Explanation of Making Up Eid Prayer:
Since Eid prayer is Fard Ayn
, therefore, whether missed with an excuse or without an excuse, making it up is necessary, and its obligation does not lapse until it is performed.
How Many Rak’ahs to Pray if Eid Prayer is Missed:
In case Eid prayer is missed, two rak’ahs should be prayed, because Eid prayer is actually only two rak’ahs and it is not replaced by any other prayer. Therefore, in the case of making up, the original form is valid. The evidences are as follows:
1. It is narrated from Umar ibn Khattab (RA) who said:
صلاة السفر ركعتان، وصلاة الجمعة ركعتان، والفطر والأضحى ركعتان، تمام غير قصر على لسان محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم
According to the words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): The complete and shortened prayers for travel, Friday, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha are two rak’ahs each.
Fiqh of Hadith:
The complete and uninterrupted prayer of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha consists of two rak’ahs, and this prayer cannot be replaced by any other prayer (i.e., a four-rak’ah prayer). Therefore, in the case of making up (qadha), only a two-rak’ah prayer will be performed.
It is not correct to equate the Eid prayers with the Friday prayer, because Friday prayer replaces Zuhr, and if Friday prayer is missed, the original Zuhr prayer will be observed. However, this situation does not exist for the Eid prayers. Therefore, equating the Eid prayers with the Friday prayer in the case of making up is invalid.
Further evidence:
1. Ata bin Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
إذا فاته العيد صلى ركعتين
When a person misses the Eid prayer, he should pray two rak’ahs as qadha.
This narration is transmitted as suspended in Sahih Bukhari, but in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah it is mentioned with an authentic chain. Also, Ibn Jurayj’s narration from Ata is considered a continuous chain of transmission.
2. It is narrated from Rabi’ bin Abdullah bin Khataf that Hasan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
يصلي مثل صلاة الإمام
Whoever misses the Eid prayer, he should perform a prayer like the Imam’s prayer (i.e., two rak’ahs).
Ibn Qudamah writes: Ibrahim an-Nakha’i, Malik, Shafi’i, Abu Thawr, and Ibn Mundhir also hold the view that in case the Eid prayer is missed, only a two-rak’ah prayer will be performed. The reason for performing two rak’ahs in qadha is that it is a qadha prayer, and like all other prayers, the qadha of the missed Eid prayer will be performed in its original form.
It is not Sunnah to pray four rak’ahs as a qaza of the Eid prayer:
The position of Imam Ahmad and Sufyan al-Thawri is that whoever misses the Eid prayer should perform four rak’ahs as qada (make-up prayer).
This position is weak because there is no authentic mursal hadith established on this matter; therefore, it is not prescribed to perform four rak’ahs if the Eid prayer is missed. Also, the following narrations attributed to Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) are weak:
1. Shu’bi narrates that Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
من فاتته الصلاة يوم العيد فليصل أربعا
Whoever misses the Eid prayer should perform four rak’ahs.
In Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah and Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq, there is tadlis (concealment) by Sufyan al-Thawri; in Ahkam al-Eidayn, the narrator Hashim ibn Bashir al-Wasiti is tadlis, and Shu’bi’s hearing from Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) is not established. Therefore, due to tadlis and discontinuity, this narration is weak.
2. It is narrated from Masruq (may Allah have mercy on him) that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
من فاته العيد فليصل أربعا
Whoever misses the Eid prayer should pray four rak’ahs.
In this chain, there is tadlis by Hashim ibn Bashir and Hafs ibn Ghiyath, and Hajjaj ibn Artaah is a weak tadlis narrator.
Both praying alone and praying in congregation are valid methods if the Eid prayer is missed:
In case the Eid prayer is missed, both praying individually and praying in congregation as qada are permissible. Ibn Qudamah al-Hanbali says: The person who misses the Eid prayer has the choice to pray alone or to arrange for congregational prayer.
However, arranging congregational prayer is preferable because the reward for praying in congregation is twenty-seven times greater than praying alone.
Then he can pray wherever he wishes. Ibn Qudamah states: Abu Abdullah was asked where should the one who missed the Eid prayer pray? He said: He may go to the Eidgah or pray anywhere else (his prayer will be valid).
Fasting on the days of the two Eids is forbidden:
Since the days of the two Eids are days of expressing joy and celebration through eating and drinking, it is forbidden to fast on these two days, whether it is obligatory, voluntary, vowed, or any other type of fasting.
1. Abu Ubaid Mawli Ibn Azhar narrates:
شهدت العيد مع عمر بن الخطاب رضى الله عنه فقال: هذان يومان نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن صيامهما، يوم فطركم من صيامكم، واليوم الآخر تأكلون فيه من نسككم
I was present with Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) on Eid when he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade fasting on these two days, meaning:
The day you break your fast (Eid al-Fitr).
The second is the day (Eid al-Adha) on which you consume the meat of your sacrifices.
2. Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates, he states:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن صيام يومين: يوم الفطر ويوم النحر
Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade fasting on the two days of Eid al-Fitr and the Day of Sacrifice.
❀ Narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he states:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن صيام يومين: يوم الأضحى ويوم الفطر
Certainly, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade fasting on the two days, that is, the day of Eid al-Adha and the day of Eid al-Fitr.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar states (based on these ahadith) that fasting on the two days of Eid is forbidden, whether these fasts are vows, expiations, voluntary, making up missed fasts, or for Hajj Tamattu’. This act is unanimously forbidden.
❀ Imam Nawawi writes:
There is consensus among scholars on the prohibition of fasting on the days of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, whether the fasting person is observing a vow, voluntary fast, expiation, or any other fast. Fasting on these two days is forbidden in every case.
If someone deliberately vows to fast on these specific two days, the Shafi’i school and the majority of scholars hold that neither will the vow be valid nor will they be required to make up the fasts of these two days. Abu Hanifa, however, says that the vow will be valid and the person will be required to make up these fasts. Abu Hanifa also says that if someone fasts on these two days, their vow will be fulfilled, but all other scholars disagree with Abu Hanifa (and the view of the majority of scholars is the prevailing one).
The Wisdom Behind the Prohibition of Fasting on the Two Eids:
Allama Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, says: The wisdom behind the prohibition of fasting on the two Eids is that fasting on these two days is a rejection of Allah’s feast which He has prepared for His servants.
