THE ULTIMATE
EID AL-FITR GUIDE
2 0 2 2
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CONTENTS
4
The Eid Takbir
7
Introduction & Re ections on Eid
9
How Does One Perform the Eid
Prayer?
13
The Ultimate Eid To-Do List
15
What Is Sadaqat al-Fitr
16
Who Must Pay Sadaqat al-Fitr?
fl
THE EID TAKBIR
،#َُ %'ْ ُ* (ا+,َ א،#َُ %'ْ ُ* (ا+,َא Allah is the
Greatest, Allah is
#َُ %'ْ ُ* (ا+,َא the Greatest, Allah
is the Greatest
*+, א/0ا ﱠ1 2َ 3َ ا1 /0َ There is no deity
but Allah
، #َُ %'ْ ُ* (ا+,َ א،#َُ %'ْ ُ* (ا+,َא
Allah is the
Greatest, Allah is
ﻤْﺪ678ْ 9ِ ا2;َو< ِ ﱠ
the Greatest
And to Allah
belongs the Praise
ا#>?ِ َ@ #َُ %'ْ ُ* (ا+,َא
Allah is the
Greatest in the
Greatest Way
ا#>ِAَ@ ِ2; ﻤ ُْﺪ < ِ ﱠ678ْ 9َوا
And to Allah
belongs the Praise
many times
ُ ْﻜ َﺮ ًةF ِ*+,َﺎن א
6 IJْ Kُ َو And Glory be to
Allah at the
LM ﯿOَو (اﺻ beginning and end
of each day.
َ* َوﺣْ َﺪه+, א/0ا ﱠ1 2َ 3َ ا1 /0َ There is no deity
but Allah alone.
He ful lled His
Sَ 6TَU َو، ْ َﺪهV َﺪ َق َو6ﺻ Promise, and He
supported His
ْﻨ َﺪهY َو (ا َﻋ ﱠﺰ ﺟ، َﻋ ْﺒ َﺪه Servant, and He
made His Soldiers
Victorious
اب ( َو َﻫ َﺰ َم
6 ﺣْ َﺰ/0ا And He Alone
defeated the
َوﺣْ َﺪه Confederates
*+, א/0ا ﱠ1 2َ 3َ ا1 /0َ There is no deity
but Allah
ﱠﺎهaا1 /0ا ﱠ1 َ ْﻌ ُﺒ ُﺪc /0َ َو And we worship
none but Him
ِ ّ 2ُ 3َ jk
َوﻟَ ْﻮ6fgi3ا 6 Oِﺼmnْ oُ
Making Sincerity
of Religion for Him
َ َهsِ َt
Alone, though
ﺎﻓِ ُﺮونqrا the disbelievers
dislike that
َﺎuﺳ ِّﯿ ِﺪ6 wَxyَ ِّﻞ6ا<}ﱠﻬ ﱠُﻢ ﺻ O Allah! Send Your
Blessings on our
~َُﱠ Master
Muhammad
5
fi
~َﺎ َُﱠuﺳ ِّﯿ ِﺪ6 ِآلwَxyَ َو
And on the Family
of our Master
Muhammad
َﺎuﺳ ِّﯿ ِﺪ6 َﺎب
O I ْ (
ا wَ xyَ َو And on the
Companions of
~َُﱠ our Master
Muhammad
َﺎuﺳ ِّﯿ ِﺪ6 ﺎ ِر6ْﺼU (اwَxyَ َو And on the
Supporters of our
~َُﱠ Master
Muhammad
َﺎuﺳ ِّﯿ ِﺪ6 اج و َ ْ (اwَxyَ َو
ز
O And on the Wives
of our Master
~َُﱠ Muhammad
And on the
~ٍ َﺎ َُﱠuﺳ ِّﯿ ِﺪ6 ِ ُذ ّ ِرﯾﱠwَxyَ َو Offspring of our
Master
Muhammad
ا#>ِAَ@ ًِﺳ ِّ ْ َ ْﺴﻠ6 َو
And send many
Salutations upon
him.
6
Eid al-Fitr is upon us! How quickly
Ramadan has come and gone. May
Allah bless us witness another
Ramadan.
This small ebook was put together in
the hopes of gathering a few best
practices concerning the Eid —
allowing you inshaAllah to maximize
these beautiful days.1
The Companion Anas (Allah be
pleased with him) said, “The
Messenger of Allah s migrated to
the city of Medina and saw the
people celebrating two days of
festivities. He said, ‘What are these
two days?’ The people of Medina
replied, ‘They were days of festivities
in the pre-Islamic era (jahaliyya).’
Then he said, ‘Verily Allah has
1The following are excerpts taken from our friends at
SeekersGuidance. SeekersGuidance Global Islamic
Seminary offers online courses from beginners to
advanced, with quali ed scholars, completely free. The
complete article by Ustadha Umm Ihsan is available here:
www.seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/the-
qh-of-eid-al- tr-eid-al-adha
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replaced these two days with (what)
is better for you—the day of Adha
and the day of Fitr.’” [Abu Dawud]
After much re ection upon the
meanings and actions surrounding
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the depth
of the Prophet’s words be t a
striking reality. These two days are
not ‘holidays’ in the sense that
Muslims take the ‘day off’ from
worship, but they serve as yet
another opportunity for the believer
to excel in devotion and rejoice in
praise of the Lord of the Worlds.
There is an inspiring message and
strong, spiritual motivation behind
each of these days as they both mark
the remembrance of a major act of
worship.
Eid al-Fitr is a time of celebration
that follows after a month of
refraining from indulging in worldly
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human desires from dusk to dawn
out of pure submission to God.
[The Eid] holidays are void of the
detriments of commercialism and
self-absorbed gifts. Instead, they
replace the holiday ‘season’ with acts
of giving to the poor and spending
one’s free time with the entire
community. For Eid al-Fitr, there is a
mandatory charity given to the poor
from those who meet certain
requirements, and it remains an
overall recommendation for
everyone to give in charity beyond
their normal habit.
HOW DOES ONE PERFORM
THE EID PRAYER?
Both Eid prayers are only 2 prayer
cycles (rakats). It is necessary (wajib)
9
for both the imam and follower to
give the additional takbirs for Eid
during the prayer.2
To perform the prayer as a follower:
1. One makes the intention in one’s
heart to perform the Eid prayer as
a follower of the Imam. It is
recommended to say the
intention with one’s tongue.
2. One gives the opening takbir
(Allahu Akbar) with the Imam.
3. One says the opening
supplication quietly to oneself.
4. One gives three additional takbirs
(Allahu Akbar) with the Imam. For
each additional takbir, one raises
the hands like the opening takbir,
says the takbir out loud with the
Imam, returns the hands to one’s
sides, and pauses for a brief
moment before proceeding with
the other takbirs with the Imam.
For a man, after the third and
2 Ala al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-Alaiyya
10
nal takbir, he places his hands
together, right on left under the
navel. For a woman, she places
her hands upon her chest.
5. One listens to the Imam recite the
Fatiha and an additional sura.
6. One says the sunna ‘Allahu Akbar’
while moving into the bowing
position with the Imam and
completes the prayer cycle
(raka’) like usual. One does not
raise the hands when saying
‘Allahu Akbar’ as one moves into
the bowing or prostrating
position.
7. In the second prayer cycle (raka’),
one listens to the Imam recite the
Fatiha and an additional sura
upon standing up from
prostration.
8. One gives three additional takbirs
(Allahu Akbar) with the Imam. For
each additional takbir, one raises
the hands like the opening takbir,
says the takbir out loud with the
Imam, returns the hands to one’s
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sides, and pauses for a brief
moment before proceeding with
the other takbirs with the Imam.
After the third and nal takbir,
one places one’s arms next to
one’s sides.
9. One says ‘Allahu Akbar’ while
moving into the bowing position
with the Imam and completes the
prayer cycle (raka’) like usual.
One does not raise the hands
when saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ as one
moves into the bowing or
prostrating position.
10. One sits for the tashahud, gives
blessings upon the Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace),
and says the two nal salams with
the Imam.3
3Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ala al-Din Abidin, al-
Hadiyya al-Alaiyya; Shurunbulali, Imdad al-Fattah; Quduri,
al-Kitab; Tahtawi, Hashiyyat al-Tahtawi; al-Haska , Durr al-
Mukhtar
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THE ULTIMATE EID AL-FITR
TO-DO LIST
1. Wake up early, ideally before Fajr
or at the entering of Fajr.
2. Pray Fajr with the masjid
congregation.
3. Eat something sweet after Fajr
prayer and/or before heading out
to the Eid prayer.
4. Eat an odd number of dates.
5. Perform ghusl before the Eid
prayer (this applies to a person
who is not attending the prayer
as well).
6. Clean one’s teeth with a siwak or
similar object as much as
possible.
7. Wear scented perfume (women
do not wear strong scented
perfume outside of their homes).
8. Wear the best of one’s clothes,
which consist of the most
beautiful, cleanest, or newest
garments, even if they are not
white.
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9. Make one’s happiness and joy
apparent, thanking Allah for all
blessings in your life.
10. Smile and display one’s happiness
when meeting others.
11. Give much in non-obligatory
charity, more than one’s usual
habit.
12. Direct oneself to the Eid prayer
area, while saying ‘Allahu Akbar’
quietly to oneself and to stop
saying it when the Imam begins
the Eid prayer.
13. Go to the Eid prayer area by foot.
14. Pay the sadaqat al- tr (zakat al-
tr) if it is necessary for one to do
so.
15. Arrive early at the Eid prayer area
so one can pray in the rst line.
16. Return from a different direction
after performing the Eid prayer.
17. And last but not least, don’t
forget to visit family and friends
on Eid! Eat, pray, and celebrate
together.
q
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WHAT IS SADAQAT AL-
FITR (ZAKAT AL-FITR)?
The rulings of sadaqat al- tr are
usually found in the chapter of zakat
in the works of the jurists. However,
after realizing that many people are
not aware of the sadaqat al- tr and
the right of the poor to receive it, its
details has been included [here].
Sadaqat al-Fitr is a required charity
on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr given
to the same poor individuals who are
allowed to receive zakat.
It is related4 by the Companion
Abdullah ibn Umar and his father
Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be
pleased with both) that “…the
Prophet (Allah bless him and give
him peace) obligated (the payment)
of zakat al- tr in Ramadan (with) a
sa’ of dates or a sa’ of barley upon
4 Bukhari; Muslim
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every free person and slave,
(whether) man or woman, from the
Muslims.”
WHO MUST PAY SADAQAT
AL-FITR?5
Sadaqat al- tr is necessary (wajib)
upon:
1. any free Muslim, regardless if they
are male, female, adult, child,
sane, or not sane,
2. who possesses the zakatable
minimum (nisab) in any form of
wealth,
3. in excess of their immediate
needs and debts,
4. on the morning Eid al-Fitr arrives
(i.e. entering of Fajr),
5Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ala al-Din Abidin, al-
Hadiyya al-Alaiyya
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5. regardless if an entire lunar year
has passed upon this wealth or
not.
For sadaqat al- tr, the zakatable
minimum (nisab) is the same as the
annual zakat, which is 612 grams of
silver or 87.48 grams of gold or their
equivalent monetary value. However,
for sadaqat al- tr, one calculates the
nisab according to any form of
wealth one owns beyond one’s basic
needs and immediate debts. The
details related to this difference are
forthcoming.
Immediate needs refer to one’s
normal living expenses for oneself
and one’s dependents, such as
money for food, shelter, furniture,
clothing, transportation, immediate
debts, and books for those who use
them.
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Please consider supporting
Imam Ghazali Institute
via Patreon membership.
Your support helps provide access
to sound knowledge of Islam in
many languages and locations
around the world.
You'll also get some great perks!
www.patreon.com/imamghazali
18
