Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 553❖ Question:
Is it permissible, according to the Qur’an and Sunnah, to set up tents or shades during the Eid prayers to protect the worshippers from heat or sunlight?
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
Your question indicates that there is some misunderstanding regarding the timing of the Eid prayers, for if the Sunnah time were known, such a question would not arise. Therefore, the time for Eid prayers is first clarified below.
🌤 Time for the Eid al-Fiṭr Prayer:
When the sun has risen and ascended approximately two spears’ length (about two meters) above the horizon, the time for the Eid al-Fiṭr prayer begins.
Ḥadīth:
عن جندب البجلي رضي الله عنه قال:
“كان النبي ﷺ يصلي بنا الفطر والشمس على قيد رمحين، والأضحى على قيد رمح.”
(Kitāb al-Aḍāḥī by al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Bannā, referenced in Talkhīṣ al-Khabīr, p. 83, Kitāb Ṣalāt al-ʿĪdayn, vol. 2)
Translation:
Jundub al-Bajalī رضي الله عنه narrated:
“The Prophet ﷺ used to lead us in the Eid al-Fiṭr prayer when the sun had risen to the height of about two spears, and in the Eid al-Aḍḥā prayer when the sun had risen to the height of about one spear.”
Time for the Eid al-Aḍḥā Prayer:
As mentioned in the narration above, the Eid al-Aḍḥā prayer was performed earlier—when the sun had ascended one spear’s length above the horizon.
❖ Opinions of the Muḥaddithīn and Fuqahāʾ:
◈ Imām al-Shawkānī رحمه الله said:
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar remained silent upon this ḥadīth, indicating its soundness, and stated that this narration of Jundub is the clearest and most authentic ḥadīth for determining the time of the Eid prayers.
“It is the best and most explicit of all narrations regarding the timing of the Eid prayers.”
(Nayl al-Awṭār, vol. 4, p. 333, Bāb Waqt Ṣalāt al-ʿĪd)
◈ ʿAllāmah al-Sayyid Muḥammad Sābiq رحمه الله also affirmed the same position.
(Fiqh al-Sunnah, vol. 1, p. 269)
☀ The Actual Issue — Is There a Need for Tents?
Given that the Eid prayers are performed very early in the morning, one must reflect:
At such an early hour, how intense can the sunlight or heat truly be, to necessitate setting up tents or canopies?
❖ Important Points:
◈ Unnecessary delay in performing the Eid prayers is contrary to the Sunnah.
◈ It is essential to avoid delaying the prayer without valid reason.
Allowance in Case of Need:
However, if there is genuine need or necessity, for example:
- The people have become so comfort-seeking that they find it difficult to tolerate even mild sunlight,
- Or if the weather conditions are unusually severe,
then it is permissible to erect tents or canopies for shade.
◈ Just as it is permissible to offer the Eid prayer inside the mosque during rain or snowfall, despite the Sunnah being to perform it in the open field (Eidgāh),
◈ Similarly, just as planting trees in the Eidgāh for shade is allowed,
—so too, setting up tents when needed is permissible.
There is no explicit evidence in the Qur’an or Sunnah prohibiting this practice.
Summary:
① Performing the Eid prayer without unnecessary delay is Sunnah.
② The original Sunnah is to perform it in an open field (ṣaḥrāʾ / Eidgāh).
③ In cases of genuine necessity — such as heat, strong sunlight, rain, or snow — setting up tents or shade structures is permissible.
④ There is no Sharʿī evidence that forbids it.
ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allah knows best what is right.
