This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Muhammad Farooq's book Issues of the Two Eids.
Eating before the Eid al-Adha prayer is permissible:.
Although it is recommended to eat after the Eid al-Adha prayer on the day of Eid, there is no harm in eating before the Eid prayer as well, and this is proven from the practice of the Prophet ﷺ. As Bara bin Azib (RA) narrates:
خطبنا النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم الأضحى بعد الصلاة فقال: من صلى صلاتنا، ونسك نسكنا فقد أصاب النسك، و من نسك قبل الصلاة فإنه قبل الصلاة ولانسك له، فقال أبوبردة بن نيار خال البراء: يارسول الله ! فإنى نسكت شاتي قبل الصلاة وعرفت أن اليوم يوم أكل و شرب، وأحببت أن تكون شاتي أول شاة تذبح فى بيتي، فذ بحت شاتي و تغديت قبل أن آتي الصلاة، قال: شاتك شاه لحم
“The Prophet ﷺ delivered the Eid sermon after the Eid al-Adha prayer and said: Whoever prays according to our way and sacrifices according to our Sunnah, then indeed he has attained the purpose of the sacrifice (i.e., reward and blessing). And whoever sacrifices before the Eid prayer, then that is a sacrifice before the prayer and his sacrifice is not accepted.” (Hearing this) Bara bin Azib’s maternal uncle, Abu Burda bin Niyar (RA), said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! I sacrificed my goat before the Eid prayer because I was well aware that this is a day of eating and drinking, so I preferred that my goat be slaughtered first in my house. So, I slaughtered my goat before the Eid prayer and ate before attending the prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said: Your goat is just ordinary meat (meaning its sacrifice is not accepted, it is like ordinary meat).”
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of the Two Eids, Chapter: Eating on the Day of Sacrifice: 955 - Sunan Bayhaqi: 274/3 - Musnad Abu Ya'la: 1662 - Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 1427
Benefits:
The day of Eid al-Adha is a day for eating and drinking, and there is no prohibition on eating or drinking before or after the Eid prayer. However, it is preferable to eat after the Eid prayer, but eating before the Eid prayer is permissible, and such a person will not be sinful.
Eating before the Eid al-Adha prayer is permissible because if this act were forbidden and impermissible, then just as the Prophet ﷺ reprimanded Abu Burda (may Allah be pleased with him) for sacrificing before the Eid prayer and ordered him to repeat the sacrifice, similarly, the Prophet ﷺ would have certainly scolded eating before the Eid prayer. But the Prophet’s ﷺ silence is evidence of the permissibility of this act.
Ibn Battal (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Eating before the Eid prayer on the day of Eid al-Adha is neither a recommended act nor forbidden (rather it is permissible). Do you not see that in the mentioned hadith, the Prophet ﷺ neither praised the companion for eating before the Eid prayer nor reprimanded him for it (so this silence is proof of the permissibility of this act).
Reference: (Sharh Ibn Battal: 174/4)
Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) titled this hadith as follows: Although eating before heading to the Eidgah on the day of Eid al-Adha is permissible and the one who eats before the Eid prayer is not sinful, it is preferable not to eat before slaughtering the sacrifice.
