Correct Method and Sequence of Takbīrāt in Eid Prayer
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Vol. 1, p. 249
Question:
In Eid prayer, should the additional Takbīrāt be said before Thana’ (duʿāʾ al-istiftāḥ) or after it?
And is the opening Takbīrah (Takbīrat al-Taḥrīmah) included in the seven Takbīrāt of the first rakʿah?
Kindly clarify in the light of Qur’an and Hadith.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
① Saying Takbīrāt Before or After Thana’
- In Eid prayer, both ways are correct—saying the Takbīrāt before Thana’ or after it.
- The Hadith states:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say seven Takbīrāt before recitation in the first rakʿah and five before recitation in the second rakʿah.”
[Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Jumuʿah, Bāb al-Takbīr fī al-ʿĪdayn] - The phrase “before recitation” includes both situations:
- Whether Takbīrāt are said before Thana’, or
- After Thana’—both are permissible.
- Imām al-Mubārakpūrī رحمه الله in Mirʿāt al-Mafātīḥ concluded:
«أَيَّامَّا فَعَلَ كَانَ جَائِزًا»
“Whichever way one does, it is permissible.”
② Is Takbīrat al-Taḥrīmah Included in the Seven?
- The opening Takbīrah (Takbīrat al-Taḥrīmah) is not included in the seven Takbīrāt of the first rakʿah.
- Reasons:
- Takbīrat al-Taḥrīmah is not specific to Eid; it is obligatory at the start of every prayer.
- The Ahadith mentioning Eid Takbīrāt speak specifically of the additional Takbīrāt, not the general opening Takbīr.
- Some narrations in al-Bayhaqī and al-Dāraqutnī explicitly clarify:
“Other than the Takbīrat al-Taḥrīmah.”
Conclusion:- In Eid prayer, seven additional Takbīrāt in the first rakʿah and five in the second rakʿah are to be recited before recitation.
- Saying them either before or after Thana’ is valid.
- The opening Takbīrah is separate and not counted among the seven.
