Narrated al-Bara (Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) delivering a khutbah saying: “The first thing to be done on this day (first day of Eid-ul-Adha) is to pray; and after returning from the prayer we slaughter our sacrifices (in the name of Allah), and whoever does so, he has acted according to our sunnah. (Kitaabul-‘Eidayn, Bukhari)
Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated on the 10th through 12th day of Dhil Hijjah, the 12th month of the lunar calendar. Many of the rituals related to the Eid directly commemmorate the sacrifices of Hadrat Ibrâhîm (alayhis-salaam) and his family for the sake of Allâh. On the way to the Eid prayer, while waiting for it and on the way back from the prayer one should recite the following takbeer as much as possible:
Allaahu akbar - Allaahu akbar – Laa ilaaha illallaahu – wal-laahu akbar Allaahu akbar wa lil-laahil-hamd
(Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; There is no god except Allah; And Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest and for Allah is all praise.)
It is the tradition of the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) to go to the prayer by one way and return by another. The takbeer-e-tashreeq above is also to be recited after every fard prayer beginning from the Fajr prayer of the 9th to the ‘Asr prayer of the 13th of Dhil Hijjah (23 times in all).
The following actions are also sunnah on the day of Eid:
To clean the teeth with miswaak;
To take a bath;
To adorn oneself and dress in the best clothes that are available and are permitted in Shari’ah;
To use perfume;
To rise early and go to the prayer grounds early;
To walk to the prayer grounds if possible and to recite the takbeer above;
Nothing is to be eaten before the prayer of Eid-ul-Adha, unlike Eid-ul-Fitr;
No (nafl) prayers should be prayed at the Eid prayer ground, neither before or after the Eid prayer.
Procedure of the Eid Prayer
Eid-ul-Adha prayer consists of two raka’ah in congregation. The procedure of the prayer is as follows:
First, make the niyyah for the Eid salaah:
Nawaytu an usallee rak’atayil-waajibi salaata ‘eidil-adhaa ma’a takbeeraatin waajibatin
(I intend to pray 2 raka’ah of waajib prayer of Eid-ul-Adha with the (extra) waajib takbeeraat )
Then the Imam says Allahu akbar (and the followers do so after him). Then the hands are folded as in other prayers and the thana’ is recited:
Subhaanakal-laahum-ma wa bi hamdika wa tabaarakas-muka wa ta’aalaa jad-duka wa laa ilaaha ghairuk
(O Allah! Glory and Praise are for You, and blessed is Your name, and exalted is Your majesty; and there is no god except You.)
Then Allahu akbar is said 3 times, every time raising the hands to the ears and dropping them except the last time when they are folded. Then the Imam recites the Ta’awwudh and Bismillah quietly and then recites Surah Fatiha and another Surah. Then ruku’ and sujood are performed as in other prayers. In the second raka’ah, the Imam recites Bismillah quietly and then Surah Fatiha and another Surah loudly and then says Allahu akbar 3 times, each time raising the hands to the ears and dropping them. Then Allahu akbar is said a fourth time and the congregation goes into ruku’ and finishes the prayer as any other. After the Eid prayer is completed, the Imam stands up and gives two khutbah in Arabic, sitting between them, as was the practice of the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam).
An alternate method of performing twelve extra takbeeraat during the prayer, instead of the six extra that are described above, is also permissible: 7 and then 5 extra takbeeraat are performed during the first and second raka’ah respectively (Umdatus-Saalik, Shafi’ madhhab).
Selected Traditions from Sahih-al-Bukhari: The Chapter of the Two Eids.
• Narrated Aisha (Radiyallaahu ‘anhaa) that Allah’s Messenger (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) said: “There is an Eid for every nation and this is our Eid.”
• Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) used to offer the prayer of Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr and then deliver the khutbah after the prayer.
• Narrated Ibn Abbaas (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) said: “No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first 10 days of Dhil Hijjah).” Then some companions of the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) said, “Not even jihaad?” He replied, “Not even jihaad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allah’s sake) and does not return with any of those things.”
• Narrated Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu): On the day of ‘Eid, the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) used to return (from the prayer) through a way different from that by which he went.
• Narrated ‘Urwa on the authority of ‘Aisha (Radiyallaahu ‘anhaa) that on the days of Minaa (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhil Hijjah) Abu Bakr (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) came to her while two girls were beating the tambourine and the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) was lying covered with his clothes. Abu Bakr (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) scolded them and the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) uncovered his face and said to Abu Bakr, “Leave them, for these days are the days of Eid and the days of Minaa.”
The Slaughter:
According to Imam Abu Hanifah, the slaughtering is a wajib. For Abu Hanifah, a wajib is more than a sunnah and less than a fard. The other Imams consider a wajib to mean fard (obligatory).
Therefore, he sees that it is wajib for those people who are capable to do it according to the hadith, “Whoever has the ability to slaughter and he doesn’t, then let him not come near our prayer area.” So Abu Hanifa took from this hadith that it was a wajib. If we can’t consider it as a wajib, at least it is a sunnah muakkadah and in it is a great bounty.
Its time of occurrence is after Salat al-‘Eid, meaning the earliest salat ul-Eid that has been performed in your area. After which, it is permissible to make the sacrifice. If it is done before that, it is not considered an ‘Eid sacrifice.
For the Prophet (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) commanded the one who performs the slaughtering before the ‘Eid prayer to consider his sheep as a “sheep of meat” and not as a “sheep of worship”. Even if he gave all of it in charity he will only be rewarded for it the reward of charity, not the reward for slaughtering for the ‘Eid. For slaughtering is a an act of worship and the acts of worship if they have a fixed time and condition then it is not befitting for it to be performed early or late, like the daily prayers. Is it permissible for you to pray Dhuhr before its appointed time? So it is with the slaughtering of the ‘Eid, it has its specified time too.
Some people in certain places slaughter the night before the ‘Eid. This is incorrect and a misplacement of the Sunnah, as well as a loss of the reward that it contains. If this person realizes his mistake in time, especially if he made a vow to slaughter (then it is obligatory for him), he should repeat it in the correct time after the ‘Eid prayer. It is also permissible to slaughter on the second and third days of the ‘Eid.
It is best to slaughter before the sun reaches its zenith. If the time for Dhuhr comes and he has not performed the slaughter it is better to wait till the second day to do it. Some of the Imams have said that it is permissible after that during the day or even the night. For this reason I see that it is not absolutely necessary that everybody slaughters on the first day because there will be a lot of crowding at the site of the slaughtering. So, it is possible that some people can delay their slaughtering until the second or third day.
What is the Proper Animal for Slaughter?
Camels, cows, sheep and goats are the proper animal to use for slaughtering because they are considered livestock (an’am). So it is permissible to slaughter from any of these types. The sheep can be used for ‘one’, meaning a man and the members of his household. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “This is on behalf of Muhammad and his family.”
Abu Ayyub has said, “During the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) a man used to slaughter one sheep for himself and his family until it came to the point that people competed with each other and they became what you now see.” This is the Sunnah.
As for cows and camels, 1/7 of either of them is sufficient for one person, so it is possible that 7 people could share one camel or one camel or one cow with the condition that the cow is not less than 2 years old or the camel less than 5 years old.
The better the quality of the animal that is used for slaughtering, with regards to its size and condition, the better. That is because it is a gift to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Therefore, it is befitting for the Muslim to present to Allah the best possible thing. As for one giving to Allah what he himself would dislike, then no, this is not appropriate. But in the end, “It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, rather, it is the piety of the hearts that reaches Him.”
Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated on the 10th through 12th day of Dhil Hijjah, the 12th month of the lunar calendar. Many of the rituals related to the Eid directly commemmorate the sacrifices of Hadrat Ibrâhîm (alayhis-salaam) and his family for the sake of Allâh. On the way to the Eid prayer, while waiting for it and on the way back from the prayer one should recite the following takbeer as much as possible:
Allaahu akbar - Allaahu akbar – Laa ilaaha illallaahu – wal-laahu akbar Allaahu akbar wa lil-laahil-hamd
(Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; There is no god except Allah; And Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest and for Allah is all praise.)
It is the tradition of the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) to go to the prayer by one way and return by another. The takbeer-e-tashreeq above is also to be recited after every fard prayer beginning from the Fajr prayer of the 9th to the ‘Asr prayer of the 13th of Dhil Hijjah (23 times in all).
The following actions are also sunnah on the day of Eid:
To clean the teeth with miswaak;
To take a bath;
To adorn oneself and dress in the best clothes that are available and are permitted in Shari’ah;
To use perfume;
To rise early and go to the prayer grounds early;
To walk to the prayer grounds if possible and to recite the takbeer above;
Nothing is to be eaten before the prayer of Eid-ul-Adha, unlike Eid-ul-Fitr;
No (nafl) prayers should be prayed at the Eid prayer ground, neither before or after the Eid prayer.
Procedure of the Eid Prayer
Eid-ul-Adha prayer consists of two raka’ah in congregation. The procedure of the prayer is as follows:
First, make the niyyah for the Eid salaah:
Nawaytu an usallee rak’atayil-waajibi salaata ‘eidil-adhaa ma’a takbeeraatin waajibatin
(I intend to pray 2 raka’ah of waajib prayer of Eid-ul-Adha with the (extra) waajib takbeeraat )
Then the Imam says Allahu akbar (and the followers do so after him). Then the hands are folded as in other prayers and the thana’ is recited:
Subhaanakal-laahum-ma wa bi hamdika wa tabaarakas-muka wa ta’aalaa jad-duka wa laa ilaaha ghairuk
(O Allah! Glory and Praise are for You, and blessed is Your name, and exalted is Your majesty; and there is no god except You.)
Then Allahu akbar is said 3 times, every time raising the hands to the ears and dropping them except the last time when they are folded. Then the Imam recites the Ta’awwudh and Bismillah quietly and then recites Surah Fatiha and another Surah. Then ruku’ and sujood are performed as in other prayers. In the second raka’ah, the Imam recites Bismillah quietly and then Surah Fatiha and another Surah loudly and then says Allahu akbar 3 times, each time raising the hands to the ears and dropping them. Then Allahu akbar is said a fourth time and the congregation goes into ruku’ and finishes the prayer as any other. After the Eid prayer is completed, the Imam stands up and gives two khutbah in Arabic, sitting between them, as was the practice of the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam).
An alternate method of performing twelve extra takbeeraat during the prayer, instead of the six extra that are described above, is also permissible: 7 and then 5 extra takbeeraat are performed during the first and second raka’ah respectively (Umdatus-Saalik, Shafi’ madhhab).
Selected Traditions from Sahih-al-Bukhari: The Chapter of the Two Eids.
• Narrated Aisha (Radiyallaahu ‘anhaa) that Allah’s Messenger (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) said: “There is an Eid for every nation and this is our Eid.”
• Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) used to offer the prayer of Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr and then deliver the khutbah after the prayer.
• Narrated Ibn Abbaas (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) said: “No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first 10 days of Dhil Hijjah).” Then some companions of the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) said, “Not even jihaad?” He replied, “Not even jihaad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allah’s sake) and does not return with any of those things.”
• Narrated Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu): On the day of ‘Eid, the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) used to return (from the prayer) through a way different from that by which he went.
• Narrated ‘Urwa on the authority of ‘Aisha (Radiyallaahu ‘anhaa) that on the days of Minaa (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhil Hijjah) Abu Bakr (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) came to her while two girls were beating the tambourine and the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) was lying covered with his clothes. Abu Bakr (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu) scolded them and the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa sallam) uncovered his face and said to Abu Bakr, “Leave them, for these days are the days of Eid and the days of Minaa.”
The Slaughter:
According to Imam Abu Hanifah, the slaughtering is a wajib. For Abu Hanifah, a wajib is more than a sunnah and less than a fard. The other Imams consider a wajib to mean fard (obligatory).
Therefore, he sees that it is wajib for those people who are capable to do it according to the hadith, “Whoever has the ability to slaughter and he doesn’t, then let him not come near our prayer area.” So Abu Hanifa took from this hadith that it was a wajib. If we can’t consider it as a wajib, at least it is a sunnah muakkadah and in it is a great bounty.
Its time of occurrence is after Salat al-‘Eid, meaning the earliest salat ul-Eid that has been performed in your area. After which, it is permissible to make the sacrifice. If it is done before that, it is not considered an ‘Eid sacrifice.
For the Prophet (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) commanded the one who performs the slaughtering before the ‘Eid prayer to consider his sheep as a “sheep of meat” and not as a “sheep of worship”. Even if he gave all of it in charity he will only be rewarded for it the reward of charity, not the reward for slaughtering for the ‘Eid. For slaughtering is a an act of worship and the acts of worship if they have a fixed time and condition then it is not befitting for it to be performed early or late, like the daily prayers. Is it permissible for you to pray Dhuhr before its appointed time? So it is with the slaughtering of the ‘Eid, it has its specified time too.
Some people in certain places slaughter the night before the ‘Eid. This is incorrect and a misplacement of the Sunnah, as well as a loss of the reward that it contains. If this person realizes his mistake in time, especially if he made a vow to slaughter (then it is obligatory for him), he should repeat it in the correct time after the ‘Eid prayer. It is also permissible to slaughter on the second and third days of the ‘Eid.
It is best to slaughter before the sun reaches its zenith. If the time for Dhuhr comes and he has not performed the slaughter it is better to wait till the second day to do it. Some of the Imams have said that it is permissible after that during the day or even the night. For this reason I see that it is not absolutely necessary that everybody slaughters on the first day because there will be a lot of crowding at the site of the slaughtering. So, it is possible that some people can delay their slaughtering until the second or third day.
What is the Proper Animal for Slaughter?
Camels, cows, sheep and goats are the proper animal to use for slaughtering because they are considered livestock (an’am). So it is permissible to slaughter from any of these types. The sheep can be used for ‘one’, meaning a man and the members of his household. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “This is on behalf of Muhammad and his family.”
Abu Ayyub has said, “During the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) a man used to slaughter one sheep for himself and his family until it came to the point that people competed with each other and they became what you now see.” This is the Sunnah.
As for cows and camels, 1/7 of either of them is sufficient for one person, so it is possible that 7 people could share one camel or one camel or one cow with the condition that the cow is not less than 2 years old or the camel less than 5 years old.
The better the quality of the animal that is used for slaughtering, with regards to its size and condition, the better. That is because it is a gift to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Therefore, it is befitting for the Muslim to present to Allah the best possible thing. As for one giving to Allah what he himself would dislike, then no, this is not appropriate. But in the end, “It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, rather, it is the piety of the hearts that reaches Him.”