This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Muhammad Farooq's book Issues of the Two Eids.
The number and place of additional Takbeers in the two Eids:
There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the number and placement of additional Takbirs in the two Rak'ahs of the Eid prayers. On this matter, Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned ten different opinions of scholars. Among them, the most correct and appropriate opinion is that in the first Rak'ah of the Eid prayer, after the Takbirat al-Ihram, seven Takbirs besides the Takbirat al-Ihram before the recitation are Sunnah, and in the second Rak'ah, five Takbirs besides the Takbirat al-Qiyam are prescribed.
Reference: Sayyid Sabiq, may Allah have mercy on him, declared this opinion as prevalent in Fiqh al-Sunnah: 302/1 and Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, in Nayl al-Awtar: 318/3.
The evidences are as follows:
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates:
أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم كبر فى عيد ثنتى عشرة تكبيرة سبعا فى الأولى وخمسا فى الآخرة
"Indeed, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said twelve Takbirs in the Eid prayer: seven in the first Rak'ah and five in the second."
Reference: Musnad Ahmad: 180/2 - Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Prayer, Chapter on how many Takbirs the Imam says in the Eid prayers: 1678, Musannif Ibn Abi Shaybah: 5693, its chains are Hasan.
Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, states at the end of this narration: وأنا أذهب إليه (This is also my madhhab).
It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كبر فى العيدين الأضحى والفطر ثنتى عشرة تكبيرة فى الأولى سبعا و فى الآخرة خمسا سوى تكبيرة الإحرام
"Certainly, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said twelve Takbirs in the Eid prayers of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr besides the Takbirat al-Ihram, that is seven in the first Rak'ah and five in the second (total twelve)."
Reference: Sunan Dar Qutni, 1702, its chains are Hasan.
It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
التكبير فى الفطر سبع فى الأولى وخمس فى الآخرة، والقراءة بعدهما كليهما
"In Eid al-Fitr, there are seven Takbirs in the first Rak'ah and five in the second, and the recitation is after these Takbirs in both Rak'ahs."
Reference: Sunan Abu Dawood, Book of Prayer, Chapter on Takbir in the two Eids: 1151, its chain is Hasan.
The Influence of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him):
Nafi’ (May Allah have mercy on him) narrates:
شهدت الأضحى والفطر مع أبى هريرة، فكبر فى الركعة الأولى سبع تكبيرات قبل القراءة، وفي الآخرة خمس تكبيرات قبل القراءة. قال مالك: وهو الأمر عندنا
"I attended Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr with Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him), and he said seven takbirs before the recitation in the first rak’ah and five takbirs before the recitation in the second rak’ah. Imam Malik (May Allah have mercy on him) stated that this is also the prescribed method according to us."
Reference: Muwatta Malik, Book of the Two Eids, Chapter on what has been narrated regarding the takbir and recitation in the Eid prayers, Hadith number: 9 - Sunan Bayhaqi: 288/3, its chains are authentic
Fatwa of Imam Awza’i (May Allah have mercy on him):
Waleed bin Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, says that I asked Awza'i, may Allah have mercy on him, how many Takbeers are said in the Eid prayer? He said: seven in the first Rak'ah and five in the second. Then he narrated that I heard from Zahri, may Allah have mercy on him, who stated:
إن السنة مضت فى صلاة العيد: أن يكبر سبع تكبيرات فى الأولى ثم يقرأ، ثم يكبر فيركع، ثم يسجد، ثم يقوم فيكبر خمسا، ثم يقرأ فيكبر ويسجد
"The Sunnah method of Eid prayer is that the Imam says seven Takbeers in the first Rak'ah, then recites, then says Allahu Akbar and bows, then prostrates. After that, he stands for the second Rak'ah, then says five Takbeers, then recites, then says Takbeer again and bows and prostrates."
Reference: Ahkam al-Eidayn by al-Firyabi, 95, Isnad Sahih
Ruling on the Takbeers:
It is Sunnah to recite additional Takbeers on the two Eids; it is not obligatory. The majority of scholars hold the view that saying the Takbeers is Sunnah. Omitting them intentionally or unintentionally does not invalidate the prayer. Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy on him, says: I am not aware of any disagreement among scholars regarding the Sunnah nature of the Takbeers. Al-Shawkani, may Allah have mercy on him, states: Saying the Takbeers is Sunnah, not obligatory, as is the belief of the majority of scholars, because there is no evidence for obligation.
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 318/3
An individual person may also say the Takbeers:
Malik ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
وكل من صلى لنفسه العيدين من رجل أو امرأة فإني أرى أن يكبر فى الأولى سبعا قبل القراءة، وحمسا فى الآخرة قبل القراءة
“Every individual, male or female, who prays the Eid prayer alone, in my opinion, should say seven Takbeers before the recitation in the first Rak'ah and five Takbeers before the recitation in the second Rak'ah.”
Reference: Ahkam al-Eidain by al-Firyabi: 119, its chains are authentic
Omission of Takbeers does not require prostration of forgetfulness (Sajdat al-Sahw):
The majority of scholars state that if the Imam omits the additional Takbeers, he will not perform Sajdat al-Sahw. However, it is narrated from Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, and Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, that the Imam will perform Sajdat al-Sahw if he omits the Takbeers.
Reference: Nail al-Awtar: 3/318
Dominant Position :
The position of the majority of scholars is dominant because, firstly, there is no evidence that the Takbirs are obligatory. Secondly, there is no established Shariah ruling regarding Sujood Sahw if the Takbirs are missed.
Saying continuous Takbirs is permissible :
Saying continuous Takbirs is permissible, meaning not pausing between Takbirs and no kind of mention of the Prophet ﷺ is established. However, scholars differ on this issue.
The position of Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), and Awza'i (may Allah have mercy on him) is that just as in Ruku سبحان ربي العظيم and in Sujood سبحان ربي الاعلي are said continuously, similarly the Takbirs should be said continuously, because if any mention was permissible between Takbirs, it would certainly have been transmitted.
Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) says: The Imam should pause between every two Takbirs and during this pause say لا إله إلا الله، سبحان الله، و الله أكبر, then among the Shafi'is there is a difference about which words should be said between the Takbirs. Accordingly, the majority of Shafi'is say that these words سبحان الله، والحمد لله و لا إله إلا الله، و الله أكبر should be said between the Takbirs, and some Shafi'is say these words لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير should be said.
Reference: Nail al-Awtar : 318/3
Dominant Position :
The position of Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, and Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, is stronger because there is no established mention or supplication from the Prophet, peace be upon him, between the Takbirs.
Sayyid Sabiq, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
لم يحفظ عنه ذكر معين بين التكبيرات
"There is no specific mention established from the Prophet, peace be upon him, between the Takbirs."
Reference: Fiqh al-Sunnah: 303/1
Effect of Abdullah bin Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him:
Between the Takbirs, some words have been narrated from Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) which are presented as evidence that a pause and remembrance between the Takbirs is permissible. However, these narrations and specific words attributed to Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) are unreliable and not authoritative due to their weakness.
Alqamah (may Allah have mercy on him) states: Waleed bin Uqbah (may Allah be pleased with him) came before Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him), Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), and Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with them all) before the Eid prayer and said: "The time for the Eid prayer is near, so tell me what is the method of Takbirs in the Eid prayer?" To this, Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
تبدأ فتكبر تكبيرة تفتتح بها الصلاة وتحمد ربك، وتصلى على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم تدعو وتكبر وتفعل مثل ذلك، ثم تكبر وتفعل مثل ذلك - ثم تكبرو وتفعل مثل ذلك، ثم تقرا وتركع .... الخ
"Start the prayer, say the opening Takbir, praise your Lord, send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), then make a supplication, say Takbir, and repeat the previous actions. Then say Takbir again and do the same, then say Takbir again and repeat the same actions, then say Takbir again and do the same, then recite and bow."
Reference: Bayhaqi: 692/3 - Chain of narration weak
Muhammad bin Ayub is an unknown narrator (Al-Manhaj: 349) and Ibrahim bin Yazid Al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain). Ibrahim Al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) is a mudallis narrator, see:
Reference: Al-Fath Al-Mubeen fi Tahqiq Tabaqat Al-Mudalliseen, p. 33 by Sheikh Zubair Ali Zai.
Ibrahim Al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) states: Waleed bin Uqbah (may Allah be pleased with him) entered the mosque while Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him), Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), and Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) were in the mosque courtyard. Waleed asked: "Indeed, the time of Eid has arrived, tell me what method should I follow?" Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
تقول الله اكبر، وتحمد الله، وتثني عليه، وتصلى على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم وتدعو الله، ثم تكبر، وتحمد الله، وتثني عليه، وتصلى على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، ثم تكبر، وتحمد الله، وتثني عليه، وتصلى على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم وتدعوا، تكبر، وتحمد الله، وتثني عليه، وتصلي على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم وتدعوا ، ثم كبر واقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب وسورة ... الخ
"Say Allahu Akbar, praise and glorify Allah, send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), and supplicate to Allah. Then say Takbir, praise and glorify Allah, send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), and supplicate to Allah. Then say Allahu Akbar, praise and glorify Allah, send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), and supplicate to Allah. Then say Takbir, praise and glorify Allah, send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), and supplicate to Allah. Then say Allahu Akbar and recite Surah Al-Fatiha and another Surah."
Reference: Tabarani Kabir: 9401 - Chain of narration weak and disconnected
Ibrahim Al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) is a Tabi'i (successor) and never met any Sahabi (companion), so this chain is disconnected. Also, Ibrahim Al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) is a mudallis, so this narration is weak.
Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) states:
إن بين كل تكبيرتين قدر كلمة كلمة
"Indeed, there is a pause of a few words between every two Takbirs."
Reference: Tabarani Kabir: 9408, chain of narration weak
In this hadith, Imam Abdul Razzaq bin Hammam San'ani (may Allah have mercy on him) and Ibrahim Al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) are mudallis narrators.
Raising the hands with Takbeers is a recommended act:
Raising the hands at every Takbeer, including Takbeer al-Tahrimah (the opening Takbeer) of the Eid prayer, is a recommended act. This is the position of Ata (may Allah have mercy on him), Awza'i (may Allah have mercy on him), Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), and Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him).
Reference: Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) with Al-Sharh Al-Kabeer: 237/2
Evidence:
Wa'il bin Hujr al-Hadrami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يرفع يديه مع التكبير
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raising his hands with every Takbeer while standing." (Narrated by Abdul Rahman bin Hasi, may Allah have mercy on him, who is a truthful narrator)
Reference: Musnad Ahmad 316/4, its chains are Hasan
Fiqh of Hadith:
Hafiz Abdul Sattar Hamad, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: The context of this narration is related to raising the hands (Raf' al-Yadain) in the obligatory prayer. However, the generality of the words requires that it also includes the Takbeerat of the two Eids. Accordingly, among the Muhaddithin, Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, and Ibn Mundhir, may Allah have mercy on him, have used the generality of this hadith as evidence to prove raising the hands during the Takbeerat of the two Eids, and no opposition from any Muhaddith has been reported against them.
Reference: Fatawa As'hab al-Hadith, p. 411
Fatwa of Imam Awza'i, may Allah have mercy on him:
Waleed bin Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, says: I asked Awza'i, may Allah have mercy on him:
فأرفع يدي كرفعي فى تكبيرة الصلاة، قال: نعم! إرفع يديك مع
"Should I raise my hands during the Takbeerat of Eid as I do during the Takbeerat in prayer?" He said, "Yes! You should raise your hands with all the additional Takbeerat."
Reference: Ahkam al-Eidain by al-Firyabi, may Allah have mercy on him: 124 - Its chains are authentic
Fatwa of Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him:
Waleed bin Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates: I asked Malik bin Anas, may Allah have mercy on him, about raising the hands during the additional Takbeers, and he replied:
نعم إرفع يديك مع كل تكبيرة، ولم أسمع فيه شيئا
"Yes, raise your hands with every Takbeer, however, I have not heard anything about this."
Reference: Ahkaam al-Eidain by al-Faryaabi, may Allah have mercy on him: 125 - Its chains are authentic
Regarding raising the hands during the additional Takbeers, narration attributed to Umar bin Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him:
The narration attributed to Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, about raising the hands during the additional Takbeers is weak. Bakr bin Suwadah, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates:
أن عمر بن الخطاب رضى الله عنه كان يرفع يديه مع كل تكبيرة فى الحنازة والعيدين
"Indeed, Umar bin Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, used to raise his hands with every Takbeer during the funeral and the two Eids."
Reference: Bayhaqi: 293/3, its chains are weak
Abdullah bin Lahi'ah, may Allah have mercy on him, is a weak narrator, and there is a break in the chain of narration between Bakr bin Suwadah, may Allah have mercy on him, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.
