None |
| Hanafi extra takbirs | 3 in the first rakat before recitation; 3 in the second before ruku |
| Other-school extra takbirs | Commonly 7 in the first rakat, then 5 in the second |
| Khutbah | After the prayer (opposite of Jummah) |
| Window | After sunrise until Dhuhr — often mid-morning |
How do you pray Eid, in order?
The walkthrough uses the common Hanafi placement of 3+3. If your musalla uses 7 then 5, the same two rakats still apply — only the extra-takbir tally changes. Raise the hands with the imam if that is the mosque’s practice; do not add a sixth takbir because a webpage said three.
Ghusl, clothes, and the Fitr / Adha meal rule
Bathe, wear your best clothes, and go out in the morning after sunrise. On Eid al-Fitr eat something — classically an odd number of dates — before leaving. On Eid al-Adha delay eating if you will sacrifice, until after the prayer.
Wudu and Ghusl →Go to the musalla — there is no adhan
Eid is two rakats in congregation, often in an open ground or a large hall. There is no adhan and no iqamah as on the five daily prayers. Do not wait for a third call; follow the announced start after sunrise, before Dhuhr.
Opening takbir, then the extra takbirs of the first rakat
Say Allahu Akbar to enter the prayer. Hanafi: three extra takbirs before recitation in the first rakat (hands raised each time in the common teaching). Many Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali congregations do seven extra in the first rakat. Follow the imam — do not count independently against him.
Ordinary Salah motions →Second rakat: recitation, then the remaining extra takbirs
Hanafi: after Fatihah and a surah in the second rakat, three extra takbirs before ruku. Other schools commonly do five extra in the second rakat before recitation. Then complete ruku, two sujud, tashahhud and tasleem as in any two-rakat prayer.
Sit for the khutbah after the prayer
Unlike Jummah, the Eid khutbah comes after the two rakats, not before. There is still no adhan. Listening is Sunnah and expected; it is not the same legal hinge as the Jummah sermons. Then greet, visit, and — on Adha — attend to the sacrifice if that is your household’s practice.
Jummah is the other sequence →Where should you look up this year’s date?
On this site, the durable URLs are
Eid al-Fitr
and
Eid al-Adha.
They update from the same Hijri events table each year. A path with 2026
in it is a snapshot, not the page to bookmark. Local moonsighting can still differ by a day
from a calculated table — your mosque’s announcement is the communal day.
Which Sunnahs sit around Eid prayer?
- Ghusl before leaving
- Best clothes; takbir on the way
- Fitr: eat before the prayer. Adha: delay if sacrificing
- Walk one route out, another route home
- Listen to the khutbah after the two rakats — not before, and not instead of them
Eid prayer FAQ
How many rakats is Eid prayer?
How many extra takbirs — Hanafi vs other schools?
Is the khutbah before or after Eid prayer?
Is Eid prayer obligatory?
When is Eid this year?
What is different between Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayer?
Related Islamic Guides
Eid al-Fitr
Evergreen date hub for 1 Shawwal — bookmark this, not a year slug.
Eid al-Adha
Evergreen date hub for 10 Dhul Hijjah and the days around it.
How to pray Jummah
Friday prayer: khutbah first, then two fard rakats.
How to pray Salah
The five daily prayers — the motions Eid still uses.
Related: Ramadan · Jummah times · Editorial policy
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