Bathing, perfume and best clothes Naaf'i reports: “Abdullah Ibn Umar used to bathe on the day of Fitr before setting out to the Musallaa.” (Malik (1/177), Ash-Shaafi'ee (73) and Abdur-Razzaaq (5754) and it has an authentic chain of narration) Imam Ibn Qudamah said, “It is preferred to purify oneself by bathing for Eid. Ibn Umar used to bathe on the day of Fitr. This is also reported upon Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and it is the opinion of ‘Urwah, ‘Ataa, An-Nakhaa'ee, Ash-Sha'bee, Qatadah Abu Zinaad Malik, Ash-Shaafi'ee and Ibn Mundhir...” (Al-Mughnee, 2/370) Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “He (peace be upon him) would wear his best clothes when proceeding to the two Eids and the day of jum ‘ah.” (Zaad-ul-Ma'aad, 1/441) Eating before prayer Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger of Allah would not set out in the morning of Eid-Al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates.” (Bukhari) Imam Al-Muhallab said: “The wisdom behind eating before the Eid prayer is so that no person doubts that fasting remains until after the prayer. So it is as if he (peace be upon him) wanted to stop this from occurring.” (Fath-ul-Bari, 2/447) Takbeer in the Eids The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to emerge on the day of Eid-Al-Fitr and say the Takbeer up until he reached the Musallaa and up until he had performed the prayer. So when he had performed the prayer he stopped saying the Takbeer. (Silsilatul Ahadeeth As-Saheehah, 170) The scholar of Hadeeth Al-Albani said, “This Hadeeth contains evidence of saying the Takbeer aloud on the way to the Musallaa; even though many Muslims have become negligent of this Sunnah to such an extent that it has nearly become a “thing of the past”. Ibn Mas'ud used to say: “Allahu-Akbar. Allahu-Akbar. Laa ilaaha illallah. Wa-Allahu Akbar. Allahu-Akbaar. Wa lillaahil-Hamd” (Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. There is none who has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest and to Allah belongs all praise.) Salmaan Al-Khair (may Allah Pleased with him): “Make takbeer of Allah: Say: Allahu-Akbar Allahu-Akbar Allahu-Akbar kabeera (Baihaqee) Saying the Takbeer aloud does not mean that it is permitted to say it in unison, as some people do. Likewise, all other supplications in which raising the voice has or has not been prescribed, then reciting the supplication in unison is not permissible. So be cautious of this and let us always focus upon the fact that the best guidance is the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Different route to and fro the Musallaa Jabir Bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “When it was the day of Eid the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to alter his route (of returning).” (Bukhari) Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawzeeyah said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to change his route on the days of Eid, such that he went by one route and returned by another. According to the most correct opinion, he did this to make manifest the rituals of Islam.” (Zaad-ul-Ma'aad, 1/449) Praying Eid Musallaa Aboo Sa'eed Al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the days of Eid-Al-Fitr and ‘Adhaa, used to go out to the Musallaa and the first thing that he would begin with was the prayer...” (Bukhari and Muslim) The aim of the prayer in the Musallaa is to gather the great majority of Muslims in one place. Greeting The companions when they met each other on Eid would say: “Taqabbala Allaaha minnaa wa minkum” May Allah accept it (the worship) from you and us. (Fath Al-Bari) – Courtesy AbdurRahman.org __
